Offensive Advertising?

LETTER TO CORAL

I am a recent subscriber to CORAL, one of the most well laid out, sophisticated, and best publications I have ever seen. Keep up such incredibly high standards, it is simply awesome.

However, due to the fact that I am so impressed with the magazine and felt an immediate attachment to it, I take the time to write and suggest that advertisements that read, “Do You Have Trouble Getting it Up” and other sexually oriented comments are offensive, not cute, and detract tremendously from a serious, high-grade publication such as yours.

I understand the need for advertising dollars but I imagine that most, if not all, of your readers are sophisticated people, not the uneducated masses, and very well could be bothered by this type of advertising strategy. 

I am aware that the company in question is owned by Julian Sprung, who has a fine reputation and extensive knowledge and involvement in the growth of the reef aquarium hobby. Without a doubt, Mr. Sprung has been invaluable to a hobby that I feel insatiably passionate about and which, hopefully, will contribute to restoring and preserving natural systems, and not destroying them. For that I am indebted to him. However, I fear his sense of humor in creating advertising could do more harm than good.

In any case, I will be ordering all the back issues that I missed. I can’t get enough of CORAL.

Robert Beverley
San Juan, Puerto Rico

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