'Use caution' label stirs a ruffle

NEW PORT RICHEY -- In his first attempt to market his 2-month-old pressure-washing business, Doug Meyer learned the hard way that not all advertising is good advertising.

In February, he signed a four-month contract to advertise in the Treasure Chest, a 47-page monthly coupon book that circulates more than 100,000 copies throughout Pasco, Hernando and Hillsborough counties.

Publisher Guy Antonelli bills it as "The Little Book that gets gigantic results."

When the ad was published, Meyer was miffed that a competitor's ad ran near his own -- something Antonelli promised wouldn't happen. He apologized to Meyer, called it a mistake, and asked how he could make amends. Meyer demanded a free month of advertising, which Antonelli refused, offering instead to add a fifth, free month of advertising onto his contract. Meyer refused, and took his ad to a competing coupon-book publisher.

The way Antonelli saw it, since Meyer wasn't going to pay for the ad as he was contractually obligated to do, Antonelli had the right to run the ad however he saw fit.

So in the March book, Antonelli published Meyer's ad, but covered most of it with what he called a "Public Service Announcement" warning consumers to "use caution" in dealing with Meyer's business, All Affordable Pressure Cleaning.

The announcement said: "He did not honor his agreements with us. Nor did he pay his obligations with us. He made unreasonable demands, which has forced us to pull his ad."

When it was published, Meyer hit the roof.

"Here I am trying to start this business and someone is trying to pull me down," Meyer said Friday.

He demanded that Antonelli pull the ad and threatened to call a lawyer. He then called other advertisers who had originally recommended the Treasure Chest to him.

"I didn't tell anyone to pull their ads. I just told them what he did to me," Meyer said.

Antonelli explained to the Times that he didn't do anything wrong and that the warning was an "experiment."

"I did this to see what kind of reaction I would get," he said. "I wondered: Would we get more of a favorable reaction from honest people or more of a negative reaction from dishonest people?"

So far, he says he has only received one concerned phone call from an advertiser.

Antonelli's "experiment" gave advertising expert Jef Richards a good chuckle. The issue, he conceded, is pretty murky.

"Ethically, did the advertiser have a right to not honor his contract? Ethically, does this publisher have a right to bad-mouth the guy?" asked Richards, chairman of the Department of Advertising at the University of Texas at Austin. "Both of those are questionable, so I'm not sure that ethically either is on high ground. But it's hysterically funny."

Daytona Beach media attorney Jonathan Kaney also was perplexed about Meyer's predicament.

"As a publisher's attorney I would have strongly advised against (Antonelli's action)," Kaney said.

Antonelli could probably defend himself in court, since his warning -- that Meyer did not honor his contract -- is technically true, according to Kaney. But, he added, it wasn't necessarily the right thing to do.

"I think it's an inappropriate exercise of the publisher's liberty, even if it is an accurate characterization," he said.

"On its face it's defamatory, but the publisher should be able to frame his warning within the protection of opinion based on a disclosed fact." In other words, Antonelli was acting legally because he stated the reason for his warning: Meyer did not honor the contract -- which was true.

As far as Antonelli is concerned, there is no question about who is in the ethical right here.

"I am a person who honors their agreements . . ." he said. "All I did was say what was truthful. That was my experience with (Meyer)."

Antonelli went on to point out that his 3-year-old company is a "Christian organization" not out to damage anyone. He said he often runs biblical quotes in his coupon books. And in further defense of his character, he pointed out that since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, he has frequently run a two-page statement called "Proud to Be an American."

In that statement, he discusses the struggle to develop the culture of the American way. He reminds coupon clippers about our forefathers who fought losing life and limb at Bunker Hill, Antietam, San Juan, Iwo Jima and in other battles. He defends the right to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and to have the motto "In God We Trust" displayed in schools.

He's not against immigration, he writes. But the idea of America "being a multicultural nation serves only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity."

He goes on to proclaim, "we speak English, not Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian or any other language. So if you care to join our society, learn the language."

In conclusion, he defends the First Amendment right to free speech.

It "gives every citizen the right to express they're opinion about the government, our culture, the society," he writes. "So take your opportunity to have your piece. Once your done, you have another great American freedom you can practice as well. The right to "GET THE HELL OUT!!!!!"

-- Jennifer Goldblatt covers business in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6229, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6229. Her e-mail address is

goldblatt@sptimes.com.

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