Hung Up About a Hanger

Aug. 21, 2007 — -- Who knew a hanger could get Americans so hung up?

A recent billboard for Manhattan Mini Storage, a popular New York City storage center, popped up over Manhattan's West Side Highway and reignited the abortion debate in the process.

The ad features a giant wire coat hanger on a stark white background next to the statement, "Your closet space is shrinking as fast as her right to choose."

Manhattan Mini Storage is known for political ads, which often use closet space as a metaphor for partisan politics.

Previous tag lines have targeted the current White House administration, for example, "Your closet's scarier than Bush's agenda" and "Your closet's so narrow it makes Cheney look liberal," next to a gruff-looking Cheney look-alike.

Most New Yorkers don't bat an eye at Manhattan Mini Storage's lefty campaigns, but some critics say this time it's crossed the line by blurring the distinction between advertising and plain old propaganda.

Catholics Shun Storage Company

Whether or not the billboard is generating more business for the company is unknown; calls to Manhattan Mini Storage and its parent company, Edison Properties, were unreturned. But the hanger billboard is succeeding in creating buzz and not just among New Yorkers.

Though the billboard is exclusive to Manhattan, millions of people have seen, and commented on, the ad online. The anti-abortion New York Catholic League's Web site urges visitors to contact the general manager of Manhattan Mini Storage to voice their opposition to the ad.

In a memo, New York Catholic League President Bill Donohue called the ad offensive and disrespectful to members of the Catholic community.

"Why a storage company finds the need to advertise its support for abortion is a story all of its own," said Donohue. "But when it seeks to depict the pro-life community — which is primarily Catholic and Protestant — as oppressive, then a line has been crossed."

Kiera McCaffrey, the Catholic League's director of communications, said the league rarely speaks out on such issues, but this ad prompted a particularly rapid response.

"We've taken issue with advertising, smaller things, but this kind of absolutely vulgar abortion ad was new to us," said McCaffrey. "They're basically saying to all pro-lifers, we don't care about you and we don't care about your business."

Abortion-Rights Groups Applaud the Ad

Naturally the ads have found support from abortion-rights organizations like NARAL Pro-Choice America, which praised the storage company's bold billboard and questioned why anti-abortion groups like the Catholic League have taken such offense.

"I'm not quite sure what they're offended by," said Mary Alice Carr, NARAL vice president of communications. "If they're offended by the fact that there's a coat hanger on it, I'm similarly offended that women have to use nonsterile instruments like coat hangers when they don't have a right to choose."

NARAL said it supports the ad because it raises an important issue that can all too easily be swept under the rug outside of election time.

"We applaud anytime a company is going to wear their values on their sleeve or on their billboard, reminding people that a woman's right to choose is under threat in this country," said Carr.

Carr said the ad has drummed up more support for the abortion-rights cause than any protest or organized event could achieve.

"We can continue with our pro-choice group demonstrations, but this has gotten more attention in two days than I've seen the issue get in a long time," said Carr. "I think it's a positive thing."

Bad Business Practices?

While the coat hanger billboard may be generating a lot of political buzz, advertising experts said it's probably not doing much for business.

Simon Sinek, a professor of strategic communications at Columbia University and CEO of Sinek Partners, a marketing consultancy firm, said the ad is actually just bad marketing.

"From an objective standpoint it's bad advertising," said Sinek. "It doesn't communicate anything of any value to anyone with regards to the product of their service."

Sinek says this ad screams publicity stunt, but he doesn't think the response has been exactly what Manhattan Mini Storage had in mind.

"Stunts have one purpose only, to generate PR," said Sinek. "If [Manhattan Mini Storage] viewed this as a stunt and knew it would generate publicity, then why aren't they taking calls?"

McCaffrey and the Catholic League echo Sinek's criticisms. "We think this sort of marketing ploy will work against them in the end," said McCaffrey.

Abortion-rights advocates, however, said the ad will no doubt boost business, adding that the storage company is clearly familiar with its left-wing, New York audience.

"In New York City and New York state, we're a pro-choice city and a pro-choice state," said Carr. "Pro-choice people get behind a company when they share similar ideologies."

Sinek believes that in the end, Manhattan Mini Storage lost a chance to generate publicity for its company. "They blew an opportunity. It's bad marketing that they could've turned into a good PR stunt," said Sinek. "It seems lame that somebody came up with an opinion and they didn't think of anything beyond that."