Family-Unfriendly Super Bowl Ads

Posted on February 3, 2013 at 12:00 pm

Families who want to enjoy the Super Bowl together might want to turn off the television during the ads. The commercials now get almost as much press as the game itself. But Common Sense Media reports that this year’s ads are “sexy, violent, and shocking.”

With more than 100 million viewers on game day — and ads costing nearly $4 million — advertisers are willing to do just about anything to get attention. A lot of the ads will be fun and light. But many will be wildly age inappropriate for kids.

Here’s just a sampling of what you can expect. Gildan Activewear’s ad shows a man waking up, Hangover-style, confused by the fur handcuffs dangling from his wrist. Anheuser-Busch employs a sequin-clad model to introduce its new beer. And Kraft Foods’ Mio water drops features Tracy Morgan unleashing a stream of bleeped-out expletives that leave little to the imagination.

It’s always a good idea to talk to kids about the ways that ads try to make us buy things we do not really need, even things that are not good for us. But in the case of these commercials, it may be better to skip them entirely.

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Preview Super Bowl Ads on Hulu

Posted on February 2, 2013 at 3:59 pm

For those who wait patiently for the football to be over so they can see the ads, there is Hulu, which has previews of the ads for Super Bowl XLV online already.

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Model Cameron Russell on What She Really Looks Like

Posted on January 20, 2013 at 8:00 am

Cameron Russell admits she won “a genetic lottery”: she’s tall, pretty and an underwear model. But don’t judge her by her looks. In this fearless talk, she takes a wry look at the industry that had her looking highly seductive at barely 16-years-old. This is an important reality check for girls — and boys — who may feel an endless gulf between the way they look and the way they “should” look.

Big Bird Halloween Costumes — The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Yellow

Posted on October 24, 2012 at 8:00 am

Mitt Romney’s comment about cutting funding for PBS at the first Presidential debate has made Big Bird one of the most popular costumes for Halloween this year. But that’s not all good news. The Children’s Television Workshop, producers of “Sesame Street,” sent a cease-and-desist letter to the company behind a “sexy big bird” costume. It’s not just a matter of licensing revenues and copyright protection. The characters who are important to children should not be trashed by being sexualized.

No, Your Baby Can’t Read

Posted on September 8, 2012 at 3:43 pm

Did you see those commercials for a product that would help you teach your baby to read? Well, I hope it does not come as too much of a surprise to find out that it was a fraud. The Federal Trade Commission, which investigates the claims of advertisers and the complaints of consumers, found those commercials were deceptive. The Commission has filed a complaint and the company has agreed to stop its claims.

The FTC complaint charges Your Baby Can, LLC, its former CEO, and the product’s creator with false and deceptive advertising, for claims in ads and product packaging that the program could teach infants and toddlers to read and that scientific studies proved the claims. The complaint also charges company principal and product creator Robert Titzer, Ph.D, with making deceptive expert endorsements. Your Baby Can and Titzer represented that the program taught children as young as nine months old to read; gave children an early start on academic learning, making them more successful in life than those who didn’t use it; and that scientific studies proved these claims, according to the complaint. Hugh Penton, Jr., the company’s former CEO, and the company have settled with the FTC and agreed to stop making those claims in the future. The Commission is pursing claims against Titzer in federal court.

The settlement also imposes a $185 million judgment, which equals the company’s gross sales since January 2008. However, the company says it is going out of business and has no money. So they will only be paying $500,000, unless it is later determined that the financial information the company gave the FTC was false, in which case the full amount of the judgment will become due.

Needless to say, parents who want the best for their children are easy prey for con operators like this. Please be cautious about claims that seem too good to be true.

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