Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

Bribes: How Food Corporations Keep Opponents Quiet – Marion Nestle exposes how corporations buy advocacy groups’ silence.  This time Save the Children stopped advocating in favor of soda taxes after accepting millions from Pepsi and seeking more from Coke. http://www.theatlantic.com/food/archive/2010/12/bribes-how-food-corporations-keep-opponents-quiet/68210/

How Toy Crazes Are Born - This Wall Street Journal article explains how marketers exploit kids' natural developmental tendencies to whip up collectible toy frenzies. http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/news/2010/12/howtoycrazes.html


Mint.com Hits The Books; Offers Personal Finance Curriculum To Students – Scholastic’s newest in-school advertising partner, Mint.com, is “a free, online program designed to educate middle-school students about personal finance and financial management.”  At http://www.scholastic.com/mint/ teachers can print lesson plans around sponsored videos like “Quest for Credit” and schoolchildren can play games like “Quest for Money.” http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/20/mint-com-hits-the-books-offers-personal-finance-curriculum-to-students/

Coca-Cola Infiltrates Teen Social Network WeeWorld – Coke takes over the social network for teens with a Coke Party Room, Coke video game, Coke virtual products and integrated billboards.  The site is supposedly for teens 13+, but the advertising for Build-a-Bear suggests a younger target audience. http://mashable.com/2010/12/17/coca-cola-infiltrates-teen-social-network-weeworld/

Not So Happy Meals – This New York Times editorial expresses support for efforts to curb fast food marketing to children. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/20/opinion/20mon4.html Read more!

Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

Has Scholastic Books Outstayed Its Welcome in American Schools? As CCFC launches a new way for parents, teachers and advocates to voice concern over Scholastic's commercialization of classrooms, this author says it's about time schools ditch the company altogether. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20101214/bs_ac/7404678_has_scholastic_books_outstayed_its_welcome_in_american_schools 

Los Angeles Schools Seek Sponsors - Josh Golin tells the New York Times why the Los Angeles decision to allow advertising on school campuses is a mistake. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/education/16naming.html

Class Action Lawsuit Targets McDonald's Use of Toys to Market to Children – A concerned mother and Center for Science in the Public Interest sue McDonald’s for unfairly using toys to market unhealthy food to children. http://cspinet.org/new/201012151.html

Sexualized Teen Girls: Tinsel Town's New Target – The Parents Television Council released a new report finding the hypersexualization of teen girls in popular broadcast TV shows among 12-17 year olds. http://www.parentstv.org/FemaleSexualization/Study.htm

Cartoon Network and Kids Foot Locker Team Up – The kids’ network will host its first Cartoon Network Hall of Game Awards, sponsored by Kids Foot Locker, in which the sneaker company will sponsor a voting category and a “Kids Foot Locker micros site,” (www.hallofgame.com/sneakers) which will advertise its sneakers and offer kids discount coupons.  Pepperidge Farm and Sports Illustrated Kids will also sponsor the awards show. http://www.cynopsis.com/editions/kids/121610/
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Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

A Whole New Name Game – Naming rights are up for sale at public parks, schools and government buildings across the country, as advocacy groups try to combat the idea that corporate marketers are the answer to every budget gap.  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703350104575652763782808830.html?mod=WSJ_business_LeftSecondHighlights

How About Reassessing First Amendment “Right” to Market Junk Foods? Food guru Marion Nestle discusses the First Amendment, commercial speech, and ending junk food marketing. http://www.foodpolitics.com/2010/12/how-about-reassessing-first-amendment-right-to-market-junk-foods/


Study: School Vending Machines Undermine Student Nutrition – A new study finds that school vending machines contribute to bad eating and poor nutrition among school children. It also finds that vending machines in 83% of schools sold foods with minimal nutritional value. http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/food/diet-nutrition/2010-12-02-school-vending-machines_N.htm

Canadian Dietitians Want Better Controls on Food Advertising to Kids – A leading group of Canadian dietitians has issued a position statement requesting better government controls over the advertising of food and beverages to kids. http://www.marketingmag.ca/english/news/marketer/article.jsp?content=20101207_093840_7184

David Cameron Orders Review into Sexualised Products for Children – The UK Prime Minister has launched an independent investigation into the sexualisation of childhood, and whether regulations should be imposed on retailers and broadcasters preventing them from marketing sexualized products to children. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/dec/06/david-cameron-review-sexualised-products-children

Junk-food Giant Targeting Kids – (Australia) Fast-food outlets directing mailing coupons to children under 12 are catching heat from Australian public health organizations, which are rallying the federal government to ban the exploitive marketing practice. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/junk-food-giant-targeting-kids/story-e6frezz0-1225965696378 Read more!

Happy Meal Makeover: How a Healthy Food Coalition Defeated a Fast Food Icon

On election day, while most of the nation was distracted with the mid-term election, another vote was taking place in San Francisco City Hall. The Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance to place limits—based on specific nutrition criteria—on how toys are marketed by restaurants in the city and county of San Francisco.

Most media accounts got the story wrong. The Los Angeles Times for example, called it a “Happy Meal ban.” (It’s true that, according to McDonald’s, none of the current Happy Meals meet the criteria, but that’s fixable.) The real story is, how did McDonald’s—the nation’s most beloved fast food brand—get so beat up?

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Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

Some Preschool Kids Get Double Dose of Screen Time – Another study published in October shows that many preschools show hours of television to young children. Study author Dr. Pooja Tandon says that while there are some positives to educational programming for preschoolers, "Studies have found that the more screen time a young child is exposed to, the more they're at risk for a range of problems including language delays, learning issues, obesity, even aggression, possibly sleep problems.” http://www.king5.com/health/childrens-healthlink/Preschool-kids-get-a-double-dose-of-screen-time-at-home-and-child-care-106729463.html

Report: Fast-Food Chains Increase Targeting Our Kids - Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity releases the "most comprehensive study of fast-food nutrition and marketing ever conducted,” finding that marketers have increased their child-targeted advertising: preschoolers see 21% more fast food ads and older children 34% more than in 2003. The study also finds that of 3,039 possible kids’ meals, only 12 meet nutritional criteria for preschoolers (15 for older children). Teens 13-17 purchase 800-1,100 calories in an average fast food meal—about half of their recommended daily calories. And a single meal at most fast-food restaurants contains at least half of young people’s recommended daily allowance of sodium. 40% of children aged 2-11 ask their parents to go to McDonald's at least once a week and 15% of preschoolers ask to go every day. Another troubling finding: fast food restaurants target minority children up to 50% more than white children. http://www.aolnews.com/health/article/report-fast-food-chains-increase-targeting-of-kids/19706296

Fast Food Restaurants Not Fighting Child Obesity – CBS Evening News with Katie Couric on the Yale study that finds that fast food restaurants are contributing to childhood obesity (despite claims to the opposite). CCFC’s Allen Kanner says, "The industry has been promising for years that it would do something about this…Self regulation is a trick, it's a farce, it's a joke." http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/08/eveningnews/main7035550.shtml

Unplug, Turn Off and Reconnect – Referencing our friends at TRUCE, a Newburyport, MA Reverend makes a plea to parents: “This holiday season, take a careful look at your children's wish lists and consider how your toy and game purchases can help our kids build peace in our communities and beyond.” http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x1507935544/Unplug-turn-off-and-reconnect

