Insidious Practice of Video Ads

Recently, while baby-sitting my soon-to-be-4-year-old niece, I innocently popped in the new “Tarzan” video, hoping to take her for an exciting romp through the colorful African jungle. However, what we got instead was an unexpected--and uninvited--look at the dark side of the business jungle. Disney is just one of many large public entertainment companies that regularly takes advantage of our young children by hawking their wares in an endless stream of commercials on their home video titles.

Unfortunately, it is now common for many such entertainment companies to promote fan clubs, products and upcoming releases directly to children via video. The “Tarzan” video from Disney (one of the most trusted and respected companies in the world) contains more than a whopping 11 solid minutes of commercials--for various Disney videos and DVDs, TV movies and theatrical releases, CD-ROMs and even Walt Disney World. Similarly, recent video releases of both “Toy Story” and “Pokemon: The Great Race” contain prominent and extensive trailers pointing children to the related feature films now out in theaters. Both Disney and the Lyons Group (producers of “Barney & Friends”) have been putting a string of commercials on their videos for years. Children not only see these ads again and again because of the repetitious nature of their home video habits, but are demanding the products they see advertised.

Years ago, the television landscape looked similar, until a few people dared to raise their voices in defense of the viewing habits of young children and their caregivers. They went before Congress and pleaded to protect our children’s television viewing time by imposing limits on the commercials that are directed toward them. The Federal Communications Commission responded to these public cries by imposing rules that bar the advertising of like products (e.g. a commercial for a G.I. Joe toy aired during a “G.I. Joe” episode), related products (e.g. an ad for Disney World featuring an image of Goofy aired during “Goof Troop”) and even unlike products with references to related products (a commercial for toys based on the movie “Hook” aired during the program “Peter Pan and the Pirates”) directly to children--but only on television.

Now, I recognize that television still has a long way to go before it is completely free of commercials targeted at children, but I do not understand why there are numerous laws protecting children’s rights on television, yet an absence of rules with regard to home video. The argument is that these home video commercials are intended for the caregiver, not the child.

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Poppycock! If these large companies want to reach the caregiver, why don’t they enclose an informational pack inside the video sleeve addressed to the parent and let them decide whether it is a service or product they want to pursue? I fear the worst--that this advertising is purposely targeted at the child because these companies know that once “hooked,” he or she will be their best salesperson. After all, who could say “no” to their own child (especially if they are crying their eyes out in the middle of the night or in a public place)? In order to make their quarterly sales projections, these entertainment companies are using our young kids to do their dirty work.

The FCC rose to the defense of parents and children once before with the help of wonderful organizations such as Peggy Charren’s Children’s Action Committee. Isn’t it time for some other bureaucratic office or highly evolved politician to see the light and take action against this insidious way in which entertainment companies are taking advantage of our very youngest, most innocent viewers and those who care for them?

I mean, we are in an election year . . . right? Isn’t that the time when politicians realize the importance of families? But I guess that’s another issue.

Kenn Viselman is chairman of the itsy bitsy Entertainment Co., a leader in the children’s entertainment industry. It has been a long-standing policy of his company not to include commercial endorsements of any kind on the home video product it produces.

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