Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales Hits New Records

Black Friday & Cyber Monday Sales Hit New Records

Online Shopping for Black Friday once again broke all previous records with sales of $816 million, up 26% compared to 2010. Even Thanksgiving Day (November 24th) which traditionally is a low sales day, saw a 18% increase in sales to $479 million.

Cyber Monday is estimated to have produced $1.25 billion dollars in sales (according to ComScore), up 22% from Cyber Monday 2010 which also was a record at the time. Last year we were stunned as Cyber Monday exceeded 1 Billion. However the sales continue to roll in. Other surveys conducted by IBM and eBay found even greater increases of 33% and 25% respectively. It’s final. Americans are spending more and more each year. Doesn’t matter if the economy is down, people will buy what they want.

Black Friday Sales Statistics at $816 Million

Black Friday Visits & Sales Statistics

Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target & Apple Leads the Way

Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and Apple were the top 5 most visited retailer properties during Black Friday. 50 million Americans were out and about, visiting retail stores to search for the best Black Friday deals. These visitors accounted for a 35% increase in visits versus 2010.

Black Friday ComScore RetailA source from Apple Retail has shared that Apple’s forecast for Black Friday was 4X the normal sales levels. However, by 7PM, Apple had already blown past those forecasts fueled through big ticket items like the iPad and MacBook Air sales.

Other Black Friday Sales & Visit Statistics

  • Mobile devices accounted for 14.3% of all online Black Friday traffic, up 5.6% and responsible for 9.8% of online sales.
  • Ecommerce sales were up 59% compared to last year.
  • Black Friday mentions on Facebook & Twitter was up 110%.

Cyber Monday Sales Statistics – Tops $1.25 Billion!

On Cyber Monday, the average American consumer spent $198.26, up 2.6% from 2010. That’s nearly $200 dollars a person folks. More than 1 in 10 people used a mobile device to do research while about 6.6% of sales took place on the mobile device itself. This is 3X compared to 2010.

Mind Boggling Numbers: What do you think?

  • Any of these statistics surprise you? Disturb you?
  •  Were you able to find anything good on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
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Black Friday 2011: What’s the Buzz (in Social Media) [Infographic]

Black Friday 2011Black Friday – Billion Dollar Business

In 2010, 212 million people spent around $45 billion dollars on Black Friday alone. As social media continues to grow and become mainstream, social media mediums such as Facebook and Twitter has become a huge source of buzz and announcements for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

  • So what is the buzz on Black Friday?
  • What are people talking about?
  • Where are they headed?

Where are people planning to shop?

  • Walmart: 21%
  • Best Buy: 20%
  • Target: 13%
  • Macy: 11%
  • Amazon: 10%
  • Kmart: 9% (Kmart is still alive!?)
Black Friday 2011 Shopping
I'm so excited to buy stuff for myself!!!

Who will they buy it for?

  • Themselves: 46% (selfish!)
  • Others: 36% (aww…)
  • Both: 18% (feeling justified?)

What will they buy on Black Friday?

Computers / Tablets: 18% (iPads & Macbook Pro)
DVD / Music / Video: 17% (Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Call of Duty: MW3)
Shoes: 16% (Black Air Jordan Cements 3s, Black Air Yeezy 2)
Clothes: 14% (Polo Ralph Lauren, The Northface)
TVs: 12% (Flat Screen, 3D)
Cell Phones & Cameras: 9% (iPhone 4S, Galaxy Nexus, Evo 4G)

“In a recent study, 69% of shoppers stated that they trust the Internet for information on products and services (versus 43% who said magazines, and 35% who said TV). And 55% of shoppers say they’re less impulsive shoppers because of the Internet – they now take the time to research.”

Tablets: iPad vs Kindle Fire

10:1 – For every time Kindle Fire is mentioned on social media, iPad is mentioned 10 times the amount. As shoppers tend to discuss the brands and items they desire on social media, this is a trend that is noteworthy.

  • Anyone planning to get an iPad or Kindle Fire?