Disney Junior to Focus on Social Values - Disney's new channel will focus less on an educational curriculum and more on teaching social values and behavior. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/business/media/05disney.html

The Turf War for Tots – In a battle to captures preschoolers, “one of the most important demographics in television,” Disney is rehashing Disney Junior. The article covers Disney’s marketing plan and includes some troubling stats and quotes, including: “The sale of toys, books and DVDs for Nick Jr.'s ‘Dora the Explorer’ has generated more than $11 billion in sales globally since 2002, Nickelodeon says. The value of future brand loyalty is incalculable,” and “For Disney, preschool is an entry point to the entire brand—from DVDs, theme parks and plush toys to Pixar movies and older-skewing Disney Channel series like ‘The Wizards of Waverly Place.’” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704462704575590231467452448.html
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Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

'Educational' DVDs Don't Expand Baby Vocabulary: Study – Yet another study finds that toddlers exposed to DVDs marketed as “educational” show no greater improvement in their vocabulary than young children not exposed to such content. The researchers found that babies learn best doing everyday activities, without exposure to videos. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1326362/Talking-toddler-helps-make-like-Einstein.html

San Francisco Bans Happy Meals – Standing up for children's health and against fast food giants, San Francisco rules that restaurants may no longer target children with toy giveaways for meals high in sugar, calories and fat. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-happy-meals-20101103,0,5438230.story

Supreme Court To Hear Violent Video Game Case - The Supreme Court will rule on California's effort to prohibit the sale or rental of video games that give players the option of "killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being" to children and teens under 18. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130953921

Kids' Use of Electronic Media at Night Linked to Problems – A preliminary study suggests that over half of children who use electronic media at night may suffer from learning or mood problems during the day. http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/parenting-family/teen-ya/2010-11-01-sleeptexting01_st_N.htm

The Hub and Toy Company Enter Partnership Deal for “Hubworld” – The new Hasbro/Discovery children’s network “The Hub” and WowWee, a toy entertainment company, enter into a sponsorship deal for the launch of The Hub’s weekly so-called magazine series, Hubworld, for co-branded content. http://www.cynopsis.com/editions/kids/110210/

Redken Video Game Beckons Girls to Hair Salons - Redken, a hairstyling products brand that is owned by L’Oréal and sold only in salons, creates a new hairstyling Wii video game for girls, with integrated product placement for the brand. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/02/business/media/02adco.html

Moshi Monsters Bolsters Merch Program – Licensing partners eager to target children with marketing for their products are flocking to Moshi Monsters, a popular children’s virtual world with more than 30 million members worldwide. http://www.kidscreen.com/articles/news/20101103/moshimonsters.html

Is Your Child Watching Too Much TV? The authors of this article outline the American Academy of Pediatrics' guidelines on children's media use and summarize related research to help parents understand the effects of screen time and limit children's media use. http://galvestondailynews.com/story/187958
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Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

Alloy wants to own teenage girls – A detailed account of how Alloy is positioning to completely take over the teen girl market—and manufacture teen culture. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_43/b4200084876175.htm?chan=magazine+channel_features

Despite spending billions on advertising, the fast food industry blames parents for skyrocketing obesity rates – This Alternet post give a great argument of the “parents are to blame” argument used by food marketers in response to critiques of their marketing to children practices. http://www.alternet.org/health/148544/despite_spending_billions_on_advertising,_the_fast_food_industry_blames_parents_for_skyrocketing_obesity_rates

Junk food ads aimed at kids come under fire – Global study of junk food marketing to kids finds that Canadian kids (outside of Quebec) are targeted with more TV junk food ads than even American children.  This finding, along with rising rates of childhood obesity, and starting a national conversation about limiting advertising aimed at children. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Junk+food+aimed+kids+come+under+fire/3686649/story.html

Preschool items help boost Hasbro – Hasbro gains and sales grow thanks to preschool toys—many of which are tie-ins for PG-13 movies, as seen in the article image.  Hasbro execs expect the company to do well this holiday season, with chief executive Brian Goldner noting that its children’s network, The Hub, has been well received by consumers. http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/10/19/preschool_items_help_boost_hasbro/

Baby’s must-see TV does not increase vocabulary – This article give a quick recap of growing evidence that screens do not make babies smarter. http://www.miller-mccune.com/education/babys-must-see-tv-does-not-increase-vocabulary-24301/

Teen clothing brands set sights lower – Teen retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Forever 21 and American Eagle begin marketing to younger children.  While some express concern about the appropriateness of marketing styles for teens to younger kids, marketers see the move to “go after them younger and get them hooked into our brands” as a “natural evolution.” http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2010/10/12/Teen-clothing-brands-set-sights-lower/UPI-97891286897819/

Chamber: Worry about energy regulations, kids - Chamber of Commerce partners with Scholastic for “energy curriculum” in schools. Advocates raise concerns about the effects and ethics of such sponsored materials. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43844.html

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Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

Give advertainment the boot – This Boston Globe editorial supports CCFC’s FCC petition that the Skechers show Zevo-3 airing on Nicktoons is not in the public interest. http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2010/10/12/give_advertainment_the_boot/

Ads may roll out on N.J. school buses - Lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow advertising on the sides of school buses.  If the New Jersey Senate concurs with the state Assembly, school buses in the Garden State may soon resemble rolling billboards. CCFC’s Susan Linn weighs in. http://whyy.org/cms/news/uncategorized/2010/10/11/ads-may-roll-out-on-n-j-school-buses/48011

Too much screen time can psychologically harm kids – Children who spend more than two hours a day watching television or playing video games are at greater risk for psychological problems, a new study suggests. Children’s physical activity did not compensate for the negative psychological effects of screen time. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39612834

Social networks not protecting children's privacy, poll finds - A nationwide poll shows that parents and teens don't think social networks are adequately protecting children’s online privacy. 75% of parents say they would negatively rate how social networks are doing, according to the survey of more than 2,000 parents and 400 teens by Common Sense Media. http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/parenting-family/2010-10-08-socialmediasurvey08_ST_N.htm

Show and tell: Food firms get kids to do the talking – Australian health advocates raise concern about companies who use children to do work-of-mouth marketing for products ranging from junk food to MP3 players. http://www.theage.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/show-and-tell-food-firms-get-kids-to-do-the-talking-20101009-16d1q.html

A children’s channel retools – This New York Times article on the launch of the Hub, Hasbro/Discovery’s new children’s network, mentions that CCFC will be closely monitoring the station for product placement and commercial messages aimed at children. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/11/business/media/11adco.html

New kids' TV channel raises product-placement concerns –The Hub channel raises advocates’ concerns about FCC rules protecting children from overcommercialization. CCFC’s Susan Linn says, "The notion of a toy company owning a television channel for the sole purpose of promoting their toys is egregious practice.” http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-kidstv-20101005,0,1622131.story
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Scholastic and SunnyD’s Shocking School Spree

Last week, Angela S. was shopping with her six-year-old son when he started excitedly lobbying her to buy SunnyD. Angela was surprised – it wasn’t a product she had ever purchased for him. Moreover, “he sounded like a commercial,” yet Angela’s family doesn’t even own a television, so she was pretty sure a TV ad wasn’t the source of his newfound enthusiasm for SunnyD. And then, as her son excitedly told her that if she bought SunnyD his class would get free books, it dawned on her why he was lobbying her: his teacher had told him to.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she got home and looked at the latest handouts that her son had brought home from school and saw a letter from his teacher promoting the “SunnyD Book Spree.” The letter, prewritten by SunnyD and festooned with the company’s logos, began:

Dear parents and guardians,

I’m very excited to tell you about a program our class is participating in that will bring free books to your child’s classroom. It’s called the SunnyD Book Spree, and the program will donate 20 books when our class sends in 20 SunnyD UPC labels. The program will also award hundreds of books to the ten schools that collect the most labels. Please help us get our free books!

