Channel One is at it again. They have a new “Channelone.com Survey” for the children on their web site. Does the survey have an educational purpose? Well, in a way. In a “Channel One” way. The banner says “Take our survey!!!”. A child has no idea if this is an ad or Channel One editorial content. Once a child clicks their mouse, they are taken to a page that says “Choose Your Sweepstakes”.
Channel One wants to help their advertiser M&M/Mars Inc. get marketing information from the children that Channel One funnels to them from their web site. Children are told about two really wonderful contest ideas – “3 Musketeers Pumped Up Adventure” or 3 Musketeers Pump Up Your Stuff”. Children are to help M&M/Mars decide which contest would excite children the most.
Here’s the first contest described: “If you are a winner you could transform something ordinary in your life into a cool pumped-up adventure. For example, instead of riding the bus you could ride to school in a limo with 3 friends for an entire month. Or instead of cleaning your room, you could have a maid clean it and set up a new computer, stereo and TV. Or instead of the usual vacation, you could win a trip to Hawaii for your entire family.”
This is typical of Channel One. Children who buy into Channel One’s materialism and crass commercialism are injured in a way that the Channel One marketing executives cannot comprehend. They only see children as little spending robots. To them children are to be sold products, even if they are not health for them, or if they really can’t afford them, and if you can’t sell the child something then you should squeeze him
or her for as much marketing information as you can get to help the next ad campaign.
A person reading the survey has no idea if Channel One wrote the survey or if M&M/Mars did. One would think this is an ad paid for by M&M/Mars, but once the child answers 11 questions and submits their answers, the screen says, “Thank you for participating in the ChannelOne.com survey. Click here to return to ChannelOne.com”. It’s all very confusing as it was intended to be.
Like clockwork, once Channel One executives read this article, they will order the survey taken off. We will provide a link so the reader can see this “survey” for themselves. HREF=”http://channelone.com/cgi/survey.pl”>(http://channelone.com/cgi/survey.pl) COLOR=”#000000″ FACE=”Arial”> When it is taken off, Obligation will send a copy of the survey via email to anyone who wants to see Channel One’s shameless market research tactics. FACE=”Arial”>Click here to email Obligation.
Pushing candy to children during their school day is a huge part of Channel One’s mission. M&M/Mars is a long time advertiser on the program. Millions of children have been forced to watch their video commercials for Skittles, Snickers, Twik and M&Ms. The old maxim – “Never take candy from a stranger” should apply to Channel One. “Never allow Channel One to push junk food on your child.” Channel One is a stranger that needs to be shown the school house door.