Black Friday Statistics Infographic!

Black Friday Twitter Infographic

  • What are you buying this Black Friday?
  • Do you end up buying something you need, or something you didn’t really need at all!
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Dr. Pepper Ten Commercial – Not for Women

Dr Pepper 10 Not for Woman

Dr Pepper Ten Commercial says NOT FOR WOMEN!

Coke has Coke Zero, Pepsi has Pepsi Max, and so Dr Pepper now has Dr Pepper TEN. Dr Pepper TEN caused quiet a stir from it’s launch due to the funny and semi-controversial ad. The TV commercial shows a mini-action film where a manly man drives through the dangerous jungle, Dr Pepper TEN in one hand, while shooting enemies and punching snakes with the other. It is action packed and ends with the quote “NOT FOR WOMEN.” Dr Pepper has taken a unique position of catering the drink to men, who perhaps view diet drinks as unmanly.

Are Diet Drinks too Unmanly?

Many years ago, Miller Brewing Company came out with Miller Lite, a beer with less calories. Great for those who wanted to avoid the beer belly and wanted to watch their weight. Yet there was real concern that men wouldn’t want to be associated with diet drinks because perhaps it wasn’t very manly. Miller chose to launch a bunch of TV commercials depicting manly men like Bubba Smith, Joe Frazier, and Ben Davidson to endorse the drinks and start arguing over different topics such as whether lite beer has “great taste” and “less filling.” By using manly men as well as focusing the argument over taste and body, Miller was able to divert the attention away from whether it was manly or not. To top it off, these ads would sometimes have these manly men argue then jump into a bar brawl. These series of ads are often ranked as one of the best ad campaigns in history. The ad campaign was a great success as nobody ever though of lite beer as unmanly.

Dr Pepper 10 Advertisement CommercialIs the Dr Pepper Ten Commercial Controversial?

The commercials caused a stir. Some people find it offensive and exclusionary especially due to the tagline “not for women.” Others think it’s simply funny and there is no real harm done. Just like certain shampoos or deodorants target women, many feel it’s not a big deal to just target men. One thing we can all agree on is that it has drawn the attention it intended do. The Facebook page has been buzzing with a lot of back and forth between the two camps. Women put up pictures of themselves drinking Dr Pepper TEN while others argue that it’s discriminating.

I personally don’t take much offense to the commercial mainly because it doesn’t degrade woman in anyway. It’s just a product focusing on a specific target group. I don’t like the fact that it plays on stereotypes of men, but so far the ads haven’t been offensive in anyway. Just to give perspective, I find those AXE ad campaigns highly offensive to women. Another product targeting men, but often degrading women in the progress. Dr Pepper TEN so far doesn’t do the latter.

How does Dr Pepper TEN Taste vs. Diet Dr Pepper?

But the real question is, how does it taste? Diet Dr Pepper has always been one of the better diet drinks that does an excellent job retaining the flavor of the original. Coke Zero is another. How about Dr Pepper TEN? I had one for the first time this week. It’s excellent. I actually like it slightly better than the Diet version. Plus I feel more manly. Just kidding. Don’t need a drink for that.

Watch the commercial below and tell us what you think!

  • Offensive? OK?
  • Men – does the ad make you want to drink it?
  • Women – does the ad make you want to drink it.. simply because it says not for women 🙂

Dr Pepper TEN Not for Women Commercial

 

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“Skinny Water” says Skinny Always Gets the Attention

Skinny Water Says “Skinny Always Gets the Attention

A recent Skinny Water advertising poster shows a lady standing before a throng of photographers with the headline “Skinny Always Gets the Attention.” Basically the message is that one assured way of getting attention is to be skinny. Normally low-calorie drink producers tend to market as a “healthy alternative” highlighting drinks that are low in calorie but high in vitamins. Skinny Water takes a completely different approach by simply saying, you need to be skinny, so drink a zero calorie drink.

Take a look at the AD below. Let us know – What is your gut reaction!?
(Note: How about Starbucks calling their low fat custom drinks “skinny”… different?)

