“THE BRAWL BEGINS AT WWW.BAKUGAN-VIDEOGAME.COM,” reads the enticing invitation. “WIN A BAKUGAN VIDEO GAME AND NINTENDO Wii!”
Driving in the car last week, one of my sons declared, “Mom, I learned about a new dot com today. Bakugan dot com. You can watch videos and play games.” I paused, then asked, “Where did you learn about it?” “On my milk at school,” he answered.
Whoa, now. On his milk carton at school?! I expected him to say from one of his friends or cousins. That would’ve been okay with me. But on his milk carton? That I wasn’t expecting. I know that commercialism in schools is a major problem in the US – with PEPSI sponsored scoreboards; Pizza Hut reading incentives; and millions of students subjected daily to the controversial Channel One programming (in exchange for audio/visual equipment). And I also know that my son’s school does a great job keeping the commercialism out. There are none of those alluring pop star/star athlete “Milk – it does a body good” ads that are so often in school cafeterias. And the boys don’t come home with lunch menus adorned with media-linked ads (as I’ve seen in some districts). Also, our PTA/PTO opted NOT to do fundraisers at McDonald’s or Chuck E. Cheese (where the costumed character visits classrooms to promote the event).
When I showed our principal the Bakugan ad, she immediately dialed the phone number of the head of nutrition for the district, and told him about it. The issue will be taken care of, she said, assuring me that our district pays for the milk and that our students do not need to be advertised to. I was thankful for her incredibly supportive response, and I will write a letter to the dairy company, too, so they can hear directly from a parent.
I will also contact Milk Media, the company responsible for the Bakugan milk carton ad. From their site:
“Welcome to Milk Media, connecting with kids to promote nutrition and healthy lifestyles! It began with milk carton side panels. Now we’ve taken it to a whole new level with Milk Rocks! Milk Rocks helps to make milk ‘cool for kids’ through three unique distribution channels: In schools! On the web! Through live concerts!”
On the Milk Rocks! website, there are multiple contests (such as the Bakugan contest mentioned above); many movie trailers (such as GI Joe the Rise of the Cobra) and “hot” music samples. Click on “Fun and Games” and you are brought to video games such as the violent Commando. The Milk Rocks motto is, “Plug in. Drink Up.” Here’s more: “Milk Rocks is a multi-tiered program with a simple overriding goal – to stop the decline in children’s nutritional status by promoting increased milk consumption and positive life-long eating habits. Targeted to teens and tweens but reaching all grave levels K-12, Milk Rocks features some of today’s most popular recording artists and emerging talent along with film and television stars, athletes (with an accent on x-treme sports idols!) and other influential role models to help us make the milk=cool association.”
So, I need help understanding how watching GI Joe the Rise of the Cobra, and playing Commando, promotes positive life-long eating habits? Admittedly, the ads are geared to older kids, but are sent to all ages. My son is 5 years old. The contest he was reading about is for 13-18 year-olds. There aren’t even any 13-18 year-olds at his school. (Not that I would condone these ads on anyone’s school milk – but the absurdity is magnified when the student reached is a kindergartener.) I – and many, many others – are working hard to get kids healthier by getting them “unplugged”. Nature and quality play are at the center. The Milk Rocks motto, “Plug In. Drink Up.” is downright irresponsible. And “influential role models” such as pop stars and movie stars already have enough hold on our kids. Do they really need more inroads into our children’s lives? The emphasis on “cool” bothers me, too. Yes, I want kids to stop drinking sugary beverages, but marketing “coolness” to kids is never a good idea. In fact in Canada it is illegal.
Here in the US, however, it happens all the time. Even in schools. A few weeks ago, when I was in Washington DC, I had a chance to talk to some folks from the Office of Communications and Outreach at the U.S. Department of Education. I told them of my concerns about marketing in schools, using my sons’ Bakugan.com story as an example. These US DOE folks were fascinated with the story and said they didn’t even realize that marketing in schools was a problem. Wow.
We have a long way to go in our country, and I hope others will join the fight. For more information on marketing in schools check out the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and Click: the Twelfth Annual Report on Schoolhouse Commercialism Trends 2008-2009.
Again the take away is not home schooling as the answer (I think)but to be vigilent and even help coach teachers and educators on these issues.
-Windsor Parent
Here's a copy of the letter I sent to Milk Rocks and Milk Media:
Dear folks at Milk Media and Milk Rocks,
My 5 year-old son came home from school excited to tell me about what he had learned. Unfortunately, he had learned about a "new dot com". When I asked where he learned about it, he told me it was on his milk carton at lunch. The ad for Bakugan and the website caught his eye. He was excited about the prospect of winning a Nintendo Wii and checking out the website to play games and watch videos.
Let's just say I was less than thrilled. Surprised and enraged? Yes. I checked out the Milk Rocks website and saw that it is geared to much older kids and has content that is not appropriate for young kids (the Commando video game, trailers for violent movies, etc.). The motto bothers me as well. "Plug in. Drink up." How does "plugging in" contribute to the healthy life choices you are promoting? Many, many of us (parents and professionals) are working incredibly hard to get kids unplugged and involved in healthy, quality play. You are clearly undermining those efforts.
I strongly suggest you suspend your practice of marketing pop culture and video games to ALL our school children. As a parent, I do not consider this a "win-win-win-win" situation as your website describes. There are clear winners, for sure, but they are not parents or students.
I look forward to your response,
Geralyn Bywater McLaughlin
founder and director of
Empowered by Play
Hmmm. Just noticed the Bakugan contest link is no longer active. "Page Not Found" message is posted instead.
I'm lovin it!
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