Crock-Pot has been in a bit of a social media storm after the NBC show "This Is Us" had a Crock-Pot as the cause of a house fire. After the show appeared to raise safety real concerns with fans, and caused Crock-Pot to worry about damage to the brand, the show started to do some damage control of its own, presumably to avoid claims by the company that the show had disparaged the product.
The show's creator issued a statement, "Taking a moment to remind everyone that it was a 20 year old fictional crockpot with an already funky switch. Let's not lump all those lovely hardworking crockpots together." The show then also released a promo featuring a Crock-Pot with the hashtag #CROCKPOTISINNOCENT.
This is an important reminder that when an advertiser uses a prop, in a potentially disparaging manner, it could have unintended consequences both for the advertiser and the brand that is referenced.
Our hope is that the team at NBC’s ‘This Is Us’ will help us in spreading factual information regarding our product’s safety. While we know their primary mission is to entertain — something they have continued to excel in — we also feel they have a responsibility to inform
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/can-crock-pot-sue-us-over-controversial-plot-reveal-n841401