Skinny Water Ad – Skinny Always Gets the Attention

Skinny Water Advertising Poster

Message: You know you like the attention. You want it? Skinny is how you get it.

Skinny Water Ad – Strut Your Skinny

Skinny Water Ad - Strut Your Skinny

Message: Being Skinny is valuable. It’s worth showing off. Be proud of being skinny.

Skinny Water Ad – Life Can Feel This Good

Skinny Water Ad - Life Can Feel This Good Advertising

Message: Life Can Feel This Good… if you are Skinny. Bottom says “Love the Skinny Life.”

We ask again. What is your gut reaction!?

NOTE: Skinny Water pulled this campaign for obvious reasons. Smart move, though the damage is done.

After that, check out another skinny centric campaign that started great controversy: Pretzel Crisps Skinny Campaign. That was also pulled…

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Kohler Numi Bidet Toilet for $6400

Summary of the Brokenness of our World

What has the world come to…

Kohler Numi Bidet Toilet

Don’t wait too long! You can’t sit on this forever! It’s a $6,400 toilet called “Numi”. It’s a “Smart Toilet” by Kohler that pretty much does everything and anything you never thought you wanted your toilet to do. I can do with a warm toilet seat, but different seat positions, water pressures, ambient lighting, foot warmer, air dryer, touch screen remote control, mp3 player? I ain’t touching that mp3 player.

Kohler Numi Toilet $6400
Don't Touch That! Very Expensive!

It’s a Fashion Statement for the Luxurious

David Kohler, president and COO of the Wisconsin-based Kohler company, says “the luxury market’s coming back in this country and (is) very strong in other parts of the world. This product is targeted at those consumers who want the best — they want the latest in design and technology (and) want a fashion statement in their home.”

Basically, we live in a country so wealthy, that dropping several thousand dollars down the toilet (oh yes puns very so intended) on a toilet seat for things you never thought you needed and still don’t need is actually realistic enough to build a business around. In the name of fashion? It’s so sad…

Kohler Numi Toilet Touchscreen
The Touchscreen I Never Want to Touch

Not only that, the feel of the commercial really tries to make the viewer feel like they luxury is good, something to be had and desired.

  • Do we really need to spend more and more on ourselves just because it’s available to us?
  • What is reasonable and when is it going to far?
  • How do we know when it is too much?

If it breaks, I don’t know if I should call the plumber or the computer geek next door.

What is wrong with your toilet?
Maybe I am running out of memory?
Have you tried rebooting it?

I am waiting someone to say April Fools, but… it’s not coming. It’s just so.. wasteful.

  • PLEASE SHARE – what is your thoughts on all this?
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MTV TV Series “Skins” – Most Dangerous Show Ever?

MTV Logo MTV“Skins” the Hottest New TV Show

“It is one thing to be documenting reality, it is an entirely different matter when you are manufacturing a representation of the youth lifestyle…”

A new MTV show “skins” started in January 17 with 3.3 million viewers, 2.7 million of them within 12-34 age range, making it the largest show launch in MTV History. Show creator Bryan Eisley called it “a very simple and in fact rather old-fashioned television series about the lives and loves of teenagers, how they get through high school, how they deal with their friends, and also how they circumnavigate some of the complications of sex, relationships, educations, parents, drugs and alcohol.”

Sounds like a good TV show that helps us see the true lives of teenagers right?

The Parent Television Council calls it “the most dangerous program that has ever been foisted on your children.”

Let’s be clear, MTV has no qualms promoting this show to a young audience, yet the show is rated TV-MA. It even uses actual teenage actors rather than adults depicting teens. One actor is as young as fifteen. The show has been accused of child pornography due to the nudity shown with underaged actors. It’s been called the most racy show ever. But even more telling is how the advertising world had responded.

