She doesn't look so devious, does she?
Recently, pro snowboarders have been all over the news for controversial reasons, and while Olympians smoking weed may be nothing new in the world of snowboarding (Rebagliati, anyone?), another devious side of the sport is being brought to light: rigging contests. K2 pro shred Leanne Pelosi has found herself at the center of controversy after her involvement as the judge of a recent contest, and it’s not a snowboarding one. Nissan’s groundbreaking social media campaign for the newly-launched Cube involved a contest where finalists were selected to create and regularly update social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, blogs and YouTube to compete for 1 of 50 new cars. Pelosi is singled out as being connected to a disproportionate number of winners. Marketing Magazine reports:
“Judge Leanne Pelosi in particular has connections to at least three winners, one of whom, Jeff Keenan, was alleged by Encyclopedia Dramatica to be her boyfriend.
While Nissan claims the two do not even reside in the same province, there is a significant, easily verifiable connection between judge and contestant. Pelosi once headed up snowboard video production company Runway Films, which listed Keenan as its primary contact. Pelosi also appeared in snowboard videos directed by Keenan.”
True to the social media movement that launched the so-far successful campaign, the word is spreading fast and threatening the validity of the contest. Pelosi seems to be taking the most heat, despite the fact that she didn’t break the law. Instead, the controversy is centered around the moral implications of a judge picking her boyfriend as a winner. Go figure, huh?
Read the whole story at Marketing Magazine’s website.
