Cereal jingles take backseat
to interactive marketing world
A recent study calls for stronger protections for children in the digital media age, reports BusinessWeek.
The D is for Digital study was conducted by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. Cooney, who founded the center, was one of the creators of Sesame Street.
The report sought to address marketing's pervasive position in media. Marketing is only more visible since the rise of digital media.
The group called to task TV shows for children that are loaded with product placement, as well as kiddy virtual worlds — a cheap veil for blitz marketing tactics.
These tactics exist without any standards to regulate them. The group pointed out that substantive amounts of educational content could be added to them, virtual worlds in particular.
Some virtual worlds, like WhyVille and MinyanLand, teach kids financial responsibility by introducing them to virtual stocks, mortgages, and — in WhyVille's case — even property repossession, Adrants reports.