How do you get teachers to shill for SunnyD? One way is by partnering with Scholastic, which isn’t shy about using its unique access to educators to promote products and brands in classrooms. Scholastic’s reputation as an educational company lends its clients’ in-school marketing activities a veneer of respectability, even – as in this case – when the product being marketed isn’t good for kids.

When I shared Angela’s concerns about the program with Scholastic’s Vice President of Corporate Communications, she emailed me, “The Sunny D program is a promotion in Parent & Child Magazine that is strictly for parents and teachers… not children.” But the SunnyD Book Spree website tells a different story. The “Tips for Teachers” include the following:

• Have a class party to "raise labels" for books—ask parents to send kids in with SunnyD.
• Keep fun cut-outs or colorful charts in the classroom, showing how many labels have been collected.
  

Sounds like SunnyD hopes and expects that kids will be actively involved in their classroom promotion. And that Angela’s experience with her son wasn’t an anomaly – it’s how the program was conceived.

So in exchange for twenty books, schools are being asked to:

1. Exploit a captive audience of students by making exposure to SunnyD ads compulsory.
2. Commercialize their classrooms by decorating their rooms with SunnyD ads and holding SunnyD events.
3. Encourage consumption of a product of really poor nutritional quality. When I asked my nutritionist friends about Sunny D, the phrase I heard most often was “sugar water.” An 8-oz serving of Sunny D has 27 grams of sugar; the same size serving of Coca-Cola has 26.
4. Encourage students to nag their parents for SunnyD, a product that a lot of parents would probably prefer not to buy for their kids.
5. Teach their young students that supporting your school means drinking – and proselytizing to others about – SunnyD. Think about how confusing it must have been for Angela’s son. He was doing what his teacher had asked. He was trying to help his school get books. And his mother was saying no because she doesn’t want him drinking beverages loaded with high-fructose corn syrup?! (Remember, he’s six years old.) Now think about another six year old, who because her parents are not keen on her drinking “sugar water,” is excluded from her class’s SunnyD party.
   

I hear so often, in these dark economic times, how schools need to “think outside the box” and “partner” with corporations. But marketing in schools isn’t a partnership. It’s exploitation. There’s a lot that kids should learn in school, but how to become a brand ambassador for a lousy beverage isn’t one of them.

Shame on SunnyD and Scholastic.

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Snub The Hub: Why children would be better off if parents turned off Hasbro’s new television station

What if they launched a television station and nobody watched? The new Hasbro/Discovery partnership The Hub, which premieres this Sunday, might be a good deal for the 2nd largest toymaker in the world, but if it succeeds it’s a bad deal for parents and kids—both for what it is and what it portends. As the first television station owned by a toy company, it’s another slide downward in the increasingly greedy and lucrative world of children’s media.

The Hub’s existence forces us to confront simultaneously the inadequacy and lack of enforcement of rules and laws protecting children from overcommercialization. It’s an intensification and aggregation of the growing problem of program-length commercials masquerading as legitimate children’s programming. That most children’s media are platforms for selling children toys, food, clothes, and accessories to kids is both unfair and deceptive. Media characters play an important role in children’s lives—as a source of comfort, excitement, and aspiration. It’s unfair to link those characters to rafts of products and devise marketing schemes designed to convince children that they have to own those products in order to play, or be cool, or be happy. And, in fact, children play less creatively with media-linked toys. Besides, it’s deceptive to blur the distinction between programs and ads.

Hasbro executives make no bones about their intent to use the station to promote Hasbro products and expand the Hasbro brand. As Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s President explained in the Boston Globe, “It became clear that our competitive set had expanded. We were no longer just competing with additional toy and game companies.’’ The lynchpins of the station’s line up are Transformers, Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony and other popular characters owned by Hasbro. To critics, the company justifies The Hub in three ways. The station will provide more choice for parents; only some of the shows are based on its products; and—in the age old junior high refrain—“everybody’s doing it.”

About choice: Actually, the last thing parents need is a slew of more media programming for kids. Between TV, the Web, video games and phone apps there are already plenty of choices among the good, the bad, and the ugly. And, on average, children are spending way too much time with screen media anyway—32 hours a week for preschool children and more than 50 hours a week for older kids. Parents following the AAP’s recommendation for screen time for children over the age of 2 would only need to find 4 half-hour programs a day for their children to watch. Surely between the offerings of PBS, Sprout, Noggin, Cartoon Network, the many Nickelodeon and Disney stations, and all of the movies available—there’s more than enough choice without The Hub.

Less than 20% of the shows are based on Hasbro products: First of all, that’s about 18% too many. And what’s to stop Hasbro from adding more and more branded programming in the coming months and years? If the product-based shows make money, we can expect that that Hasbro will add more of them. Interestingly enough, the company’s actions imply that it believes that the shows touting their products are actually commercials. Instead of designating the standard 12 minutes of regular commercials per hour on weekdays, the station will only have six. But since the shows based on Hasbro toys, and showing the image of those toys in their content (like Transformers and Strawberry Shortcake), they are essentially 24 minute commercials anyway—way more than the amount allotted for children’s programming by the Children’s Television Act.

Everybody’s doing it: It’s unfortunately true that most children’s programs, including many on PBS, generate income from brand licensing—but it’s harmful to kids that there are so few media experiences available to them that aren’t primarily an implicit pitch for a whole slew of stuff (see paragraph 2 of this piece).

Hasbro isn’t the only company blatantly flouting the inadequacy of our current regulatory environment this season. Last month, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood filed a Federal Communications Commission complaint against Zevo-3, a show premiering on Nicktoons which is based solely and completely on logos and spokescharacters for the shoe giant Skechers. We believe that the show violates some of the very few rules and laws we have protecting children from overcommercialization. The FCC has begun proceedings to investigate whether the show is in the public interest and has invited public comment; we’re pleased that our efforts have sparked the first national conversation about program-length commercials aimed at children in almost 20 years.

I’ve worked with CCFC since its inception because I believe that we have an obligation to build a society that supports parents and encourages, rather than undermines, children’s healthy development. But social change takes time. So I hope that, in the meantime, parents decide to snub The Hub and let Hasbro know that its expansion from toys to TV just goes too far.

