I, until recently, subscribed to Game Pro. When I saw the ad with the man in bed
with 2 women while another "catches" him at it, I promptly showed my principal and
called EBSCO to cancel our subscription. I also e-mailed our area rep at Game Pro
but haven't received a response. What a surprise !!! Anyhow, if anyone has an
address for the publisher of Game Pro I would truly appreciate receiving it. I
would like to tell them how we feel about the ad and the action we've taken.
Thanks,
Diane
Connie Parker <madamehooch@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
I missed the first go round on this issue, but since I used to work in an ad
agency, I thought I'd weigh in.
If I were the librarian involved, I would send a letter to the magazine publisher
and copy the president of the company that makes the product. I would detail how
the entire issue was thrown out and that potential consumers didn't see the
offending ad or any of the other advertising. If you tell the publisher that you
ripped out the ad, you haven't hit him where he hurts because the issue is still
circulating. I would also point out that my budget is shrinking each year and I
need to be very responsible about my aquisitions. Since I threw out one issue, I'd
have to reconsider the cost effectiveness of the magazine.
Magazines make the bulk of their revenue from advertisers. Subscriptions count for
a very small percentage of a magazine's income. Your subscription dollars are not
going to make the publisher sit up and take notice, but if a company that buys the
ad space knows that their image is negative, they make think twice. That's why you
want to make sure the company that bought the ad space knows that you were offended.
You'd be amazed how many of these letters showed up at the advertising agency with
an irate client on our backs. They don't want to hear that an ad made a negative
impact. However, if you send the letter to the agency directly, chances are they'll
ignore it or try to keep it from the client.
Connie
--
Connie Parker
Media Specialist
Haigh and Nowlin Elem Schools
Dearborn, MI
madamehooch@comcast.net
-------------- Original message --------------
> Several weeks ago, I posted the following question:
> > We are a grade 6-8 middle school. We have subscribed to several
> > electronic gaming magazines over the last few years and have settled =
> on
> > GamePro as a good general interest magazine. Unfortunately, we are
> > discovering some inappropriate ads. In this month's issue (Oct. '04)
> > on page 81 there is an ad for a "T" (teen) rated video game which =
> shows
> > a man in bed with two women and a third woman (wife?) discovering him.
> > The same ad is also in the Sept. '04 issue as a 2-page spread, and we
> > feel that this is inappropriate for our readers (we have a fairly
> > conservative parent community). We are curious as to how others have
> > handled similar issues:
> > 1. Remove the offending page?
> > 2. Remove or "lose" the offending issue?
> > 3. Cancel subscription (with a note to publisher)?
> > 4. Ignore it and see what happens?
> > 5. other ideas?
> Most of the respondents said that they would remove the offending ads=20
> and some would also write to the publishers. The responses follow. =20
> Thanks to all of you who replied.
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/el-announce/
LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Diane Lungaro, librarian
dianelu@yahoo.com
Sussex Middle School
Sussex-Wantage Regional Schools District
Sussex, NJ 07461
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
vote.yahoo.com - Register online to vote today!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/el-announce/
LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
LM_NET
Mailing List Home