Advertising Sponsor’s Response to Skins

Advertiser after advertiser, sponsor after sponsor has pulled out of these series due to it’s controversial content. Subway, General Motors, L’Oreal, Wirgley, Taco Bell, Dominos, Foot Lockers & Schick. Good riddance. Perhaps much of the decision was more of a brand play than anything as stated…

“There are few advertisers that are willing to put their neck on the line for any show… there is no lack of youth to reach in the marketplace. Why court backlash when you can find this audience somewhere else?” (Advertising Insider)

Though to their credit, many of these companies protested the underage sex and heavy drinking.

“It was never our intent to endorse content that could offend our consumers,”  Wrigley said in a statement. “Any ads that previously aired during the show were part of a broader advertising plan with the network [MTV].”

I just wish they would of just said “It was never our intent to endorse content that is WRONG”. Rather than what offends consumers. The decision should be made regardless not because of self-preservation.

However, when the advertisers pull their sponsorship, that means the money is not there which hopefully would deter networks from heading into this direction. So though the motive might not be correct, none the less we should be thankful the advertisers have pulled out their sponsorships.

“Skins” as a Moral Teacher?

This isn’t the only show focused on youth “life” and youth transgressions. In fact to no one’s surprise, Hollywood is obsessed with sexualizing teen girls, according to a study released by the Parents Television Council.

The study, which looked at the top 25 shows on broadcast television among viewers age 12-17, found that underage female characters have a higher percentage of sexual scenes compared to adult characters. It also found that only 5% of underage female characters showed any dislike about a sexual situation.

From “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom”, MTV has really capitalized on the interest of those in this age range. MTV and other networks often try to sell these shows as trying to depict “real life” and scaring teens from doing bad things.

Bryan Eisley says “It is just that these are characterized from the point of view of the many young people who write the show and has a very straightforward approach to their experiences; it tries to tell the truth,” he continued.

It’s the argument that, hey if it is real life, we should be able to show it.

But is it really necessary to show scenes that can be just implied? And why so graphically?

Also shows like “Skins” seem to fail in both depicting reality as it is and preventing teens bad habits.

A Virginia Tech senior writes in an article in Collegiate Times “What I find most irksome about [Skins] is simply how far removed from reality the premise and the character depictions truly are… to suggest that those experiences comprise the majority of high school students’ lives is not just irresponsible: It isn’t true.”

Another insider writes “It is one thing to be documenting reality, it is an entirely different matter when you are manufacturing a representation of the youth lifestyle,” an insider says. “Drug use or sexual activity as ‘news’ is very different than those same subjects as ‘entertainment.'”

In other words, the show is made for drama and made for TV. However the effect it could have is to plant ideas of what is the norm for teenagers and even adults.

If we watch enough of a certain lifestyle lived out as if it is normal, we start to assume those lifestyles as the norm of society.

Media’s Responsibility to Teens & Young Adults

Even MTV themselves have said “Young adults 15-17 are excited consumers and extremely impressionable,” MTV tells advertisers. “Now is the time to influence their choices.” Yet do they not realize, that they are influencing their choices, just in the worst way possible by altering their norms and desensitizing them to this kind of lifestyle?

Again Bryan Eisley argues that “We proceed not from the idea that teenagers are inherently likely to misbehave, but rather that they are intensely moral and disposed to make judgments on their own and others’ behavior,” he wrote in his Huffington Post blog entry.

Really? Do you interact with teenagers at all? Have you been a teenager? When I was a teenager I was always struggling with temptations, heck I still do now (with thankfully more restraint than before). I would argue that we as human beings are actually not moral at all if left to our own devices. Remove all sense of law and punishment and it would be utter chaos. That is a worldview not true to reality folks.

  • What are your thoughts?
  • Is there value to these shows? Does it outweight the negatives?

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Volkswagen Super Bowl & Verizon Commercials

Little Darth Vadar Stop the Volkswagen Car!

Clean Cut TV Commercials

Here at Clean Cut Media, we not only talk about bad influences of media, but we try to balance it out by promoting good media. We like clean movies, we like clean & awesome commercials, and are happy for the companies that promote such media. Media is part of life folks, just a matter of knowing what to consume, not to consume, and of course how much we should be consuming. Below are a few recent commercials with some buzz that are clean cut and well made.