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Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

For Pupils, a Note and Ad from School – Peabody, MA school committee approves advertising on elementary school notices like permission slips and school calendars. This is the latest in a trend of struggling schools selling out students in an attempt to fill budget gaps. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/10/01/for_pupils_a_note_and_ad_from_school/


Healthy Kids, Healthy Families! Disney Launches Magic of Healthy Living – Disney teams up with Michelle Obama and the Ad Council (sponsored by the Dept. of Agriculture) for a series of PSAs starring Disney characters to promote “healthy lifestyles” for kids and families, which direct kids to new Disney websites designed to promote health—and obviously the Disney brand. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/healthy-kids-healthy-families-disney-launches-magic-of-healthy-living-2010-09-30?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Skechers Show a Hot Topic for FCC – The latest in the media coverage of the FCC’s inquiry into CCFC’s petition that the upcoming Skechers cartoon is nothing but a 22-minute ad. The author writes, “If the Federal Communications Commission decided that TV shows based on toys constitute illegal program-length commercials, the implications could be bigger than a life-sized Barbie.” Multichannel subscription required. http://www.multichannel.com/article/457659-Skechers_Show_a_Hot_Topic_for_FCC.php

'Happy Meal' Legislation Will Be Back for Seconds – San Francisco Happy Meal junk food toy ban will be debated again next week, even after company that makes fast food toy trinkets launched the (desperate) website FreeToChoseOurMeals.com.  http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2010/09/happy_meal_san_francisco_eric.php

Parents Unaware of Kids' Online Gaming: Survey – 77% of Canadian kids 6-17 said they played online games, but only 5% of parents believed their children engaged in online gaming, and 90% of children age 6-12 reported playing an online game in the past 4 weeks. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2010/09/28/video-games-children.html

But, Mo-o-o-o-m! -- Converting Engaged Teens To Sales – Inside the marketing mindset: This trade publication article advises advertisers on how to transform teens into dollar signs for companies.  The author writes, “a teen might have the cash for a can of soda, but wouldn't you rather sell them a case for $8.99?” http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=136724

Kucinich Proposal Would Raise $15-19 Billion for Childhood Nutrition Efforts – Rep. Kucinich says it’s not fair to cut food stamp money to fund childhood nutrition efforts, when plenty could be saved by disallowing tax deductions for companies that market junk food to kids: “Kucinich announced that the Joint Committee on Taxation has estimated that his proposal to revoke corporate tax deductions for advertising and marketing expenses aimed at selling junk food and fast food to children could provide $15-19 billion (over 10 years) for child nutrition programs.” http://politicalnews.me/?id=4833&keys=Congressman-Dennis-Kucinich-TaxDeductions

As Tween Girls Start to Look Toward New Fashion Influences, Parents May Resist – Parents and schools aren’t so keen on sexualized fashions for “tween” girls, but shopping for non-provocative clothes for 8-13-year-old girls can be quite a challenge with “risque” fashions filling the aisles and dominating marketing. http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-living/ci_16147387?nclick_check=1 Read more!

Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

FCC Probes Complaint That Cartoon Advertises Skechers Shoes - After only a week, the FCC opens an investigation into CCFC's petition that the upcoming Nicktoons show "Zevo-3" is one long Skechers ad. http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/news/2010/09/fccprobes.html

Schools Seek Extra Cash Through Campus Ads – This Associated Press article addresses how school districts around the country are attempting to close budget gaps by entertaining or enacting the sale of advertising space in schools. CCFC’s Josh Golin and Parents for Ethical Marketing’s Lisa Ray explain why selling students out to corporate marketers is a bad solution. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/sep/19/schools-seek-extra-cash-through-campus-ads/

On the Web, Children Face Intensive Tracking - A Wall Street Journal investigation into online privacy has found that popular children's websites install more tracking technologies on personal computers than do the top websites aimed at adults. Nickelodeon sites make up a chunk of the 50 most popular children’s sites and were found to install a disturbing number of tracking cookies on users’ computers. The author writes, “Parents hoping to let their kids use the Internet, while protecting them from snooping, are in a bind.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703904304575497903523187146.html

Understanding the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act – This WSJ blog summarizes COPPA and reviews calls to revamp the Act to define behavioral tracking as online data and to extend the law to protect teenagers. http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/09/17/understanding-the-childrens-online-privacy-protection-act/

Study to Reveal How Consumers Feel about In-store Media – Automated Media Services, the company behind 3GTv—a network of mini-televisions airing ads that it hopes to install on grocery shelves all over the country—will be conducting in-store customer research coinciding with its pilot launch in Food Lion’s Bloom supermarkets in the DC area this fall. Over 1300 CCFC members who do not want to run a gauntlet of screens with their families while food shopping have already told Food Lion to pull the plug on 3GTv. http://www.mediabuyerplanner.com/entry/54788/study-to-reveal-how-consumers-feel-about-in-store-media/

US Department of Energy and The Advertising Council Launch Disney-created Energy Conservation PSAs – Public service announcements (PSA’s) created by Disney and starring the licensed character Tinker Bell are supposed to encourage kids’ energy conservation. Not so coincidentally, the announcements/advertisements coincide with the release of Disney’s Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue movie on DVD and Blu-ray. www.energy.gov/kids

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Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

N.J. Assembly Committee Displaying Ads on School Buses - New Jersey is the latest state attempting to close school budget gaps by selling a captive student audience to advertisers. CCFC's Josh Golin weighs in. http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/news/2010/09/njassembly.html

Learning by Playing: Video Games in the Classroom – This New York Times (registration required) article looks at an educational program called Quest to Learn in New York City, which aims to turn the classroom into a video game experience. Is turning the classroom into a video game really the best way to help children learn and grow, especially when kids spend nearly every waking hour outside of school engaged with screens? http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/magazine/19video-t.html

Seventeen Fuels Fashion's Night Out Takeoff – Seventeen magazine throws a marketing event in New York City for the “adolescent set.”  The fashion night hopes to “encourage girls to part with their money while they’re there” with retailers distributing coupons and other marketing materials.  Event comes complete with “mocktails” for girls. http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/magazines-newspapers/e3icb71760d866948d82d6b071d4c82895f

Children's Brain Development Is Linked to Physical Fitness, Research Finds - Researchers have found an association between physical fitness and the brain in 9- and 10-year-old children: Those who are fitter tend to have a bigger hippocampus and perform better on a test of memory than their less-fit peers. While this article doesn’t make the connection, the links between children’s screen time and lack of physical fitness have been made in other research. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100915171536.htm

Disney, Nielsen Team on iPad App – New Disney, Nielsen, iPad teaming will enable people to watch a TV show while simultaneously browsing the web and participating in social media marketing.  The new app will enable even more screen multi-tasking (which has been shown to have negative affects) and more ads crammed into digital spaces.  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ic5827d475c9bb436805f367fbb7c3763

MU Criticises an Increase in Sexualisation of Children – A new report finds that UK children are exposed to too much sex and violence on TV.  The UK Prime Minister agrees that the growth of advertising and marketing to kids “is not good for families and not good for society.” http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=100702

'Places' Can Harness Mainstream For Location-Based Services - Facebook’s new “Places” application, which lets users check-in to a location and then tag friends as being there (even if they don’t own a smart phone or use Places) is a marketer’s dream.  Learn why marketers hoping to cash in by exploiting teens are salivating over the profit potential of this location-based app. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=135830

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A Tale of Two School Districts

Yesterday was a good day. Today brings this disappointing news from District 15 in Minnesota:

As St. Francis District 15 students put their jackets into their lockers this fall, they could be greeted by pink jelly fish or luscious apples.

It’s all part of the plan to bring more revenue into the schools.

The school board Sept. 13 voted 6-1 to allow some of the lockers at six of the district’s eight school buildings to become advertising billboards for OMCM Marketing Solutions.

