Monday, September 13, 2010

How Is this Not Marketing Alcohol to Kids?

It's clearly an MLB issue, not a Nationals issue, but is this really appropriate? Especially at a day game, this seems like a pretty textbook example of marketing to children. Would MLB be ok with doing this promo with Joe Camel? Seems like really questionable judgment from the league office.

7 comments:

Dave Nichols said...

so i guess you haven't been in the stadium this season when Budweiser has sponsored the "Thirst Inning", complete with Clint out in the crowd somewhere extolling the virtues of Bud and Bud Light, and presumably Bud Light Lime.

Steven said...

I'm not saying that they shouldn't advertise beer at sporting events. But once you start bringing in costumes and funny cartoon-like characters, you're in a whole other category of kid-appeal.

Deacon Drake said...

I'd be more worried that my kid would start throwing like a girl after seeing that...

Most sports draw the arbitrary line at beer, keeping liquor taboo, but for what reason? Because Bud Light really doesn't have enough alcohol to get people drunk? When the NFL squashed Charles Woodson's "24", they showed their true intentions: if you aren't big enough to pay the bills, we will go out of our way squash you because, well, we are the NFL and we can.

It's strange to see social media becoming much more lax and risque, yet social responsibility (seemingly, I don't have data) litigation so much more prevalent and successful. Alcohol is here to stay in sports, and I agree with Dave that people being rewarded on the jumbotron with a cold one is just as persuasive as a clown dressed up as a pirate.

logan said...

What's worse is marketing horrible baseball to kids with cartoony chickens and Presidents.

Everyone knows kids use cigarettes and alcohol because of their peers, not cartoons.

John O'Connor said...

I'm with Steven on this one. I was there that game (with my nine-year-old daughter) and it just came across as seedy to have a liquor shill and girls dressed like they work at Hooters on the dugout singing and dancing during the seventh inning stretch.

I think the scantily-clad wenches was more inappropriate than the liquor angle, but I didn't like either one.

flippin said...

I am more concerned about kids getting exposed to crappy products like Nyjer Morgan....

Bland Moniker said...

My initial instinct is that this isn't a big deal. Kids go to games with their parents, and having Captain Morgan there affords parents another opportunity to talk to their kids about drinking. Responsible parenting, even mediocre parenting, prevents this from being an issue. But then I noticed we were playing the Phillies, and we all know how Phillies parents are at keeping their kids away from alcohol. http://images.blippitt.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/kid-drinks-beer-at-phillies-game.jpg