Top 10 Teen Sex Education Videos: You Decide Who Wins!

“Was sex ed at your school a total drag or did you love it? If you could design a whole new system to for teens to learn about sex and its consequences, what would you create?” Advocates for Youth sent me that blurb in a December call for video entries from young people aged 15-30. Two cute lil’ squiggly cartoon sperm were talking to each other, saying, … [Read more...]

Taking Aim at Target: Think That V is a CoinkyDink?

The Flickr photographer, Bennett says this billboard is in Times Square, NYC, about 20' x 20'. I'm waiting for a corporate callback with an explanation from a 'Target Team member.' Meanwhile, the universal issue is sexualized ad slop, and how we need to just freakin’ STOP it. The tasteless toddler tee “Hooters Girl in Training” (hat tip to Corporate … [Read more...]

Slimy Santa Innuendo Gets The Heave-Ho-Ho-Ho…

Ho. Used to be a trio of chuckles from jolly ol’ Saint Nick, or the classic 'heave-ho' given to moldly expired fridge food… Lately, between hip-hop lyrics, MTV2 misogyny and Don Imus’ media gaffes we wrote about here, the term's shifted to a noun form, and not even ol' Santa escapes the senseless drek. This latest BuzzFeed won't make your days merry and … [Read more...]

Hiding Kids’ Veggies for Stealth Health: Good Idea?

Recipe for media firepower: Blend Seinfeld spousal celebrity, add a dash of Oprah media hype, stir in some star scandal, cute kids and a solid nutritional cause, and rocket to the top tier of the New York Times Bestseller list before you can say zucchini. Shaping Youth is always trying to find new ways to get kids to eat greens, live green and curb the cues to spend green, … [Read more...]

The Golden Rule? McDonalds Pays Off Good Grades

Yesterday Ad Age reported, “McDonald's has found a nifty way to reach kids even as TV ad options toward the demographic shrink: Advertise on report cards.” Um…"nifty?" How about subversive? Opportunistic? Manipulative? Hypocritical? Undermining parents' values? Shaping Youth already called ‘em to task for the sour ‘apples and milk’ … [Read more...]