A few thoughts:

1. One thing people often don’t realize about in-school advertising: schools usually don’t contract directly with advertisers; they use third-party placement agencies like OMCM. Not surprisingly, agencies that hope to profit by exploiting schools’ financial difficulties aren’t always the most scrupulous. For example, until CCFC caught them, OMCM falsely implied that reputable PBS Kids was a client. Agencies like OMCM also take a significant cut of any ad revenue generated which is one reason why…

2. Advertising is rarely the cash cow schools expect. District 15 hopes to earn $100,000 - $240,000 this year by turning its lockers into billboards. I don’t for a second mean to downplay the couple of jobs that this money could save or the supplies it might buy. But with 6,000 students, that’s only $16-40/student. Consider how many times a day students visit their lockers and how many impressions the advertisers will get to make over the course of a year. And how powerful those ads will be because a) the kids have to see them several times a day and b) the advertised products will come with the school’s implicit endorsement. Sounds like a great deal for the advertisers. I’m guessing it’s a good one for OMCM. I know it’s a lousy deal for the students.

3. OMCM Greg Meyer claims children’s lockers will be used for “nutritional and educational ads, like ads from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety urging students not to text and drive.” But I’m guessing the Minnesota Department of Public Safety doesn’t have $100,000 to throw at a campaign for 6,000 students, the overwhelming majority of whom are nowhere near driving age. You know who does? General Mills, Nintendo, MTV Networks, etc . . . So what happens come January when the ad revenue hasn’t met your projections? Does the junk food or video game that you told parents would be off limits start looking more attractive?

When you start down the slippery slope of selling your students to advertisers, it’s really hard to put on the brakes. That’s just one reason why the San Diego approach is so much more preferable.
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Sell Our Kids To Advertisers? No Thanks, Says San Diego

Huzzah to the San Diego Board of Education!

San Diego school board members were once intrigued by the thought of allowing ads on campus to help soften the blow of budget cuts, but they turned uncomfortable once they learned more.

The board voted 4-1 Tuesday to reject a plan to allow ads in hallways, cafeterias, libraries and other places on school campuses. Nine months ago, the same board directed staff to research the idea.

It is hard to overstate what a courageous decision this is. San Diego schools, like so many in these difficult times, desperately need money; officials estimate the district is facing a deficit of between $141 million and $160 million next year. But rather than succumb to slick sales pitches from companies eager to exploit their financial situation, the San Diego board carefully studied the issue.

They realized that the money they’d raise by allowing advertising on their hallways and in their cafeterias would be a drop in the bucket (about $10,000 per school) compared to what they need. More importantly, they were honest that there was a real cost associated with selling their kids to advertisers.

"We need to teach them critical thinking, not jam thoughts down their heads," said school board member John de Beck, who voted against the plan. "I don't want to be a part of using kids to sell stuff."

Neither do CCFC members. Yesterday afternoon, I learned from a reporter that a board vote was scheduled for that evening. We quickly emailed our supporters in the San Diego area and urged them to contact their board members and attend the meeting. Despite the short notice, they did. Here’s CCFC member Elena McCollim, the mother of a kindergartener in San Diego Unified schools, at the meeting last night:

Public schools, like public parks, are part of the shrinking commercial-free space in public life. I sympathize with the need for money for schools. But I question what message we're sending to our children.

And here’s what CCFC member Elaine Boyd wrote to the board:

Dear Board of Education:

I know that public schools are under terrible financial stress, but please don’t sell our kids to advertisers.

What do ads “teach” kids? They generally teach them to want things they don’t need. Turning children into hungry consumers is nearly inescapable as it is – squeezing ad messages in through the cracks of the schoolyard leaves virtually no commercial-free place to hide.

Corporations are already setting the agenda for the childhood experience in powerful ways through toys, food, and popular media. (There is a growing body of academic work dedicated to the subject.) The halls of education should be the place where the message to “consume – consume – consume” should be countered, not promoted.

I have a 4 year old daughter who will enter kindergarten in one year. Some of my friends are stunned that she doesn’t pester me to buy things for her. It’s because she has never seen TV or print ads and hasn’t been taught to want things that (a) are bad for her health, or (b) will wind up in a landfill within months.

I love that my child is unreachable by corporations who seek to create false needs in her mind, thus saddling her with a needless sense of dissatisfaction if she doesn’t get the desired object. Offering her up to single-minded corporate advertisers would certainly change that.

Finally, I have heard that in-school advertising almost never generates the revenue that administrators expect. Please reject ads in schools.

What a perfect letter. And what a great decision by the Board. Even in this economy, we can -- and must -- preserve commercial-free spaces for kids. Read more!

Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

FCC asked to block Skechers' new cartoon series - The AP covers CCFC's petition urging the FCC to rule that a new Skechers-produced children’s show is not in the public interest. CCFC’s petition finds that the show Zevo-3, scheduled to debut on Nicktoons on October 11, is a program-length advertisement and violates ad limits set by Congress in the Children’s Television Act. AP story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/14/AR2010091404586.html. Press release and petition: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/skecherszevo3.html

San Diego school board rejects campus advertising - After hearing from CCFC members, San Diego Board of Education puts students first and shoots down a proposal for in-school ads. CCFC members who received our action alert went to the school committee meeting and emailed board members, speaking up to make San Diego remain commercial-free. http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/education/schooled/article_1137b0b0-c082-11df-969a-001cc4c03286.html

Outgunned FDA tries to get tough with drug ads - As the FDA struggles to monitor a flood of pharmaceutical advertising, CCFC's Susan Linn highlights the deceptive tactics companies use sell children on drugs in this special report. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6821PN20100903

Less Play Today Means Fewer Leaders For Tomorrow – Gooddard Systems, a childcare franchise, sponsors Play for Tomorrow's Ultimate Block Party: The Arts and Sciences of Play, a national event celebrating the importance of children’s creative play on learning with a major play event in New York City and mini play-focused block parties across the country. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/less-play-today-means-fewer-leaders-for-tomorrow-102859269.html

UMass professors tap media literacy to fight childhood obesity – Professors at UMass find the marketing of junk food to young people is a leading cause of childhood obesity and launch intervention to help curb effects. http://www.amherstbulletin.com/story/id/181399/

Kmart’s Teen Site Is, Like, Totally Bogus – Kmart’s new teen social networking site, Stylesip, is a thinly and badly veiled marketing ploy. The author writes that parents who realize “what Kmart is up to with Stylesip may be turned off.” http://www.bnet.com/blog/retail-business/kmart-8217s-teen-site-is-like-totally-bogus/10869

As Chinese Youth Head Online, Marketers Follow With Content – Multinational marketers flock to produce branded online entertainment in order to target young people in the world’s most populated country. Branded dramas funded by Unilever, Burger King, General Motors Corp., Kraft Foods, and Anheuser-Busch proliferating all over China. http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=145843

Smith & Tinker, Marvel team up for social and mobile games – Marvel is “chasing consumers on the new platforms audiences are gravitating to for their digital entertainment” with the creation of new apps featuring popular children’s characters Iron Man, the X-Men, Hulk and others. http://venturebeat.com/2010/09/13/smith-tinker-teams-up-with-marvel-on-online-collectible-fighting-game/ Read more!

This Science Lesson is Brought to You By...

