The BadAds Weblog: September 2002

Rights Proposed vs. Rights You Have

On September 18, Commercial Alert released the text for a proposed "Parents' Bill of Rights." This document, in recognition of how "an aggressive commercial culture has invaded the relationship between parents and children," proposes nine different laws on the federal and state level to revert power over children back to their parents.

(The text of the Parents' Bill of Rights is available in both PDF format and a more accessible press release format.)

Some provisions of the Parents' Bill of Rights seem entirely reasonable, such as the "Commercial-Free Schools Act," which would prohibit corporations from advertising within school buildings or on school grounds. That such a bill even needs to be proposed shows that those government officials responsible for education have neglected their duties for far too long. The educational environment needs to be free from commercial influences to allow students to focus (as much as they can in their pitched hormonal states) on the schoolwork before them.

Other provisions, such as the "Leave Children Alone Act," which would ban television advertising aimed at children under 12, seem more problematic. The idea of the federal government being required to police every television station for advertising aimed at youngsters seems an incredible waste of time and resources.

While the idea behind the Parents' Bill of Rights seems worthwhile, parents have much more power and control over their children than Commercial Alert would have us believe. Commercial forces have gained control over children largely because parents have neglected to exercise this power. Instead of pushing for a ban of all television advertising aimed at children, parents can instead turn the television off or use it as a monitor solely to watch movies. Problem solved.

Commercial Alert suggests a "Children's Food Labeling Act" for fast food restaurant chains that "push" food upon children, but many fast food chains already post such information. Everyone knows that McDonald's, Burger King, et al sell food that is detrimental to your health in large quantities, but families still choose to eat in such locations many times a week. What's more, a look at many parents – both at what they eat and at what they buy in supermarkets – shows that they take little responsibility for providing nutritious meals for their families. If they reformed their eating and food preparation habits, fast food warning labels would be a non-issue.

At BadAds, we prefer shaming and educating corporations into understanding that consumers are offended by excessive and intrusive advertising rather than relying on governmental oversight. We've designed the site so that individuals can make their voices heard by those responsible for the cluttered environment we all share and hopefully change their minds. Please join us in making this happen.

September 20, 2002

Digital Life Soon to Be as Annoying as Reality

Intrusive ads in real life are bothersome enough. Now, thanks to a multi-million dollar deal between Electronic Arts, Intel, and McDonald's, we'll soon experience unwanted marketing messages in the games we normally play to get away from all those intrusions.

Electronic Arts, makers of the best selling video game The Sims, will incorporate products from Intel and McDonald's in their newest product, The Sims Online. Purchasing Intel PCs will boost an online character's logic skills and fun factor (much like it does in real life, cough, cough), and players can have their characters eat Big Macs, run McDonald's kiosks to make money, and eventually become franchise owners in the burger empire. Perhaps a digital cholesterol counter and open heart surgeon will be included in a later release.

This deal is just the latest in the video game industry. Vivendi Universal Games will soon release Run Like Hell, a first person shooter game in which players can boost their health by drinking Bawls Guarana, a highly caffeinated beverage, and characters in Activision's new release, Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer, will use Nokia cellphones. Activision received more than $100,000 for the product placement, a big step up from older deals in which it merely bartered digital billboard space to Sprite in its game Street Hoops in return for a mention on 40-50 million bottles and cans.

As President and COO of Electronic Arts John Riccitiello said in a September 17th New York Times article (registration required), "We're finally getting to the point where our audience is big enough, and competition among advertisers is big enough, that people are putting money up."

Riccitiello seems to forget that people already were putting money up – his customers. Apparently that's not good enough anymore. As the Electronic Arts Web site promises potential advertisers, "Game players are a captive audience, and they're frequent visitors too, returning often to play their favorite games. Because game players are relaxed, involved, and having fun, they're more likely to respond and think favorably of an advertiser's brand. Without a doubt, interactive games are the most dynamic and engaging advertising environment available."

Advertisers hardly need to be sold on the prospect of reaching teens with lots of time on their hands, even if they do seem a tad disingenuous with how they're exploiting the medium. In the same NYT article, Ann Lewnes, head of co-marketing for Intel, said, "This is the next frontier of product placement.... It's very engaging. You're not just watching products, you're actually using them."

