marketing ...how I loathe thee

Today, someone left this comment on my blog and it pissed me off.

Thanks for your post. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Maya & Miguel, a show on PBS in the afternoons -- htt://pbskidsgo.org/mayaandmigue

I found your post and thought I’d reach out to say hello and ask if you’d like to receive a free Maya & Miguel DVD. If you’d like to receive the DVD just email me at Kerri at boldmouth.com with your address and I’ll have it shipped it out to you.

If you do choose to blog about Maya & Miguel show or episodes on the DVD, please make it clear how you received the information. Our goal is to be open and honest with everyone we reach.

Kerri Roberts, BoldMouth -- that emphasizes cultural diversity and language learning but I’m reaching out to talk to parents about the program as part of a marketing project I’m working on with Scholastic.

I'm one of those people that spend a lot of time trying to teach my children to be hypercritical of advertising. Advertising is unavoidable. It is on buses, on your f*cking bananas, on TV, on grocery carts, on cups, spoons, highways, ...pretty much EVERYWHERE you go. It is insidious and while I don't like the idea of regulating everything under the sun I do think that marketing to children is harmful to them and our society. Honestly, I think it verges on unethical.

So, when I received the above comment, I was immediately annoyed. How dare this "Kerri" pretend to be an interested blog reader commenting on my blog and then plug her wares? I visited her website. Turns out that BoldMouth is a viral marketing company and so I'm doubly annoyed that Scholastic and PBS are employing them ! Sure, at least it is PBS and Scholastic, what could be possibly be harmful about marketing Culturally diversive Maya and Miguel and books by Scholastic ... which will no doubt publish Maya and Miguel books which will lead to Maya and Miquel play figures, Kid's Meal toys at your favorite fast food franchise, nightgowns, lunch pails, juice boxes, cereal.....well, you see where I'm going....

Hey, recently, Scholastic was selling hyper sexualized Bratz dolls and books . They ain't exactly benign influences on our children.

So, since Kerri Roberts' goal is to "reach out and be open and honest", I too will reach out and be open and honest and I won't forget to include exactly where I heard all about the Maya & Miguel PBS show and DVD. I made sure to visit BolMouth and leave a comment on their site about my thoughts on the matter of viral marketing and their so-called Word of Mouth marketing techniques. Word of mouth isn't exactly authentic if the mouths and words are those of marketing employees...is it?

MORE RESOURCES ON MARKETING TO CHILDREN:

Is Marketing to Children Unethical?

Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood

Alliance for Childhood

Center for the Analysis of Commercialism in Education

School Pouring Rights : Get soda out of schools

Center for a New American Dream helps Americans change the way they consume to improve quality of life, protect the environment, and promote social justice.

Comments

[kim]

I'm glad you didn't just hit delete, but allowed yourself to write a thought provoking post on it!

[maye rain]

kimmy, don't you worry about us taking your skeleton. but maybe that's the talisman bringing this little sucker up in the house? if you want another skeleton, i'm pretty sure my house opossum has gone to heaven and left its bodily form in my basement. stinky & flies! if i find it, i'll bring it over. along with your glass....i haven't made anything either. it's time to rest. miss you, al

[Cristina]

Thank you so much for addressing this and for the links.I'm going to bookmark your page so I can look at this when I have time. I also received a comment from Kerri Roberts and when I Googled her name and Boldmouth I just got endless comment entries on various blogs.We like Maya & Miguel, but I'm not sure I feel comfortable with this type of marketing.

[Courtney]

I so appreciate the way you handled this. Marketing to children is one of my most hated practices in this country. Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is a great organization. I had already lost any desire to do business with Scholastic after the Bratz doll thing. PBS continues to get more commerical. I always feel so in sync with you - can we start our own country and be co-leaders?
Courtney
ps - I have some of C's beautiful artwork from yesterday