An article in the Sacramento Bee last week raised concerns about the role of British Petroleum scientists in shaping a statewide k-12 science curriculum. BP representatives were among many experts called in to shape what and how science would be taught to California students. Having caused the worst human-made ecological disaster ever, BP certainly deserves to be the current poster child for corporate greed and corruption. But the company’s participation on a large committee shaping science curriculum is only a tiny piece of the giant problem of corporate influences on what children learn in school. For one thing, other industry representatives with a clear financial stake in how and what children learn about fossil fuels and non-renewable energy were also represented, along with environmental groups, educators and academics.

Significantly more troubling than BP’s role in shaping the curriculum are what’s called Sponsored Educational Materials (SEMS), created solely by corporations or corporate trade organizations and distributed for free in schools around the world. These teaching materials bypass review by any board of education and are marketed directly to teachers as alternatives to aging, out of date, and/or expensive textbooks.

SEMS are not exactly new. I have vague memories of watching industrial films in elementary school made by G.E. and other companies. But, like all commercialism, the presence of these materials in schools has escalated—and will escalate even more as we continue to abdicate financial responsibility for public education. In Britain, BP creates science and math materials for kids as young as five.

In the U.S., Exxon is notorious for the ecology curriculum it developed after the Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Currently, the American Petroleum Institute (API) hands out teaching materials that are heavy on extolling the virtues of fossil fuels and light on environmental concerns:

API materials also feature a video game about offshore drilling designed for students in grades 6 to 12. Not surprisingly, the action doesn’t include explosions, fires, or devastating, unstoppable leaks:


The American Plastics Council, a division of the American Chemistry Council, which—like BP—helped shape the California curriculum, has its own downloadable teaching materials. Hands on Plastics, Jr., for kindergarten and early elementary school classes, includes a work sheet featuring the Polymer Family’s House:


Of course, the worksheet doesn’t question whether the Polymer family needs all of the plastic stuff in their house. Or how it was made. Or where it’s going to end up.

The American Plastic Council also offers a polymer ditty to be sung in the classroom to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell, which includes verses like this:
What’s markedly absent is a verse addressing any environmental concern about plastic polymers. Perhaps something like this:I’m not unaware of the ways that we benefit from oil and plastic. Full disclosure: I drive a car, have a toothbrush, and my husband is an art conservator who uses plastic polymers in his (excellent) restorations. And I certainly believe that children should learn about material sciences in school. But they shouldn’t be taught content provided by entities with a financial interest in what they do or do not learn.

The American Petroleum Institute, with 400 corporate members, describes itself as “the only national trade association that represents all aspects of America’s oil and natural gas industry.” The goal of its teaching materials is to “Provide teachers and students with engaging and informative resources on energy and related concepts, including the vital role of oil and natural gas in modern life.”

According to the American Plastic Council’s website, its mission is to “advocate unlimited opportunities for plastics and promote their economic, environmental and societal benefits.” To accomplish that mission, the Council demonstrates “the benefits of plastic products and the contributions of the plastics industry to the society it serves.”

The purpose of these organizations is to protect and promote the industries and the corporate interests they serve, not to educate the public with balanced and objective information. Given the state of the environment, we don’t need to extol the benefits of fossil fuels and plastics to children—we should help them weigh the environmental costs against the benefits of our dependence of them, and learn to think carefully about what they need and don’t need.

Oil and plastics aren’t the only industries that distribute SEMS. So does the coal industry, the food industry, the entertainment industry, and even the drug industry. One primary purpose of education should be to promote critical thinking in children. By definition, corporations—legally bound to make profits for their stockholders—can’t jeopardize sales by promoting critical thinking about their products. For that reason, alone, they cannot create effective, ethical educational materials. Read more!

Why is McDonald's listed a resource for Childhood Obesity Awareness Month?

I am not a fan of any sort of  "awareness" month as I find the concept trivializes important health issues. Are we only supposed to care about heart disease, diabetes, etc, during that one month of the year? And I never see anything of substance come from the month-long activities, just the usual ineffective educational campaigns, instead of meaningful public policy reforms. Plus many issues tend to crowd themselves into certain months of the year, so it all just becomes noise.  September is one such month. Among other causes, September has been proclaimed "Childhood Obesity Awareness Month" by Congress and President Obama.
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Are you Kidding Me, Kmart? More on Alloy's First Day

Earlier this week, I wrote about my concerns regarding First Day, the new online Kmart infomercial webisode for tweens and teens from Alloy Media and Marketing. Well, the first episode is up and it’s even worse than I predicted. (The second episode is up too, but there’s a limit to my masochism).

The takeaway? Pick your outfits carefully for the first day of school because:

First day of school determines who you’re gonna be friends with, which determines if a guy is gonna like you which determines if you’ll ever be kissed, because after awhile you build it up and you get all nervous, until you’re 25 and totally unkissable.

Pretty subtle message for a program developed by Kmart to promote its back-to-school clothes.

The show is only 9-minutes and takes place over the course of a single day, but there are still plenty of outfit changes. In fact, the plot consists of little more than a series of mishaps that force the main character to change her clothes after they’ve been soiled. As new outfits are introduced, they flash on a sidebar next to the episode, complete with links to Kmart where young viewers can purchase the items right away.



The entire premise is inherently deceptive. There’s no disclosure that Kmart actually helped write the script, just a credit that says “Styled by Kmart” that flashes on screen before the show starts. If kids knew they were about to tune into a 9-minute commercial, they’d most likely click somewhere else. That’s why Alloy has to pretend that First Day is something more than an ad.

In addition to all the marketing, the show is pretty vile. Amy Jussel of ShapingYouth.org calls First Day “classic online product placement meets mean girl drek.” She breaks down the show a lot more thoroughly than I’m able to (she’s got a sharper eye and a stronger stomach) and I highly recommend her take.

The unholy alliance between Kmart and Alloy is not, however, limited to First Day. Kmart is also promoting its Bongo jeans at Alloy’s Teen.com website, a site that is regularly advertised in classrooms on Alloy’s Channel One. As with First Day, Kmart and Alloy disguise their Bongo advertising as something else – in this case, a “behind the scenes” of a photo shoot with Bongo model (and star of The Hills) Audrina Patridge. Because the “behind the scenes” is one of several rotating ads on Teen.com and may not appear when you click on this link, I’m including a transcript and some screen shots below:

Hi this is Audrina Patridge and I’m taking you behind the scenes on my Bongo shoot. We were shooting the Bongo campaign for this fall and it was really fun and exciting.


The concept behind the Bongo shoot today was very flirty, sexy, pin-up style a little bit. Bongo’s a great brand for going back to school because it’s affordable and it’s stylish.

There’s some really cute striped tops that tied in the back that I loved. All the jeans fit really nice and comfortable and you feel like you look like you have a cute butt.

To sum up:

1. Alloy and Kmart have teamed up for a series of deceptive 9-minute infomercials for teens and tweens to sell back-to-school clothes.
2. Kmart is using a “very flirty, sexy, pin-up style” to market its junior line so girls can “have a cute butt”.
3. Channel One is promoting Teen.com, which features ads like the one described above, to a captive audience of students in nearly 8,000 schools around the country. If you live in a school district with Channel One, your tax-dollars are being used to encourage kids to visit Teen.com where they'll watch ads that celebrate the "sexy, pin-up style."

So what can we do?

