Concerned Children's Advertisers
Encyclopedia
Concerned Children's Advertisers is the name of a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
based in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, founded in 1990. It is famous for producing over 30 public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s, covering topics such as drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, conformity, self-esteem
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the...
, and bullying. Each PSA ends with a big exclamation point, the logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
of the organization. Usually, the commercials partner up with Health Canada
Health Canada
Health Canada is the department of the government of Canada with responsibility for national public health.The current Minister of Health is Leona Aglukkaq, a Conservative Member of Parliament appointed to the position by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.-Branches, regions and agencies:Health Canada...
.
The organisation and its campaigns are supported by various television networks, stations and specialty channels throughout Canada, as well as one border station in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(KVOS-TV
KVOS-TV
KVOS-TV is television station licensed in Bellingham, Washington and is an affiliate of Me-TV. The station's over-the-air transmissions are on digital channel 35, though through PSIP the station remaps to its former analog channel 12...
).
Its members are private companies that market to children and families, including McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, Disney, Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
, Pepsico
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
, Teletoon
Télétoon (Canadian TV channel)
Télétoon is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel that specializes in animation programming. Télétoon is owned by Teletoon Canada Inc; a 50/50 partnership between Astral Media and Corus Entertainment...
, Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
, Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment conglomerate.Corus is a leading Canadian specialty television and radio producer, with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's...
, Hershey's, Kellogg's, Kraft
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
, Loblaw, Nestle
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
, General Mills
General Mills
General Mills, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 corporation, primarily concerned with food products, which is headquartered in Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company markets many well-known brands, such as Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Colombo, Totinos, Jeno's, Pillsbury, Green...
, Weston
Weston
There are many places called Weston:-Australia:* Weston, Australian Capital Territory* Weston Creek, Canberra* Weston Park, Canberra* Weston, New South Wales, a suburb of the City of Cessnock-Canada:* Weston, Nova Scotia* Weston, Ontario...
, Canwest, CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
, ZenithOptimedia, and the Institute of Communication Agencies.
Substance Abuse Prevention
- Brain (1990): One of the very first commercials by the organization, this commercial depicts a brain made up of a series of electrical wires. A female authoritative voice tells the viewers to think about what drugs can do to people's brains, dreams, and future. An unseen person holding a pair of pliers is cutting up the brain's wires, showing the effect of more drugs being consumed, before it eventually short-circuits. The commercial ends with a very important message: "Think about it - while you still can." AGENCY: Cossette Communication
- Crack (1990): This brief commercial depicts a body bag on a stretcher. The same narrator from the Brain commercial tells viewers that in the past two years (1988 and 1989), over 5,000 people in Canada and the U.S. have died from using crackCrack cocaineCrack cocaine is the freebase form of cocaine that can be smoked. It may also be termed rock, hard, iron, cavvy, base, or just crack; it is the most addictive form of cocaine. Crack rocks offer a short but intense high to smokers...
or cocaineCocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. She ends the commercial saying, "Do yourself a favor... think about it". AGENCY: Cossette Communication - Be True To You (1990): In this commercial, the narrator is a teenage boy wearing a red and black shirt, and he is meeting with three of his friends. He talks about the perceptions of teenage drug use, and his message is very clear... he wants children to make healthy decisions and do what is right for them. One of the memorable lines of this commercial is "Just because we are young doesn't mean we are stupid." AGENCY: Intergroup
- Drug Rap (1990): In this commercial, a rap song about the choices of drugs is performed by a group of children and adults. They repeat the use of the line: "Drugs, drugs, drugs... Which are good, which are bad... Drugs, drugs, drugs... Ask your mom or ask your dad”. AGENCY: McArthur, Thompson & Law
- Syringe (1990): This commercial takes place on the urban streets of Toronto at night. A rat is walking while the syringe is sucking up dirty water from a gutter. A man's voice says, "There are a lot of stories about the stuff that gets into street drugs." The syringeSyringeA syringe is a simple pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly in a tube. The plunger can be pulled and pushed along inside a cylindrical tube , allowing the syringe to take in and expel a liquid or gas through an orifice at the open end of the tube...
is tossed in the air and comes down shattering on to the concrete while the rat flees. Then the man's voice says, "So if you're afraid of what's been done to them, wait till you see what they do to you." AGENCY: FCB Canada Ltd. - Elevator (1990): Need information. AGENCY: FCB Canada Ltd.
- No Label On Drugs (1990): Need information. AGENCY: FCB Canada Ltd.
- Interaction (1990): Need information. AGENCY: FCB Canada Ltd.
- Cocaine (1990): Need information. AGENCY: FCB Canada Ltd.
- Substance Abuse Testimonials (1990): This is a series of four commercials. The speakers of each commercial are Cynthia, Lisa, Doug, and Steve. Each of these people tell their side of the story of why they became drug addicts, and that the way they take drugs, they are hurting themselves and their families. AGENCY: Saatchi & SaatchiSaatchi & SaatchiSaatchi & Saatchi is a global advertising agency network with 140 offices in 80 countries and over 6,500 staff. It was founded in London in 1970 but now headquartered in New York. The parent company of the agency group was known as Saatchi & Saatchi PLC from 1976 to 1994, was listed on the London...
