MyPillow company now a ‘dumpster fire’ that ‘no brand wants to associate with’: business expert
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has found his company publicly shunned after he pushed the conspiracy theories about voter fraud that resulted in the fatal January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
In early December, Lindell called for Republicans to overturn the election. The businessman also spent more than $1 million bankrolling the legal efforts to overturn the will of the voters.
In January, even after the fatal insurrection, Lindell went to Trump's White House with notes that mentioned "martial law." Afterwards he said he was praying for a military coup.
Lindell has been bothered by the backlash against his company, whining about "fake people" getting Bed, Bath & Beyond and Kohl's to drop his company -- which has also been panned for having poor pillows.
"Companies' decisions to cut ties with MyPillow are shaping up to be a significant blow to the controversial pillow company," Business Insider reports. "Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl's confirmed this week that they are cutting ties with MyPillow. Fintech startup Affirm told Insider it had also cut ties. According to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, numerous other stores including H-E-B, Kroger, and BJ's have told him they will no longer sell MyPillow products."
The publication interviewed Chris Alleri, the founder of brand consultancy Mulberry & Astor.
"Lindell is being dropped right and left by legitimate retailers, not because he's friends with Trump, not because he's some victim, because he has a big mouth that has been spewing lies," Alleri said. "No brand wants to associate with a dumpster fire like that. Advancing a false narrative of a stolen election has consequences."
"Maybe some of Trump's deranged diehards might want to buy his products, that's not enough to build a legitimate brand with staying power," Alleri said. The publication also interviewed Neil Saunders, the managing director of analytics firm GlobalData.
"The loss of these selling channels will cause some pain and will put more pressure on the direct-to-consumer business," Saunders said. "It's also the case that distributing through retailers widened the audience for MyPillow beyond the consumers who digest infomercials, so the company will now need to find other ways of reaching these potential customers."