First, find out if your child’s school has Channel One. If they do, show your administrators this blog post and ask them to pull the plug. If they don’t, thank them and show them this blog post in case they are ever tempted to consider it.

And if you’re appalled by Kmart’s decision to sexualize children and commercialize classrooms (remember, they are advertising directly on Channel One, too), let them know. Kmart’s chief marketing officer Mark Snyder can be reached at mark.snyder@searhc.com.

More on Alloy and Kmart::


Today is the First Day of Kmart's Marketing Assault on Children:  http://commercialfreechildhood.blogspot.com/2010/08/today-is-first-day-of-kmarts-marketing.html
 
Everything you ever wanted to know about Channel One from Obliation, Inc.: http://www.obligation.org/category/alloy-channel-one-news.

Toxic Teen Messaging In A K-Mart/Alloy Episodic: The First Day by Amy Jussel: http://www.shapingyouth.org/?p=11984.

Kmart targets teens online, via Alloy Media Digital Marketing: Time for FTC & Congress to Protect Adolescent Consumers, inc. Privacy by Jeff Chester: http://www.democraticmedia.org/jcblog/?p=997.


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Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

U.S. Pediatricians Decry Media's Portrayal of Sex – A new study published in Pediatrics shows that the messages media teach teens and children about sex are dangerous.  "’We want physicians to ask two media questions at every well-child visit: how much entertainment screen time per day does the child engage in, and is there a TV set or Internet connection in his or her bedroom,’ said Strasburger, professor of pediatrics at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. ‘That takes 20 seconds and may be more important than asking about childproofing or car seats or bicycle helmets.’”  The article shows that media are a powerful sex educator, and with children spending more time with media than in any other activity but sleeping, media needs to shape up.  The authors also recommend that advertisers stop using sex to sell products. http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/642575.html

Baby Carrots Take on Junk Food with Hip Marketing Campaign – In a $25 million effort to win inclusion in millions of back-to-school lunches, the carrot industry launches an ad campaign to brand the orange, crunchy veggie as cool, taking a page out of junk food advertisers’ handbook with Cheetos-like packaging, phone apps, and “sexy” TV ads. http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2010-08-29-baby-carrots-marketing_N.htm

Parents Sue Facebook Over Ads And 'Like' Data – Parents file a suit against Facebook, claiming their children are being exploited for commercial purposes when they see that a friend has “Liked” an ad on Facebook.  With good reason, the parents ask that Facebook obtain parental consent before using minors’ “Like” data for marketing purposes.  http://www.clickz.com/clickz/news/1730180/parents-sue-facebook-over-ads-and-like-data

Location-Based Shopping: Can Shopkick Keep Kids in the Mall? – The new application Shopkick (the one that allows marketers to follow customers around stores and into dressing rooms) takes a “decidedly brand friendly approach” and targets teen girls—the marketing platform’s “sweet spot.” http://www.mobilebehavior.com/2010/08/17/location-based-shopping-can-shopkick-keep-kids-in-the-mall/

Spearmark Unveils New Rise & Shine Line – New Disney-branded “sleep-time routine trainer” for kids is a 24-hour programmable electronic device (which dubs as a nightlight) that aims “to teach youngsters about bedtime routines by copying the Disney characters.” http://www.licensing.biz/news/5862/Spearmark-unveils-new-Rise-Shine-line

Strawberry Shortcake Supports Childhood Cancer Month – In advance of the new Strawberry Shortcake show, which will premiere next month on the new Hasbro/Discovery children’s TV network, The Hub, Strawberry Shortcake is promoting childhood cancer awareness month (and its own brand) by sponsoring Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money for cancer research mainly through lemonade sales, by encouraging people to host special Strawberry Shortcake Alex’s Lemonade Stands. http://www.alexslemonade.org/campaign/strawberry-shortcake
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Back to school with PepsiCo stealth marketing?

I recently blogged about questions regarding how PepsiCo's voluntary beverage guidelines, announced in March, would be implemented in schools given that contracts are made at the local level. Now with back-to-school in full swing, I have even more questions about how PepsiCo may be using stealth marketing techniques to gain access to that coveted captive K-12 audience.

Today, the company announced a new program it calls Score for Your School. From the press release:

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Today is the First Day of Kmart's Marketing Assault on Children

Later today, Alloy Media + Marketing, will launch First Day, its latest web series for children and teens on the Internet channel AlloyTV. An Alloy press release suggests the show will have it all – if by all you mean the full gamut of troubling trends in youth marketing.

Because First Day will air on the web instead of a traditional television channel, the FCC’s rules that dictate strict separation of commercial content and programming matter do not apply. That means that, unlike children’s television shows, First Day can feature product placement. That’s where Kmart comes in. Not only will the characters wear Kmart’s back-to-school fashions (Dream Out Loud by Selena Gomez, Rebecca Bonbon and Bongo), but Kmart actually helped create the script for First Day, so expect the clothes to play a prominent role in the show’s narrative. And if you’re creating a Kmart infomercial, why stop there?

First Day will also feature a unique retail component in each episode. Kmart will "hotspot" its fashions throughout the series, enabling viewers to buy the inspired looks worn by the lead characters by means of a direct link to the products on the Kmart website.

When they click through to the Kmart website, what will they find? Perhaps images like these that are being used to promote the same Bongo line in Seventeen magazine and Teen Vogue, two publications whose readers skew younger than their titles imply:



Or this ad that touts Bongo’s junior line for “back to school” at Kmart’s parent company, Sears:



It’s as if Kmart designed their back-to-school campaign using the exploitative marketers’ handbook. Use sex to sell tween girls on clothes. Create “branded entertainment” so that children won’t realize they’re really watching ads. Use interactive technology so that kids can click right from the “program” they’re watching to the checkout line. Add a viral component so that children’s friendships are commercialized; Kmart is offering applications for kids to upload to their phones so they can tweet their purchases to their friends.

And of course, promote your brand in schools. Kmart is also advertising its fall fashions on Alloy’s controversial in-school television network, Channel One. For students in the 8,000 schools with Channel One, viewing Kmart’s ads will be a compulsory part of the school day. That’s right – Kmart will be using class time paid for by your tax dollars to promote its clothing to a captive audience of students.

Kmart clearly believes that its provocative marketing strategy will result in more sales, but I’m not so sure. There are a growing number of parents who are saying, “if you want my business, treat me and my children with respect.” That’s a lesson that Kmart clearly hasn’t learned. Maybe we need to teach them that this fall.


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Commercialism Corner

Commercialism Corner: Your one-stop shop for quick summaries and links to all the latest news about the commercialization of childhood.

