Hewlett Packard's Big Ad Trouble: "Do You Wanna Touch?"

Child AbuseWatch.net's October 14 report of Hewlett Packard's use of the music of Gary Glitter - a child sex abuser - broke worldwide today. Hewlett Packard's TouchSmart TV commercial features the background track of the 1973 release of 'Do you want to touch, yeah" a hit by Glitter. Child AbuseWatch.net is a child abuse prevention group based in South Florida.

News outlets in the UK, Australia and the Far East all covered the story.

ButlerReport was the first to carry the story on October 15 with 'Do you want to touch? Hewlett Packard uses Gary Glitter's music in TouchSmart TV ad'.

According to a report today from the UK's Telegraph -- 'Hewlett Packard adverts featuring Gary Glitter song dropped' -- the ad has been dropped from play in the UK. Not so in the U.S.

Calls to the HP's U.S. office by the ButlerReport today were referred to the Marketing Department's voicemail. No comment was available from emails to the board of directors by Child AbuseWatch.net. (CAN)

This has become a major controversy blowing up in HP's face. The company has refused to address the issue despite repeated contact and it has taken an onslaught in the U.K. to get HP to act, albeit locally, at this stage.

Contact was initially made by CAN on October 14^th asking that the ad be removed. That and successive attempts to pry HP's management and board to action went unanswered.

As a result CAN called for a U.S. Boycott of HP's products for the holidays. See their release here 'Holiday Boycott Called for Hewlett Packard's Products'.

"This behavior by a public company is unforgivable, "Evin Daly, CAN's director said today, "not only did they use a pedophile's music for their ad, when it was pointed out what they had done - to top management no less - they chose to ignore the fact hoping that it would go away. It hasn't and it won't."

CAN has been contacted by local and foreign news outlets for comment. You can see world news coverage on Child AbuseWatch's press page here.

References:

(1) 'Do you want to touch? Hewlett Packard uses Gary Glitter's music in TouchSmart TV ad' http://www.butlerreport.com/Opinion/BREditHP_Touch.html

(2) Hewlett Packard adverts featuring Gary Glitter song dropped

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/garyglitter/3280385/Hewlett-Packard-adverts-featuring-Gary-Glitter-song-dropped.html

(3) Holiday Boycott Called for Hewlett Packard's Products'

http://www.abusewatch.net/hp_adrelease.php

(4) Child AbuseWatch.net World Press Coverage

http://www.abusewatch.net/hp_adpress.php