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Skechers removes Christina Aguilera “nurse” advertisement after receiving over 3,000 letters from nursing advocates.

According to a statement from Jennifer Clay, a public relations official at Skechers’ Los Angeles headquarters, Skechers will halt the Christina Aguilera “naughty nurse” advertisement that had started airing globally. This decision comes as a response to extensive protests ignited by the Truth’s campaign during the past fortnight. In a letter sent to the Center, Skechers declared that it has ceased its international media purchases. The date of this statement is August 17, 2004.

We are currently working to obtain clarification on what exactly has been discontinued. It seems that the ads, which were scheduled to appear in various media outlets such as retail locations, may still run in some publications in the next two months. For a complete listing of our international press coverage, please refer to the “See full section” of our health paper. The latest article in the Virginia Gazette and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describes this as the “success” of Skechers’ campaign, as reported by the Truth.

Please inform us at info@truthaboutnursing.Org if you come across these advertisements, and we will keep track of when they appear.

The content of the letter that many of the letter-writers received from Skechers stated:

Thank you for voicing your opinion on our recent advertisement. Your words were heard by SKECHERS management and the following statement was issued:

“The Christina Aguilera advertisement was in no way meant to trivialize or marginalize the valuable services that the nursing profession contributes to our society. As you can imagine, as a consumer brand, SKECHERS in no way wishes or intends to offend any group. As a result of the valuable feedback given to us by the various nurses’ organization, we immediately pulled all United States distribution of the advertisement and discontinued international media buys.”

Sincerely,

Jennifer Clay Director of Corporate Communications

Our determined efforts ultimately prevailed, but it seemed that Skechers was unusually resistant to our message at first. We want to extend our thanks and congratulations to both non-nurses and nurses who wrote letters on behalf of the nursing profession, as they played a significant role in making this our biggest campaign yet.

Click here to view our authentic campaign.

In October 2004, we concluded our campaign. Skechers has also received around 3000 letters from our supporters. These letters were about the negative impact of running ads that affected the global perception of the nursing profession. We have also sent a letter to the company, asking them to make changes to support the nursing profession.

Dear executives of Skechers:

Thank you for taking action to remove the worldwide publication ad of nurse Christina Aguilera from Skechers. Your decision shows a commendable concern for the views of many nurses, whom you strongly object to presenting an image of nursing that is harmful. We also trust that in the future, you will refrain from using nursing images that are detrimental when selling your products.

Helping to create a more positive image, but also starting to reverse the damage to the nursing profession, we must realize that it is not likely that people recognize the countless lives that nurses improve or save every day through their highly skilled work. Nor do they likely realize the imperative it is for global health that we not only halt this damage to the image of nursing, but also support the thousands of nurses with doctoral-level education and research in cutting-edge healthcare.

Show nurses that you are determined to rectify the situation. A similar initiative by Skechers would lead to increased purchases of Johnson & Johnson products by nurses. Nurses are a crucial target market, with approximately 3 million registered nurses in North America alone. They are predominantly working age adults, mostly female (who make the majority of purchases), and their family members and friends are also consumers of Skechers products. It is clearly in Skechers’ best interest to make tangible and visible efforts to mend their relationship with these consumers. In fact, even in the absence of any obvious public relations issue, Johnson & Johnson recently invested $30 million in an image campaign (the Campaign for Nursing’s Future) in response to the growing global nursing crisis. I have no doubt that nurses are now purchasing more Johnson & Johnson products as a result of this campaign.

I have many ideas about the nursingabouttruth website of Action.Org. What actions can Skechers take, for example, to improve their image-building efforts?

Supporting artwork that depicts nurses in a truthful manner: www.Truthaboutnursing.Org/create.

Supporting “Experience a day as a nurse” initiatives: www.Truthaboutnursing.Org/action/follow_a_nurse.Html.

Supporting media education initiatives for nurses: www.Truthaboutnursing.Org/action/media_training.Html.

Producing advertisements for Skechers that showcase nurses in a favorable manner (please collaborate with the Truth on these).

By becoming a contributing member of the Truth, you can assist us in enhancing public comprehension of the nursing field: www.Truthaboutnursing.Org/members/organizational_members.Html.

Supporting other visual initiatives, like Nurses for a Healthier Tomorrow: http://nursesource.Org/sponsor_info.Html.

Skechers and the portrayal of nursing can mutually enhance each other’s positive impact, resulting in a collaboration that brings joy to The Truth About Nursing.

I urge you to begin addressing and restoring the image of nursing in crisis. Thank you again for your efforts, Nurse Christina Aguilera.