Product Placements Comming in Books from HarperCollins for Children

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

little parrothead 21 Product Placements Comming in Books from HarperCollins for ChildrenI 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…)