CARU Questions 'Star Trek' Ads Placement In Children's Programming
Organization is referring ads to the MPAA for review
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/5/2009 1:21:23 PM
The Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Better Business Bureau has referred ads for Star Trek to the Motion Picture Association of America for its determination of whether they should have been placed in broadcast programming targeted to children.
The film is PG-13 for "sci-fi action and violence, and brief sexual content."
CARU has interpreted the PG-13 as meaning the ads are not appropriate for shows targeting kids, while the MPAA says that may not necessarily be the case.
Under an agreement with MPAA, CARU refers such ads to the association for a determination of whether the ad meets MPAA's guidelines, after CARU first finds out whether the ad was placed in the kids show by mistake. CARU says it contacted the advertiser, in this case Paramount, which said the Star Trek ad was "intentionally placed" in the programming.
Star Trek is just the latest in a string of big-ticket action films referred to MPAA by CARU for ads in kids shows. They include Hulk, Iron Man, and the latest Mummy and Raiders flicks.
Hollywood Will Help to Police PG-13 TV Ads
03/04/2008CARU Refers More Movie Ads to MPAA
06/27/2008MPAA Asked to Look Into Iron Man Ads
05/20/2008CARU Sends Hulk to MPAA for Kids’ Ad Call
07/03/2008MPAA: Not All PG-13 Films Are Alike
09/10/2008
