January 25, 2023
Family-Friendly Ad Group Starts Print Campaign
- by Wayne Friedman , May 7, 2012
Looking to push more family-friendly prime-time TV programming, a key group of advertisers that are members of the Association of National Advertisers is starting up a print advertising campaign this month to coincide with the TV network upfront presentations.
The group, Alliance for Family Entertainment, backed by 23 major advertisers, will run a print ad “open letter” that states: “high quality, relevant family TV shows are proven winners with viewers, advertisers and the networks.”
If networks commit to those shows, AFE members will support those series with advertising dollars.
The AFE group has been around in one form or another since 1998 -– initially as the Family Friendly Programming Forum. It has grown to the point where its 23 members' media spending contribute 30% of all TV advertising dollars.
The print ad will run in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Advertising Age and Variety.
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Through the years, the AFE has tried different financing and script support to foster family programming. It has had a hand in starting up more than 20 prime-time TV shows such as “Gilmore Girls,” “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Friday Night Lights.”
“There’s no better time than the upfront, when all eyes are on what’s in the pipeline, to remind broadcast network chiefs and show creators the power of modern family programming,” explains Bob Liodice, president and chief executive officer of the ANA, in a release.
Beyond rhetoric, isn't it truly tragic that a "Family-Friendly Ad Group" and the ANA have to "petition" for good, basic television entertainment, be it informative, enlightening or purely appropriate co-viewing entertainment? Years back when Haim Saban wanted to hire me as President of then evolving FOX FAMILY, it struck me that American tv to a large part was turning its back on main stream viewers and their core constituents. That was in 1997/98 and 15 years later, network programmers by and large are still abdicating their responsibilities by catering to and for the next derivative content, sensationalist stunt programming and short-term myopic solutions.
And this is further exacerbated by media buyers chasing demo's that do not exactly harvest the best yield in terms of eyeballs, hearts & the 'loyalty' factor. It should NOT take petitions to wake up the purveyors of mass media - it merely takes common sense, sense of the common viewer and a willingness to reflect the community via the set.
Sense & sensibilities - otherwise the incessant dumbing down of our society, the hardening of attitudes and the increasing intolerances will continue to erode goodwill. TV has been a wonderful medium and can continue to be harnessed to create better citizenry through viable content. IF cynical, erosive and exploitive tv programming is continually developed, commissioned and scheduled without care and concern of its overall impact, then we're lost - both as consumers and as citizens. "One match can light a thousand candles!" Imagine the possibilities of smart, adaptive and reflective content that we once considered the norm from the 'box'. The modern family unit, be it the nuclear family or a grandmother with a goldfish still deserves respect for their investment of time tuning in...nothing less than respect is acceptable...and with smarter hires perhaps the tide will turn. It is not a difficult proposition....but humility and humanity are hallmarks of vision sadly missing in action at the present time. Time to wake up and smell the potential of the US consumers who yearn for a gentler time, nicer programming and content that will instill hope, aspirations and motivate all of us to raise the bar towards better thinking & better tv.
And this from a Canadian who does not sit in judgment but laments lost opportunities by content makers, aggregators and media types in North America. When I was Programming YTV Canada, I chased 'hearts' for I knew that the eyeballs would follow....
Dale E. Taylor