Sept. 9, 2010 Where are we now with the whole junk food marketing to kids/obesity prevention discussion? Feels like we’ve been TALKING about "candy bars for breakfast" and citing Pink Princess Fairytale Flakes with ads for sugary slop on TV out the wazoo, along with advergaming (embedded digital trolling, seeding unhealthy junk food) and yet “the more things change, the more … [Read more...]
FTC Food Marketing to Kids Update: Are Watchdogs All Bark No Bite?
A HUGE Breakthrough for TV: Nuance Trumps Vapid Vixens Aplenty
August 12, 2010 In part one and part two of my posts about ABC Family’s Huge premiere, I hoped to see the show evolve from the hope and promise of some stellar scriptwriter ‘attachments’ to actually being ‘attached.’ I’d like to say they ‘had me at hello’ but frankly they did NOT. I’m not an ABC Family ‘teen soap’ fan of the shallow sniper-fire of frenemies and sexcapade … [Read more...]
Media Vamping: Twilight Talking Points, Bite Me Brouhaha
July 9, 2010 “There’s an obsession among many teens today for all things vampire, and it looks like the craze is now leaving a mark…literally.” So goes the opener for CBS News Early Morning Show this week titled “Teen Twilight Trend: Love Bites”…Coupla things here: First, in our media-hyped culture of ‘three makes a trend’ I’d like to lob the powerball question into the “who … [Read more...]
A HUGE Opportunity: Don’t Blow It ABC Family (Pt 1)
June 24, 2010 “An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it.” ---Bill Bernbach Those timeless words of the venerable ad legend capture the power and potential of HUGE a new series that plops over-sized youth into a weight loss camp amidst a global obesity conversation...(premieres Mon., June 28 on ABC Family) I’m thrilled mainstream … [Read more...]
Flirt Bots, Sex Bots and Artificial Intelligence: Future Shlock?
Feb. 10, 2010 Anyone remember sweet Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons cartoon? (If you're not having a retro flashback there's a 2012 live-action remake in development so you'll no doubt hear about her soon) Robotic maids and servile techno gizmos and conveniences have come a looooong way since Rosie... Some show humanity ascending with hope and promise, others pose … [Read more...]