MTV’s “Skins” is a crude teen drama that portrays teens engaging in sexual activity, and drug and alcohol abuse. Parents Television Council accused MTV of aiming “the most dangerous television show for children” at underage viewers and urged companies to pull their ads. Since then, numerous advertisers including Schick, Taco Bell, L’Oreal and Subway, have done so. Now, its audience has dropped by more than half, of which 1.2 million are under 18. To make matters worse, some of the series’ actors are minors, meaning the show may be guilty of violating federal child pornography laws. The show’s producers have been ordered to “tone down some of the most explicit content,” but the creators’ response was that they had “no plans to change or edit its content” in hopes of “maintaining the show’s authenticity”, and to which MTV said “we review all of our shows… to ensure our shows comply with laws and community standards”.
News like this makes me wonder: why would MTV market to a younger audience? What makes them think these shows are appropriate for minors? Although the idea behind target markets and the 4 P’s is to guide companies towards being profitable, we forget that the most profitable consumers are often the most impressionable. Is this really responsible? Maybe companies have become so focused on finding which target market will fall for their sleazy, trashy shows (ahem, Jersey Shore anyone?) that they forgot just where the line is.
I also wonder whether the companies who pulled their ads will lose valuable market share or become more appealing by appearing responsible. With recent rumors that adult oriented companies like Trojan Condoms are filling in the deserted advertising slots, perhaps the original ads should reconsider the opportunities they are giving up. However I personally think that protecting a company’s brand is important, especially if they are a not part of an industry associated with the explicit and controversial habits portrayed in the show. In other words, L’Oreal should focus on what they do best and let the condom companies take over the market. Besides, shampoo is meant to keep kids clean… not dirty.
Click below to watch a short news clip about the contraversy over the show. Then watch the opening clip to the show. Notice how the opening hardly represents the harsh reality of what the show is about…
Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/25/skins-ratings-plunge-on-s_n_814066.html http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-skins-controversy-20110127,0,772831.story
Yes, we already know how Starbucks creates its own upscale culture by re-naming its sizes as ‘tall’, ‘grande’, and ‘vente’. However, this is only where their innovative marketing begins. In fact, every word on the menu has been thoughtfully chosen to connote certain emotion while ordering. For example, ‘Macchiato’ simply gets you steamed milk with espresso, but the word itself is Italian and rolls off the tongue, subconsciously leading customers to feel more cultured than if they were to order a lousy ‘steamed milk’.
But enough about Starbucks jargon, this company is more innovative than just that. They have now created apps like the ‘Starbucks free’, which finds any location with your phone’s GPS, and provides the entire drinks menu including all nutritional information. It even has a drink builder to decide your order when you want to try something new. Furthermore, alongside the original Starbucks Rewards Card (which offers free refills, a free drink on your birthday, and complimentary beverage customization), there is now a Starbucks card mobile app that includes a barcode so that simply scanning their phone can make payments.