Question To American Advertisers: Do You Have Children?

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No longer just the shadowy territory of smaller, edgier brands, some of the biggest brands in America are now flocking to finance toxic pop culture to our youth and hoping you don't notice.

In a recent televised interview, NJ Governor, Chris Christie, took issue over MTV's latest boozy sleaze fest, Jersey Shore. To his credit, Christie immediately distanced New Jersey from the unprincipled series, explaining that most of the characters in the show were "imported from New York," and that in no way do they reflect the good people of the Jersey shore. Good and decent people from any state or any political party would distance themselves from this kind of outrageous "entertainment" targeted toward their youth, including most of the fine people of New York. However, this is oddly not the case with many major advertisers. To the contrary, this poster-child series for all things disgusting about pop culture seems to have a magnetic allure to some of the biggest advertisers in America.

Broadcasting and Cable reported last week that

earnings on Viacom's (MTV) cable networks "jumped" this year. An MTV exec said, "While some of the programming giving MTV a boost might be seen as controversial (an artful understatement) ...content issues are not scaring off sponsors. Actually there were some issues when Jersey Shore first launched. Now we have advertisers scrambling to get on it ...we're turning them away." Viacom's chairman, Sumner Redstone, said of the sudden stampede of major ad sponsors, "...the light is brighter than it's been for some time."

Of course, Mr. Redstone's definition of "light" is likely worlds apart from yours, especially if you're a parent. However, you can't blame Sumner Redstone or MTV alone for "grabbing children below the belt and reaching for their wallets" (a perfectly descriptive phrase from an older PBS special on the subject entitled, "The Merchants of Cool"). The unfortunate reality for parents is that MTV has an enabling partner in American manufacturers to the tune of roughly $1 Billion per year.

An increasing number of major manufacturers hope that responsible moms and dads somehow won't take note of their "controversial" sponsorships. The truth is that they are not simply "passive ad buys". While they may not appear in any show credits, what American manufacturers don't want you to understand is that they're essentially the "Executive Producers" (defined often as the one providing the resources for an entertainment project) of these increasingly disturbing and titillating series targeting your children.

A friend who founded two refreshingly responsible cable and broadcast networks informed me, "There are really only about 20 major advertisers that underwrite almost everything on television these days." My question to those of you in the top 20 who decidedly fund unprincipled youth programming remains, "Do you have children or grandchildren?" If so, know that life absolutely imitates art. While I would not wish it on you, don't be at all surprised if your own children or grandchildren grow up to live out the uncivil and perverse lifestyle you've so actively promoted to their generation.

As someone who's helped steer a brand into the top tier, you're also smart enough to know that MTV has not simply reflected pop culture for the last 25 years, they've (you've) helped shape it. (Paradoxically, they've also helped shape the angry, entitlement-thinking mentality that's suddenly spreading like a virus and threatening your very right to exist as a free-market company into the next generation, but I digress.)

Advertisers, ask yourself an honest question before "Executive Producing" your next television series: "When I tuck my grandchildren into bed at night, is this series one I would be proud to tell them I helped finance?" Would you feel comfortable looking into their young eyes and telling them that grand dad/mom "really needed to brand to 12 to 24 year olds" so you reluctantly parted with your values and financed the profane (many say an ugly and racist stereotype of Italians) Jersey Shore; or perhaps the bi-sexual rapid-fire hookup series, A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila; or Next, the mean-spirited, rapid-fire dating series that rejects busloads of kids while publicly eroding their self worth? Would you be willing to tell your grandchildren that you helped executive produce The Real World, where ethically bankrupt producers enlist young men and women to move in together and ply them with alcohol to see how many sexual hookups, how much foul language, loss of civility or fist fights they can catch on cameras placed in bedrooms and throughout the house -- all to pull better ratings for your ads and provide more "light" for Viacom?