Darth Vader Volkswagen SuperBowlVolkswagen’s Super Bowl Commercial: Darth Vader

Volkswagen did something most companies would not have thought of. Reveal their Super Bowl commercial before the Super Bowl! One may think, why? It takes away from the hype! Oh, but I see this as a good move on their part. In about 2 days, it already has 6 million views as it gets passed along virally, hogging all the attention, riding on the hype of all the anticipation. Good move Volkswagen. Also kudos on the nice, simple, clean cut commercial. The Video shows little Darth Vadar in his attempts to use the force. Watch it!

Of course the commercial says nothing about the car at all. Just trying to associate warm fuzzy feeling with the car and brand. That is the state of advertising folks!

iPhone Verizon vs AT&T Commercials

A clear shot at it’s “rival” AT&T. You have to love the simplicity of this ad, yet it indirectly emphasizes their differentiator – their reputation as the best network. It builds their reputation and continues to link the idea that Verizon’s service is clearly better than AT&Ts. It doesn’t directly attack anyone, but pokes a bit of fun, bringing out that “ooooHH” feeling we get when someone has a good witty, comeback. Or maybe it’s just me.

Meanwhile Apple laughs at all the excellent publicity they are getting as the two networks dual it out. Apple is the ultimate winner.

I also enjoyed their trailer video. Simple, Clean “cut”, and to the point:

Oh and some old clean Super Bowl commercials from last year.

What do you think about these commercials?
What did you like and not like about them?

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Cyber Monday Spending Exceeds $1 Billion

Cyber Monday Spending Exceeds $1 Billion

Wow. 1.028 Billion Dollars. That’s a lot of money. You would think with the “economic crisis” and the ridiculously high unemployment rate (9%+ for past year), people would spend less. Are we sure our economy is down?

ComScore released fresh data that showed this past Cyber Monday was the biggest online spending day in history by breaking the $1 billion mark. The data shows a 16% rise in spending from last year near $1.028 billion in total online spending.

Online Shopping - Internet SpendingHow Can People Spend So Much!?

Now let’s keep in mind that the internet is still growing. Ecommerce is still relatively young and companies are getting better and better at presenting their products, making it easy to purchase and advertising their products. For example, have you ever visited some site, only to suddenly see ads for that site everywhere you go? In fact not only the ad for the site, but for the products you were searching for? Then you start getting emails highlighting those products just when you start to think about it again? “It’s like they know exactly what I want and am thinking!”

That’s called remarketing. It’s pretty awesome tool as a marketer, a little freaky to consumers, but ultimately it does a more granular job of targeting consumers.

So as the internet online shopping grows, so will these figures. Don’t be surprised to see more billion dollar days before the end of the year. Also keep in mind that there might be a lot of people who are simply choosing to shop online versus shopping in store. Lot of factors to consider when looking at statistics such as these.

More Online Spending Statistics

  • 4% more people are shopping online (9 million)
  • Shoppers are averaging 10% more per transaction ($60.05)
  • Bazillion lost in worker productivity (my estimate)

Cyber Monday Statistics Comscore Online Spending

Half of all dollars spend on online purchases were made from work computers especially as retailers used a lot of different strategies to keep getting users to come back to their site with numerous smaller sales for different parts of the day.

There was also clear trends to continue strong sales throughout the weekend, into Cyber Monday, then through the following week. Black Friday came in at $658 Million and the following Thanksgiving Weekend Sat & Sun came in around $400-$450 each which was a whopping 28% higher spend than last year.

Confession Time – How Much of the 1 Billion was You!

Don’t have to share everything, but if your willing let us know!

  • What did you buy for Cyber Monday?
  • How much did you spend?
  • Did you spend more than last year?
  • Where did you shop the most online? Amazon? Apple?
  • What is your first impression hearing people spend over $1 billion dollars!
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Pretzel Crisp says “You Can Never Be Too Thin”

Disclaimer: The narrator in the video calls the campaign “bull****” at the of the video.

