Meineke Franchisee Apologizes for Politics in Ad

A Meineke franchisee put a political message into an ad after the chain's marketing vice president had approved it without the political statement.

An ad on Page A3 on Feb. 3 for deals at two South Mississippi Meineke locations contained the phrase “AMERICA RISING: We are taking our country back 11/02/10,” which refers to the date of congressional elections. America Rising is the title of a video circulating among conservative political Web sites that warns President Barack Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress that conservatives intend to take back Congress in the fall.

The franchisee publicly apologized.

“Please accept my humble apology for including inappropriate language in the Meineke Complete Car Care ad that appeared in this paper on Feb. 3,” Harris wrote in the apology. “I accept full responsibility for this indiscretion since the language in the ad violated Meineke’s internal advertising policy. - Sun Herald