Product Placements Comming in Books from HarperCollins for Children
Thursday, March 20th, 2008
I read this piece in the Fleming Island Messenger, commenting about HarperCollins Children’s Books disturbing plans to add product placements into a new series of books they are planning to publish. The article, “Keep Disguised Ads Out of Children’s Books”, by Jennifer Wedekind, refers to a press release from a month ago.
Wedikind writes:
Although touted by the publisher for teaching kids about protecting the environment and promoting global understanding, the Mackenzie Blue series actually aims to be a vehicle for delivering commercial messages, through product-placement hidden advertisements, product tie-ins, and affiliated multi-media corporate sponsorships. The author of the series, Tina Wells, is chief executive of Buzz Marketing Group, which specializes in marketing to children and adolescents. (more…)