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Parents for Ethical Marketing
is a young, grassroots organization of people concerned about the effects of corporate marketing practices directed at young children.

Members receive action alerts and a monthly e-newsletter.

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News & Events

Virgin Mobile Pulls Back Racy Campaign

Decides it probably wasn't the best idea to encourage kids to strip on YouTube . . . no matter what the cause.

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Game publishers turning more to girl gamers

Think pink! And puppies! And princesses!

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Study Finds Materialism in Children and Adolescents Linked to Self-Esteem

From the Journal of Consumer Research

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McDonald's Wants to Clear Its Food Rep

New campaign addresses quality of menu items

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Is it a corporations's right to advertise in public schools?

Research looks at First Amendment implications of restricting marketing in schools.

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Sitter’s Checklist: PEM update, McDonald’s ads off report cards, and corporate irresponsibility

I’m putting the finishing touches on PEM’s application for tax-exempt status. My plan is to try to find some grant funding to help expand our scope, then — world domination. And t-shirts. If you’d like to be a part of it, please look to the left, find the “Join PEM” message, and pass along your email address. Joining means you’ll get the monthly newsletter (first edition scheduled for February), and I’ll get to count you among PEM’s members. You don’t need to be a parent. But you should believe in ethical marketing to kids. Questions? Contact me.

I’m late with this one but Chilihead has reminded me: McDonald’s has pulled their ads from kids’ report cards in Florida. Congratulations to Susan Pagan, a parent who brought the issue to the CCFC, who took it from there.

And from the Department of You’ve Got to be Kidding Me, Chicago edition: Toymaker Ty, Inc. refuses to pull recalled toys from store shelves. Any way you look at it, that’s bad PR. And:

. . . the state attorney general’s office remains at odds with Ganz, a Toronto-based manufacturer, over a heart-shaped ornament that the Tribune found contained high levels of lead. Ganz officials have said the charm is not children’s jewelry and therefore not subject to lead-safety rules.  

At some point, doesn’t this kind of corporate behavior become criminal? Ganz also makes our not-so-beloved-anymore Webkinz. The Chicago Tribune’s story is a follow-up to their fall special report.

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