You Can Never be Too Thin – Pretzel Crisp

In early August, Pretzel Crisp launched an an ad campaign in New York City with several slogans including “You can never be too thin”. The ad was found everywhere from ad stands to bus stands and in subway stations. Immediately the news took hold of the blogosphere spread the the power of social media, but the attention was clearly not the attention Pretzel Crisp intended.

Pretzels Never Too Thin Marketing

Photos of the ad was posted on a women’s blog called Jezebel followed by a scathing and condemning posts angry at the implications of such a message: “you can never be too thin”. The slogan was brought up as a “thinspiration” motto used by the pro-anorexic community. It was deemed wrong and completely irresponsible as it promotes unhealthy weight loss. The photo was posted and reposted on numerous blogs and spread through articles, tweets and videos from other bloggers.

Pretzel Crisp’s Response to Thin Message

The company responded to the flurry with a tweet on it’s twitter account. The response? “Thin just happens to be a good word to describe the shape of our product.” As the issue became bigger and bigger, the VP of Marketing started to show up on interviews with bloggers to explain the situation. He explained that they were a small company and simply wanted to launch an attention grabbing ad. Well if that was the goal, they achieved what they wanted!

Pretzel Crisp soon tweeted that “We didn’t intend to advocate unhealthy weight loss with our ads. Thanks to all for the feedback. The ads will be taken down asap.” The people rejoiced. Justice was served, or so they thought. The ads were replaced with one of the other pro-anorexic play on words, “Taste as good as skinny feels”.

Outrage ensued again, but this time Pretzel’s response was that “you can never be too thin” was but one of four slogans and only that particular ad had negative responses. So they did the logical thing to replace that particular ad with one of the other three.

A week later, the company finally agreed to take down all their ads.

Many bloggers feel that this may have been a publicity stunt to raise more awareness of their brand. Though I am certain they were not expecting this level of response.

Thoughts on Pretzel Crisp’s Ads

My opinion?

It seems like Pretzel just made a really bad mistake. They thought they had a clever advertising motto as they tried to convey their Pretzels’ thin shape. They did the right thing in quickly responding to the criticisms and taking action. Where they made the mistake was claiming ignorance in saying they only thought one of their ads were causing the problem. If they would have taken them all down, the impression they would have left with people could have been very different.

But I don’t think they had any intention of promoting a pro-anorexic message. Also as exciting as the idea of them plotting this as a publicity stunt – it unlikely they did that as well. Not with a touchy subject such as anorexia.

Take our Poll! Let us know how you feel in comments!

[poll id=”23″]

  • What is your opinion?
  • Intentional or a Bad Mistake?
  • Does this ad anger you?
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Sexualization of Girls in Media – New Report

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Sexualization of Girls Report by the APA

American Psychological Association came out with a report that shows girl as young as 4 and 5 years old are wearing new clothing styles such as push-up bras, thongs, mini skirts and other adult type outfits. Following the onslaught of media images girls see on TV, there is a changing standard born out of the pressure these images give to children to “get with it” or “fit in”. This report brings up the decrease in self-esteem and the increase in depressions and eating disorders linked to the increasing sexualization by the media. It also emphasizes the increasing underage sex rate.

Sexy Children Halloween Costumes
Please don't let your daughters dress like this

Defining Sexualization of Girls

The APA taskforce on the Sexualization of Girls was formed in response to these public concerns. The APA taskforce also produced reports on the Violence in Mass Media, Advertising to Children, Video Games and Interactive Media among other similar reports. The “sexualization” process was defined having one of the following criterias.

