EF Tours Uses Sex To Sell To Kids

November 3, 2008
EF Educational Tours is STILL taking up school time with their commercials. The only thing that is new is the rather adult flavor they have added to their classroom ads. This ad ran on November 3 and several other dates in American classrooms.

Kids and teachers have to be shocked to see this image of a night club pop up on the EF commercial. “Go on an EF tour and you will go to night clubs,” seems to be the message the company wants to convey to students.

[All images in this article are taken from Channel One’s MIDDLE SCHOOL program. They are from the same “Life on Tour” EF ad.]
EF’s ad has many quick cut scenes so students only get an idea of what is being presented. It is obvious that EF Tours in this ad are not caring about helping students discover the wonder of historical places. What they want students to be thinking about is partying, drinking, and sex.

Bars and nightclubs appear to be the places kids will be learning about other cultures.
Is this in a bar? We can’t tell.

Ads like this one us many very short scenes so the viewer’s brain can’t deal with it as it seen, but the memory remains. EF wants kids to have a feeling that an EF tour will be a big party.

Obligation has asked EF’s attorney to send us a high-quality copy of this and other ads so we can let the public know the exact nature of EF’s marketing campaign to young people.
EF Tours is not subtle with kids. “You’ll find love on our tours,” is the obvious message. Forget the museums and the ruins. This ad is using sex to sell.

Shame on EF Tours for marketing their tours in such a way.
Another scene from the same 30-second ad. Love and sex are heavily implied. The ad directs young people to enter a contest on the site below. The contest’s terms and conditions admit that EF is targeting students as young as 12!

What attorney approved this for middle school airing?
Kids are asked to go to this web site. There EF Tours wants personal information from students. They also want information, including the email address, of “favorite teachers.” Why?

So those teachers can be targeted to be “leaders” of a tour. The kids are being used to get leads for EF Tours’ sales staff.

Hey, Martha Doyle, CEO of EF Tours, check out this site: youshouldstopexploitingkidsandstopusingsextosellyourtours.com

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