Ratings Aside, Do Businesses Really Want To Support These Kinds of Programs?
Do businesses always know what they are buying when they purchase advertising? Two recent shows make me wonder whether they do. The CW network program “Gossip Girl” had a plot line that centered on a teenage boy having sex with two of his female friends. A “threesome,” the characters told us, is a “rite of passage” for college students and this exciting event was something everyone should take part in. This program is the most popular with girls aged 12 to 17. Verizon placed an ad for their “Friends and Family” plan. Does glamorizing this type of behavior among teens support family? Is it consistent with the Verizon brand? Is this the kind of message Verizon and other advertisers want to support? I’m sure some businesses do, but most probably wouldn’t.
The other recent program was this year’s American Music Awards. Adam Lambert staged an elaborate sexually charged S&M-themed production. Lambert fondled a dancer, led another around on a leash, had a dancer briefly stick his head in Lambert’s crotch and kissed a man. Before his performance, Lambert said that he wanted to break down a double standard that existed where female performers are often sexually provocative while men don’t do it that often. So, in some sense, advertisers were forewarned. Is glamorizing this type of behavior supportive of families or something that families would want to watch? Again, is this what advertisers expected when they agreed to advertise on this program? I would guess not.
Family-Supportive Marketing is a strategic marketing and advertising approach that allows businesses to proactively and intentionally support families by avoiding sponsoring programs like the two above and by shifting their promotional dollars towards programs with more wholesome content. This can be done in a way that sustains or grows business!