  • a persons’ value comes only from his or her sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics;
  • a person is held to a standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy;
  • a person is sexually objectified – that is, made into a thing for other’s sexual use, rather than seen as a person with the capacity for independent action and decision making; and/or
  • sexuality is inappropriately imposed on a person

Examples of Sexualization in Advertising

Sexualization of Girls is pervasive throughout all media. The report outlines a few categories:

  • Ads – Sketchers “Naughty & Nice” – featured Christina Aguilera dressed as a schoolgirl in pigtails with her shirt unbuttoned, licking a lollipop
  • Dolls – Bratz Dolls – dressed in sexualized clothing such as miniskirts, fishnet stocking, and feather boas
  • Clothing – thongs sized for 7-10 year old, some printed with slogans such as “wink wink”
  • TV – Televised Fashion show in which adult models in lingerie were presented as young girls.

In addition, I find the most powerful media messages are often a lot more subtle. It is true that the constant barrage of images of pretty women with questionable outfits changes what we consider the “norm” in terms of how we define “beauty” and what is “appropriate” behavior. However just as powerful, is the message found in the lifestyles of sitcom characters. People love watching sitcoms. They become attached to characters and they see the characters in the context of “life”. When people watch their beloved characters living a promiscuous lifestyle or behaving in a sexualized way (using their beauty to charm guys, chasing after pretty woman, gawking at a pretty girl who walks by) we take in these “behaviors” as normal reactions and how things actually are in the real world. We learn what is normal through what we observe in carefully constructed sitcoms that milk on what sells and let’s face it – sex sells.

Interesting Studies of Sexualization in Report

List of some interesting studies covered in the report:
Note that these bulletpoints are not at all comprehensive.

  • Sexualization inhibits Mental Capacity – Women who were in bathing suits trying to conduct a test did poorly then when wearing sweaters. Men found no such drop off. Thinking about the body and comparing to sexualized cultural ideals disrupted mental capacity.(Frederickson, Roberts, Noll, Quinn, & Twenge 1998; Gapinski, Brownsell, & LaFrance, 2003)
  • Mental Health Problems – Researched links sexualization with 3 of the most common mental health problem of girls and woman: eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression (Abramson & Valene, 1991; Durkin & Paxton, 2002)
  • Diminishing Sexual Health – Self objectification linked directly with diminishing sexual health among adolescent girls measured by decreased condom use and sexual assertiveness. (Impett, Schooler, & Tomlman 2006). Negative effects such as shame due to sexualization may lead to sexual problems in adulthood (Brotto, Heiman & Tolman, in press)
  • Sexual Stereotypes – Girls and young woman who more frequently consume or engage with mainstream media content offer stronger endorsements of sexual stereotypes that depict women as sexual objects (Ward, 2002; Zurbriggen & Morgan, 2006)
  • Effects on Men – Exposure to narrow ideals of female sexual attractiveness make it difficult for some men to find an “acceptable” partner or to fully enjoy intimacy with a female partner (Schooler & Ward, 2006)

Problem of Sexualization of Girls is Deep

The problem is not just the clothing they wear or even what girls are learning about sex – the problem is that girls at a young age are being taught how to approach relationships and how to approach intimacy. Media is teaching girls that being sexy and using their sexuality is important. Even Disney is responsible for using pretty, skinny woman characters using their beauty to get what they want. In the real world, many big name celebrities also are using their “sexuality” for all it’s worth.

Parents: Protect Your Child from Sexualization!

The ultimate message is that parents must protect their child. Some may think it’s cute to allow their young daughter to wear t-shirts that say stuff like “Don’t cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me” (the main line from a popular song) or allow your daughters to those “cute” mini skirts or short-shorts that have things written on their bottoms. To buy them make-up kits as a child and teach them to adorn themselves with beauty products. But it won’t be funny when those very children becoming sexuality active by middle school and learn to objectify themselves, placing their self-worth on how they look.

Download & Read the Full “Sexualization of Girls” Report Below

  • Please let us know what other good pieces of statistics or information you find below in the comments section!
  • Also what are your thoughts about the Sexualization of Girls? Do you see it as a big problem?
  • What do you think we can do?