Except, of course, that you're NOT actually using them. You're sitting at a computer desk, paying to watch advertisements.

Please write to video game manufacturers and let them know that this practice is unacceptable. Better still, if you find advertising in a game you purchase, return it to the store and demand a refund. Paying for entertainment is one thing; paying to be pitched to is another.

John Riccitiello, President and COO
Electronic Arts
209 Redwood Shores Parkway
Redwood City, CA 94065
Phone: 650-628-1500
E-mail: diane@ea.com (This is the e-mail address for Riccitiello's assistant)

Robert Kotick, Chairman, CEO and Director
Activision
3100 Ocean Park Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone: 310-255-2202 (Kotick's direct line)
Online feedback form

Thanks to sturdy BadAds reader Phillip Djwa for the article suggestion!

September 18, 2002

Rappin' with Advertisers

We're Ridin' the H-P Copier,
Tonin' Our Bodies
and Gettin' Them Sloppier

That could be a line from Ja Rule's 2004 bestselling rap single "You, Me, and H-P Makes Three" if his record company lands a desired paid product placement deal with Hewlett-Packard Co.

Island Def Jam Music Group, which also publishes works by Ludacris and Jay-Z among others, has been negotiating with H-P for at least three months but no deal is likely to be signed in the immediate future, according to an article by Hank Kim in AdAge. The driving force behind these talks is Island Def Jam President Lyor Cohen, who reasons that companies willing to place products in movies should be even more eager to appear in songs with potential widespread radio play.

Rappers and hip-hop singers already use brand names throughout many of their songs, but such past use seems to be merely because they liked the product or found it a relevent subject for inclusion. They might have received free product as a "thank you" from the manufacturer, but that was a far as it went until Busta Rhymes' "Pass the Courvoisier Part Two." Rhymes' song, produced with help from P. Diddy and Pharrell, helped boost sales enough to encourage Allied Domecq to sign a promotional deal with the singer.

Lyor Cohen's Rocafella Records has already purchased Armadale Vodka, so potential crossmarketing efforts are likely in the works.

Kim's article quotes one anonymous major label marketing executive who says that we'll probably see a huge number of these deals in the future. In his words, "Artists and labels realize the potential upside."

The downside for listeners of this music doesn't seem to be an issue for these folks. Perhaps a word from the audience will help them change their tune.

Lyor Cohen, President
Island Def Jam Music Group
825 8th Ave., 28th Fl.
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212-333-8000

Carleton S. (Carly) Fiorina, Chairman & CEO
Hewlett-Packard
3000 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185
Phone: 650-857-1501
Online feedback form

Thanks to redoubtable BadAds reader Margaret Collins for bringing this to our attention!

September 16, 2002

Telemarketers Finally Get It

It's only for one day – and it took a national disaster to make it happen – but telemarketers have finally decided to give us a break.

Today, September 11th, telemarketing firms such as DialAmerica Marketing, Sitel Corp., and Telemax Teleservices will make no outgoing calls out of concern that most people really won't be in the mood. For DialAmerica alone that means tens of thousands of calls not being made. (These actions aren't necessarily as altruistic as they sound; workers at Sitel, for example, must either take a vacation day or not get paid that day.)

It's a day for people to be with their families, said Paul Young, director of a Call_Solutions telemarketing center in Omaha, Nebraska. "If I received a call at home on that day from somebody trying to sell me something, I would be personally offended."

Super! Now, if they could only realize that we're also offended the other 364 days of the year, we'd really be in business – and they wouldn't be.

Perhaps you can drop these companies a line and let them know you appreciate the blessed relief.

Frank R. Martire, President & COO
Call_Solutions.com, Inc.
20825 Swenson Drive, Suite 200
Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186-4069
Phone: 877-810-7171

Arthur W. Conway, President
DialAmerica Marketing, Inc.
960 Macarthur Blvd.
Mahwah, NJ 07495
Phone: 800-913-3331

Thomas B. Barker, President and CEO
West Corporation
11808 Miracle Hills Dr.
Omaha, Nebraska 68154
Phone: 800-542-1000

September 11, 2002

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