A Source of Solace, Not Ad Revenue – This Miami Herald article, quoting CCFC's Susan Linn, criticizes a proposal in Miami to allow advertising in public parks.  The author concludes, “To accommodate a plethora of commercial imagery in county parks is to fill them with visual pollution. The premise of the commercial culture is that buying things will make us happier. But no purchase is enough to achieve happiness. Instead, an encounter with nature—without an assault by this culture of consumerism—offers life's best gift.” http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/28/1796085/a-source-of-solace-not-ad-revenue.html

Kids in Their Sights – Canada’s Financial Post details the global political struggle to limit junk food ads aimed at kids in an effort to curb childhood obesity.  While child health experts point out that the failure of ad industry self-regulation proves that “the fox does a really poor job of guarding the henhouse,” advertising execs claim that the parent has the purchasing power and is the “CEO of the household.”  Meanwhile, childhood obesity rates continue to soar, and a new study on global food advertising to children finds that 67% of food ads targeted at kids in 11 countries are for unhealthy food. http://www.financialpost.com/news/Kids+their+sights/3452015/story.html

Don't Touch That Disney Channel -- and Many Other Things, in Blogger Experiment – The St. Petersburg Times spotlight’s Lisa “The Corporate Babysitter” Ray’s family’s year without Disney. http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/dont-touch-that-disney-channel-mdash-and-many-other-things-in-blogger/1117944

Crest and Oral-B Try to Make Dental Care Cool – The two companies launch a marketing campaign aimed at kids as young as 8, which includes a phone app called “Yuck Mouth” to teach kids about healthy oral care…oh yes, and to sell them on Crest and Oral-B products. http://www.sacbee.com/2010/08/20/2971664/crest-and-oral-b-introduce-pro.html

Kids are Influencing $10.9 Billion in Videogame Purchases; Over 90% of Kids are Playing Games Online – Children influence half of all video game purchases—to the tune of $10.9 billion—according to the new M2 market research study. http://www.gamingbusinessreview.com/m2kidsandgamesreport.htm

Popular Demand: Teenage Texting and More – New stats reported in the New York Times show that the number of teens visiting social networks from their mobile phones increased 81% this year.  (It’s no wonder that marketers are increasingly targeting teens and pre-teens with cell phone advertising.)  http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/08/23/business/media/23mostwanted.html

FCC Appeals Fox Indecency Ruling – FCC, with the support of the Justice Department, appeals Second Circuit’s Court of Appeals decision on its indecency (“fleeting expletives”) enforcement policy, claiming that the court’s decision would make creating a new enforcement policy a “seeming impossibility.”  http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/456402-FCC_Appeals_Fox_Indecency_Ruling.php

The Hub Adds New Pop Culture Series “Hubworld” to Network’s Original Programming Line Up – The new show “Hubworld” is described as “a pop culture magazine show that infuses what's happening in the life of everyday kids with what's happening on The Hub television network,” the new children’s network by Hasbro and Discovery.  The show will feature highlights of Hub shows and segments “keeping up with what’s going on in the world of entertainment, music, sports and much more.”  Might the “much more” category include new Hasbro toys and licensed merchandise by any chance? http://www.pr-inside.com/the-hub-adds-new-pop-culture-r2080991.htm

Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime – Studies show that being constantly hooked into technology deprives the brain of downtime needed to process and remember information, which is essential to learning.  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/technology/25brain.html Read more!

Dethroning the Disney Princesses

According to newspaper reports, researchers are exploring links between a girlhood characterized by “princess culture,” and womanhood fraught with narcissism, materialism, and overspending. No adult behavior can be explained solely by one thing—human beings are complicated creatures. But these researchers are on to something. We pass cultural values on through the stories we tell and the toys we give to children. The messages they take away from what they see, hear, and experience contribute to their understanding of the world and how it works.

Much has been written about the negative impact of impossibly built fashion dolls on how girls conceptualize beauty, and how they feel about their bodies. For many parents, the Disney Princesses seem like the lesser of several evils—perhaps they aren’t quite as in-your-face sexualized as the Bratz, or My Scene Barbies, or the new Monster High Dolls. But, in addition to promoting the dream that irks so many feminists—someday a prince will come and solve all of my problems—Disney Princess films, sequels, prequels and products subject little girls to clear messages about class and entitlement.

In The Case for Make Believe, I relate the following conversation with a four year old Disney princess aficionado:

“What’s a princess?” I asked Abigail. “A rich girl,” she answered promptly, “with a kingdom.” She was a bit fuzzy on exactly what a kingdom is, however. “It’s got lots of rooms,” she explained tentatively. Then her eyes grew big and round, sparkling with excitement. “And now there’s no food in it!” “Oh, no!” I groaned. “Yes!” she said with joyful urgency. “The servants have run out of ingredients!”

In the wonderful world of Disney, the female ideal is a rich girl living in a big house with lots of servants. And while the company has given the nod girls of color—Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, and Tiana—the crème de la crème of princesshood, the ones featured most prominently in the princess brand, are white: Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Snow White, and Aurora.

Truth be told, I love fairy tales. While my fondness for them sometimes rests uneasily on my social conscience (the themes may be deep and complex, but the characters are not), I understand why they have so much meaning for young children. Classic stories of perseverance rewarded, good triumphing over evil, and the weak overcoming the powerful are valuable for kids as they grapple with the immense cognitive, physical and emotional demands of growing up socialized. And our exploration of fairy tales doesn’t have to be limited to the Western European versions that are so popular in the United States. After all, the original Cinderella story is the Chinese Shen Teh—and there are magical tales handed down for centuries from all over the world. In their original forms they are often explorations of important themes universal to children—sibling rivalry, family discord, loss, and redemption. But in the Disney versions of fairy tales, the deeper themes get lost amid the talking teapots and adorable singing mice. The films are enjoyable and the do what Disney does best—create longing for a magical world where virtue is synonymous with beauty and ultimately rewarded by material wealth.

Back when a movie was mostly just a movie seen only in theaters, princess values didn’t necessarily permeate little girlhood. But with miniaturized screen technology and tens of thousands of princess products on the market, that’s no longer the case. It’s not just that children see the films repeatedly, so that the scripts are embedded in their brains. Their play about the films is constricted by the plethora of princess toys and accessories. In addition, the image of the princesses—plastered on sheets, wallpaper, toothbrushes, snacks, backpacks and pretty much everything under the sun—dominates children’s experience of the stories.

One reason that commercialization is so harmful for children is that marketers exploit and pervert normal developmental stages—in this case, gender identification—so that corporate messages dominate how a child’s world view is shaped. Children, naturally attracted to glitter and longing to be so much more more powerful, are sitting ducks for gendered marketing like the Disney’s Princess selling machine. A society that does not protect kids from being immersed in advertising is complicit in their exploitation and the harms caused by it. As the father of a tiny potential consuming princess fanatic laments, unless you move to the woods it’s just about impossible for little girls to avoid the world according to her majesties Cinderella, and Ariel et al.

So what’s a parent to do? Until and unless we change the culture, you can set some limits and at least keep your daughters from drowning in The Little Mermaid and other Princess paraphernalia. Here are just a few options:

For babies and toddlers: Avoid purposely exposing young children to screen-based entertainment, at least until they ask for it, and limit exposure after that. You can at least put off instilling the expectation that the Disney princesses are essential to a happy girlhood.

For preschoolers: You might choose to avoid the films altogether. But if you love them, and want to share them, go ahead—but do so with the understanding that you’re not going to let Disney dictate your child’s post-film experience. Encourage hands-on creative play free of branded products.

From preschool on: Surround your kids with books of multi-cultural stories, including folk and fairy tales. And make sure to include stories that defy stereotypes. If your daughters love frufru and want to play princess, then haunt thrift shops and the closets of friends and family for cast off finery. Keep talking with children about your values and how they are similar and different from the commercial values celebrated by Disney and other corporations with a corner on the kid market.

Oh, and one last thing. Join the movement to stop companies from targeting children directly with marketing. Gender stereotyping and materialistic values aren’t the only inevitable harms of a commercialized childhood.
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