WNEP, the ABC affiliate in Scranton, is refusing to air an ad for Dunder Mifflin (video above) during the Oscars on Sunday, “most likely because the fictional brand is too connected to rival network NBC,” AdWeek reports:
A de-fictionalized version of [NBC’s “The Office”] paper brand has been sold in real life since 2011 by Staples-owned Quill.com, thanks to a licensing partnership with NBCUniversal. A Quill.com representative tells Adweek that WNEP won’t air the Dunder Mifflin ad “apparently because of the brand’s NBC ties”. WNEP declined to comment on whether it had rejected the ad, citing corporate policy.
Advertisement
Dunder Mifflin aired a similar ad during the Super Bowl on WYOU, Scranton’s CBS affiliate.