Tag: advertising
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Senators Question Use of Toys to Market Energy Drinks
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Rockefeller (D-W.V.), and Edward Markey (D-Mass.) have written a letter to Rockstar, Inc. CEO Russell Weiner, questioning the energy drink company’s relationship with Ronin Syndicate, the manufacturer of remote-controlled toys crossed-branded with the Rockstar logo. Responding to consumer complaints on social media sites, the senators pointed to…
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Federal Lawmakers Introduce “Do Not Track Kids” Act
U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) have reportedly introduced joint legislation (S. 1700 and H.R. 3481) that would expand the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) to cover children older than age 12 and establish new rules for collecting, storing and disclosing their personal information. Titled the Do…
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Bittman Condemns Beyoncé’s Marketing Deal with Pepsi
According to New York Times food commentator Mark Bittman, Beyoncé Knowles has joined a list of celebrities who have entered endorsement deals for products “that may one day be ranked with cigarettes as a killer.” The singer has apparently agreed to “have the Pepsi logo painted on her lips and have a limited-edition Pepsi can…
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Rudd Center Issues 2013 Report on Food Advertising to Children and Teens
The Yale University Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity has released an updated report on food advertising to children and teens that criticizes the fast-food industry for failing to meet its own marketing standards. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “Fast Food FACTS 2013” claims that fast-food restaurants spent $4.6 billion on total…
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Anheuser-Busch Targeted in Copyright Infringement Suit
Wooden Nickel Music, which owns the copyright to the musical composition “Lady” and the sound recording embodying that composition by the group Styx, has filed an infringement action against Anheuser-Busch, LLC (AB) and a film company that purportedly created a video, currently on YouTube, including part of the recording. Wooden Nickel Music v. Anheuser-Busch, LLC,…
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American Academy of Pediatrics Calls for “Media Diet”
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently issued a policy statement calling on doctors to review patient media use and work with parents to scale back their children’s “entertainment screen time.” The latest in an ongoing series of policy statements addressing media violence, infant media use, and obesity and the media, AAP’s recommendations include encouraging…
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Mondelēz to Launch “Smart Shelves” in 2015
Mondelēz International reportedly intends to introduce “smart shelves” whose sensors first identify the age and gender of grocery shoppers and then deliver targeted ads via video display. “Knowing that a consumer is showing interest in the product gives us the opportunity to engage with them in real-time,” Mondelēz CIO Mark Dajani said in a recent…
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Facebook’s Decision to Relax Privacy Rules for Teenagers Under Fire
Led by the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), a coalition of public health, media, youth, and consumer advocacy groups has written a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), asking the agency to review Facebook’s recent decision to relax its privacy protections for teenage users. According to an October 20, 2013, press release, the letter…