Stephen A. Greyser, a marketing professor at Harvard Business School, said he thought it showed the company getting “too close
to the editorial content of one program,” while Ms. Alaimo said the bank appeared to be “interfering in news content.”
NBC did not comment on JPMorgan’s decision, though Ms. Kelly said in a statement
that while she found the claims by Mr. Jones involving the Sandy Hook shooting “personally revolting,” he was a newsworthy interview subject.
“Brands are going to be asking a lot more questions moving forward about the content of theatrical productions
and potentially even of news outlets, which is sort of the more frightening prospect to me.”
Companies face a seemingly daily challenge as they grapple with boycott-ready consumers on the left
and right, in addition to issues like having their ads appear next to fake news and hate speech.
Delta Air Lines and Bank of America drew headlines this week for pulling their support from New York’s Public Theater in response to criticism
about its production of “Julius Caesar,” in which the titular character — made up to look like Mr. Trump — is assassinated.
“A lot of sponsorships that wouldn’t have garnered a lot of attention a year ago are now coming under greater scrutiny because people are wondering what
that says about a business’s political stance,” said Kara Alaimo, who teaches public relations at Hofstra University.
