Remember when R.J. Reynolds had the clever idea to use the Joe Camel cartoon character as an undercover marketing tool for hooking the kiddies onto smokes? Well ok, it was clever until the FTC found out that more kids were smoking Camels than adults.
Apparently advertisers did not learn their lesson, because the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) branch of the Better Business Bureau has found a new cereal ad campaign particularly problematic. Accused of committing fruit slander, Kellogg's had to pull commercials for Apple Jacks that portrayed a cartoon apple as "devious and grouchy," whereas the cartoon apple's nemesis, CinnaMon, was shown to be a fun-loving and all-around cool cinnamon stick. CARU asked Kellogg's to refrain from "denigrating or disparaging apples or other fruits, and refrain from staging or implying that cinnamon, by itself, gives Apple Jacks its sweet taste." We feel that while CARU has a point, we would also like to point out that apples have been misrepresented in other ways that might prove misleading to children: apples, in fact, do not have eyes, mouths, arms, or legs, and cannot wear sneakers.
Although there is a slight possibility that somewhere out there, a child will be forever traumatized by the mean cartoon apple and vow never to eat fruit for the rest of his high fructose corn syrup-coated life, are we not also concerned with the child's level of intelligence and overall comprehension? If you assume people are stupid and humorless, they're bound to prove you right. Good thing they removed those ads for the Bahamas from subway cars before someone stuck a piece of gum to their cell phone, attached it to a scarf, and caught a soiled wad of crumpled newspaper from the subway tracks...
But back to the fun, because that is our purpose here. I present a bevy of cereal-related links for your perusal:
- Cereal Box archive: name brands, new and old.
- Cheap-Ass Cereal Hall of Fame: some boxes, a LOT of bags... we've all been there, man.
- Liquid Cereal: num num, doesn't peanut butter sound appetizing? Contains REAL liquefied cereal blend!
- Naughty Cereals: Cheery Hos anyone?
- Cereal Character Guide: includes the oft-neglected category of fictional cereals.
- DIY Cereal 'Zine: from the same guy who unleashed the cereal character guide above, cereal-related articles, reviews, and interviews.
- Cereal restaurant: see and be seen.
- Cereal WTF: please admit that you are creeped out by the images used on those Kashi boxes... high fiber never had so many implications.
I eat that Kashi cereal often. I just refer to it as "creepy people" cereal. I don't know why they use such grotesque pictures on their boxes but that's probably why I buy it.
Posted by: fatty jubbo | February 21, 2006 at 01:22 PM
Sorry you don't approve of the FTC's complaint against R.J. Reynolds--personally, I find the pushing of cigarettes on children to be immoral in the extreme, but you have a right to your views.
Posted by: Lee Hartsfeld | February 21, 2006 at 02:38 PM
Sarcasm translated:
marketing cigarettes to kids = bad
grouchy cartoon apples = what's the big deal?
Posted by: Liz | February 21, 2006 at 02:59 PM
Saw a McDonald's commercial during the Olympics that showed someone, presumably of Latino descent, throwing out all his bottles of salsa and sauces because of a new McD's sandwich targeting that segment of the market. I found it a particularly egregious example of how a corporation can send signals -- not even that subtle -- that their stuff is better than homemade
and culturally specific cooking.
Posted by: Tom | February 21, 2006 at 03:23 PM
Point of comment:
Your writing=poor
Posted by: Lee Hartsfeld | February 21, 2006 at 03:53 PM
FYI, Kashi is made by Kellogg's. Funny how they leave that fact off of the packaging.
Posted by: Kenzo (lastever.org / kenzodb.com) | February 21, 2006 at 04:01 PM
Here is another link, everything you always wanted to know about the role of corn flakes in the fight against masturbation and other sexual excesses: Porn Flakes
And a webzine devoted to all things cereal: The Empty Bowl. Not 100% traditional, they also report about Bacon Snack Bars.
Posted by: Lukas | February 21, 2006 at 04:47 PM
Some people can't understand even the most obvious sarcasm.
Anyway, thanks for all the links, Liz. Cereal rocks! (no sarcasm there - I really mean it!)
Posted by: Darwin | February 22, 2006 at 01:39 PM