Thank you, PBS. You always come through for the kids, whether it was teaching us to love books with “Reading Rainbow” or telling us how to avoid being kidnapped with “Stranger Danger.”
PBS’s newest campaign is “Don’t Buy It.” They want kids to start looking critically at the ways advertisers speak to them, inviting them to identify false advertising, brand names and tricks of the marketing trade. I was pleasantly surprised at the level of depth in which some issues are discussed on the PBS site – like asking kids if buying a certain product will make them happy or popular, or if the celebrity advertising [insert popular kid thing here] actually uses the product. These and other similar angles are addressed in a section called “Question the Commercial.” Other site segments include:
What’s in the Shopping Bag: This section discusses how misleading packaging can be. Is there really any fruit in that Fruit Roll Up? I doubt it.
Hot or Snot – Did it Sell?: Kids are asked to look at products from previous generations, some of which are New Coke, a Pet Rock and a Menudo album, and decide whether the products were successful or not. And yes, I got all of these right. This is probably the most confusing take on advertising in this campaign, as the connection between stupid things being popular then and stupid things being popular now isn’t explored.
The Cost of Cool: Kids pick from two models wearing similar clothes. Which one is name-brand and which is bargain-brand? Invariably, I picked the wrong one in every single instance. Of course, this quiz isn’t really targeted to my demographic. It is hard to tell though – I doubt kids would be able to. This section asks the question “what’s in a name?”
Is the Price Right?: My computer is missing a plug-in for this page. I wish they would have told me which plug-in, and directed me to a place where I could download it.
In the section that addresses entertainment, kids learn how models are prepped for the camera, including trade secrets like rubbing Preparation H on your face to minimize puffiness. It also covers music in commercials, the discrepancy between TV and real life, how pop stars are manufactured and how much time kids spend with something digital in front of their face. This last point is slightly ironic, since PBS Kids online has games and TV shows. I don’t think 23 minutes of “Cyberchase” counts as educational TV. From what I can discern, it’s a show about kids who travel through cyberspace, which looks a lot like outer space, and try to thwart computer hackers.
The site progresses to a page urging kids to speak up about misleading or offensive advertising, providing contact information for large toy companies and the FCC, among other government agencies. Also available are links to other advertising awareness sites and stories about kids who are taking a stand against predatory marketing. Teen heroes, if you will.
The final section promises “Free Stuff.” When I clicked on a link for a sticker, my browser tried to open a new window for a pdf (I assume these stickers are printable on your home computer?), then froze. I downloaded a screensaver which saved itself as a binary file in my pictures folder. Upon redo, I got a zipped file that couldn’t be run, opened or verified. Needless to say, I’m not a fan of the “free stuff” execution.
This campaign has some other flaws too. Most notably, the page design. The content is all small and weird with annoying blinky ads at the top of most pages (designed to steer kids away from clicking on blinky ads; it kind of doesn’t work). Why doesn’t the content take up the whole page? Why is there all this empty space underneath the graphics? Maybe it’s a subliminal message that advertising itself is empty, but unfortunately it just makes PBS’s campaign look empty.
In an age where kids are hyper-aware of graphic design, whether they know it or not, the “Don’t Buy It” campaign’s not going to work as it is now. The idea behind it is spot-on, completely necessary in a society gone consumer-crazy. In recent news, Pepsi is putting junk food in the toy aisles at Wal-Mart now – because it just makes it that much harder to say “no” to your kids as they wave Doritos bags and video games in your face. I feel I barely even need to mention all the problems that fast food and video games are causing. We know what they are, but even as adults we sometimes buy into it.
Ultimately, PBS has an amazing idea that just needs an makeover to become relevant. You know, have the site be designed for 10 year-olds, not by 10 year-olds. If I possessed even an inkling of graphic design skill, I would happily offer my services pro bono to give “Don’t Buy It” the amazing face it deserves.
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About the Author
Kristine Empire is a narcissistic freelance writer in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She likes vintage clothes, kills every plant she touches, has a phobia of grocery stores, enjoys getting shout-outs on college radio, and her favorite city in the world is Prague.
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February 16th, 2010 → 11:27 am @ KristineEmpire
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