Summary: Executive Summary
Full Report: Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (PDF, 408K)

The proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harming girls’ self-image and healthy development. This report explores the cognitive and emotional consequences, consequences for mental and physical health, and impact on development of a healthy sexual self-image. – American Psychological Association

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Tim Tebow’s CBS Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad Battle on Facebook

Tim Tebow’s Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad

Tim Tebow SuperBowl Ad - CBS Focus on the Family Ad MotherHave you ever heard of a viral video that no one has seen? A group called Focus on the Family has shot a pro-life spot featuring the college superstar and former Heisman Winner Tim Tebow. The spot will star Tim Tebow and his mother who will discuss how she went against the doctor’s advice to abort her son due to a life threatening infection. After contracting a dangerous infection during a mission trip to the Philippines, doctors recommended she terminate her pregnancy, fearing she might die during childbirth. They named their son “Timmy” who later was known to the world as Tim Tebow, the University of Florida’s Quarterback who led his team to national championships in 2006 and 2008. He also won the Heisman Trophy in 2007.

Tim Tebow is the biggest star in college football, if not considered one of the greatest college football player to ever play at that level. He is also known for being born in the Philippines while his parents were in the mission field and still frequently joins his father on mission trips there. He also ministers to prisoners during the off-season.

As soon as this news broke out, women’s group started to ask CBS to drop the ad. So far CBS has declined their request.

“I know some people won’t agree with it, but I think they can at least respect that I stand up for what I believe… that’s the reason I’m here, because my mom was a very courageous woman. So any way that I could help, I would do it.” – Tim Tebow

CBS’s Stance on Controversial Super Bowl Ads

CBS has run into similar controversies before. Back in 2004, CBS had rejected a Super Bowl ad from a “liberal-leaning United Church of Christ” that highlighted their welcoming stance towards gays and others who felt shunned by conservative chruches. This ad would be one of the first advocacy ads accepted by CBS during the big game.

When CBS was asked to comment on their current stance of allowing this ad to air, they replied that their past stance of rejecting any controversial ad as they saw fit “did not reflect public sentiment or industry norms”.

“We have for some time moderated our approach to advocacy submissions after it became apparent that our stance did not reflect public sentiment or industry norms.” – Dana McClintock CBS Spokesperson

Growing Discussions on Facebook and Twitter

One of the interesting developments, is with the rise of social media, this topic has resulted in tons of discussions and activities in sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Both sides have started to form groups, throwing their support for or against this ad. Below are the largest growing groups on Facebook:

Americans United for Life Action – Facebook Group Supporting Ad (43,500+ Members)
Facebook Group Supporting Ad 2 (31,2001+ Members)
Facebook Group Against Ad (7200+ Members)

Tim Tebow SuperBowl Ad - CBS Focus on the Family Ad
Twitter Activity on "Tebow" Search since News Broke

Online buzz is continuing to ramp up and will inevitably become larger as Super Bowl Sunday nears. The question is what will CBS do? Freedom of Speech? Avoid the Controversy? One thing that is certain – once it airs, it will spread quickly across the web and there will be numerous discussions over this video spot. The discussions are already heating up.

What do you think? Should CBS Air the Super Bowl Ad?

  • Should CBS air this ad?
  • Should CBS have aired the ad from 2004?
  • Should controversial ads be allowed to air? Why or Why not?

Another interesting point noted by a commenter on the web:

  • Since the mother made her “choice” would this still fall under a celebration of “pro-choice” or is that at this point just semantics and “pro-choice” is just support for abortion? (this is assuming the ad doesn’t attack the idea of choice)

Share your thoughts! We’d like to know.

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Photoshop Celebrities at Kaiserdamm Metro Station

Check out these photos of billboards put up at Kaiserdamm metro station in Berlin, Germany. The original ad was for Britney Spears, Leona Lewis, and Christina Aguilera’s new albums. However Mr. Tailon, Baveux Prod., Kone, & Epox put up giant photoshop stickers to transform this giant ad into a “street art”.

Pretty clever, though it is still vandalism.

Photoshop Celebrity Poster 2
Photoshop Celebrity Poster

Wasn’t this a pretty clever stunt?

  • Vandalism or Deserved?
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