• AlterNet, Thursday, November 8, 2007 11 AM

"Cathy's Book"--a young adult novel with specific mentions of Cover Girl makeup products--is not really a book, writes Rachel Neumann. Rather, "given the developer, the authors (two guys who have never been adolescent girls and do not currently have daughters that fit this description), the fake authors, the illustrators, and the many marketing professionals involved, it's more of an ensemble."

Cover Girl doesn't even have to pay for the product references, Neumann notes--all they have to do is promote the book on one of their Web sites. In its defense, "what we are selling here to the customer or the reader is an experience that transcends the book itself," says David Steinberger, president and chief executive of Perseus, the publisher. "The relationships with Beinggirl.com and Cover Girl are enriching that experience."

Neumann heaps scorn on that notion, pointing out that "the whole idea of reading is that it's the imagination, not the product placement, that 'enriches the experience'." She also notes that the two guy authors "do have some standards"--as they will not include references to branded tampons or other feminine hygiene products, since that would be over the edge. "I guess ads for contraception, or anything else that might be useful to teenage girls, would really be taking it too far," Neumann concludes.

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