WASHINGTON: Public affairs firm Crosslink Strategy Group has ended its relationship with Wal-Mart Stores as a result of a controversial TV campaign ad the agency produced criticizing Tennessee Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford Jr.
In the ad - which the Rev. Jesse Jackson and others have called racist - various people speaking to the camera suggest that Ford simply "looks nice," that "terrorists need their privacy," that Ford cavorts with hookers, and more.
Crosslink had been hired to create a voter-registration drive for Wal-Mart employees. The agency could not be immediately reached.
Wal-Mart declined comment apart from a statement issued by spokesperson David Tovar: "Crosslink Strategy Group sent a letter to Wal-Mart ending its working relationship with our company. We believe this is the right course of action."