Spare Kids the Ads

Embedded advertising is everywhere — and much of it targets children.

So-called “product placement” seems harmless enough, until you consider that branded content now consumes 45 percent of prime-time network programming. That’s in addition to commercials!

American Idol alone, according to Nielsen, featured products 4,636 times during a six-month period in early 2008. While Simon, Paula and Randy may not necessarily prefer to drink Diet Coke, millions of viewers are led to believe they do — at Coca-Cola’s paid insistence.

The Federal Communications Commission is currently conducting an investigation into whether it should modify its rules to limit embedded ads or make disclosure about those ads more immediate. While formal comments have been filed with the FCC, the public can still express its concern about the proliferation of embedded advertising by logging on to the FCC’s website, www.fcc.gov/contacts, and/or by emailing FCC Board Chairman Kevin Martin at kjmweb@fcc.org.

The United Church of Christ’s Office of Communication, Inc., the denomination’s historic media justice organization, has designed a series of holiday e-cards to promote greater awareness about the growing concern regarding product placement and its impact on transparency in corporate influence and scriptwriting.

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Commercialized Creche

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