- Mimic (1990): A child pretends to drink coffee and smoke cigarettes (using various items for play), while black and white images of said things are shown throughout. This shows how children can easily mimic adults, even in doing inappropriate actions such as smoking. Edited May 25, 1990. AGENCY: Highwood Communications Ltd.
- Rehab (1992): This commercial is a story about a young boy recalling about his life of using drugs and his childhood days with his brother. He is initially seen sitting inside his room in a rehab facilityDrug rehabilitationDrug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
watching a clear view from outside. The music in the background is an old song performed by The HolliesThe HolliesThe Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
, "He Ain't Heavy, He's My BrotherHe Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother"He Ain't Heavy... He's My Brother" is a popular music ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. Originally recorded by Kelly Gordon in 1969, the song became a worldwide hit for The Hollies later that year and again for Neil Diamond in 1970....
". He walks out of his room and spots his brother visiting the facility before embracing each other. The commercial ends with a voice-over saying: "If you try to stop a friend from using drugs, you may not succeed, but at least you tried—and that's what friends are for". AGENCY: FCB Canada Ltd. - Hip Choice (1993): This commercial begins with a text message that says "Ever Thought About Taking Drugs?". It then shows two children standing (they are latex puppets, not real people) encountering a drug pusher wearing shades in an alleyway. The drug pusherIllegal drug tradeThe illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
sticks out his hands showing them the drugs and tells them that they have a choice of whether they will take them or not. A flash-sequence of disturbing images of drug addicts appears when the pusher sticks out his hands. The children eventually ignore the offer and walk away from the drug pusher. The drug pusher then takes off his shades, revealing his hideous yellow eyes. There's another version of this commercial where the drug pusher doesn't take his shades off, while another rare version actually adds onto the commercial's terrifying effect, with the camera zooming in closer onto the pusher's eyes. AGENCY: YTV Canada, Inc. - Loser (1995): This commercial takes place in an old car resembling a 1969 Ford MustangFord MustangThe Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
, with four teenagers smoking pot. The commercial focuses on two of the teenagers; one, implacably a "cool" kid, and the other, the "loser". The "cool" kids recalls past activities he once enjoyed before his addiction, such as sports, while joking around with his friends, and chides the "loser" for being into different stuff. The "cool" kid then says he likes to party and that guys like the "loser" didn't know how to party. A message pops up, reading "Can you spot the losers?" The narrator then says "Truth is, there are a million things to do that are more fun than sitting around and getting stoned." AGENCY: Leo Burnett Company Ltd. - Transactions (1995): A guitarist, presumably a street musician, is standing on a Toronto street interacting with the camera, offering the viewer several choices; you can feed your pet hamster when you're supposed to or he'll die, you can eat a ton of fries or look good in pants, and finally, "you can do drugs or you can do everything else." AGENCY: Vickers and Benson Advertising Ltd.
Child Safety
- Storytime (1991): A woman reads a story about a family of raccoonRaccoonProcyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s. In the story, a baby raccoon finds various foods that are said to be unsafe for raccoons (This is to show that some things are unsafe for children.) The baby raccoon eventually finds an apple that is safe to eat. - Labyrinth (Finding a Needle) (1992): A group of children find a discarded syringe and talk about what to do with it.
- Don't You Put It In Your Mouth (1992): This well-known commercial makes the use of song and puppetryPuppetryPuppetry is a form of theatre or performance which involves the manipulation of puppets. It is very ancient, and is believed to have originated 30,000 years BC. Puppetry takes many forms but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects...
, depicting two blue creatures singing a song about the dangers of putting strange objects into one's mouth - The Trap (1993): Two mice come across a mouse trap with a piece of cheese on it. One mouseMouseA mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
convinces the other to avoid it, and to ask for help if they don't know what something is. One of the mouse puppets from this PSA was used in The Big Comfy CouchThe Big Comfy CouchThe Big Comfy Couch is a Canadian children's television series about Loonette the Clown and her doll Molly, who solve everyday problems on their "Big Comfy Couch". It aired from 1992 until early 2006. Re-runs of the show are still being aired on Treehouse TV. It was produced by Cheryl Wagner and...
.
Child Abuse Prevention
- How Was Your Day (1995) A teacher tells her child about a student who gets abused. She explains to her child that the student think his mother is always mad at him. The student's mother hits him, yells and breaks things. She tells him that he did the right thing by telling her. The commercial ends with a message saying "tell someone you trust when something is wrong. They want to help."
Smart Choices
- Choose (1995): the commercial introduces many children suggesting that you can choose what you want in life and nobody makes your decisions.
- Moe Funky (1996): A stylized look at the games of youth that carries an important message: don't play games when making the important decisions in life — use your head instead.
Media Literacy
- Smart As You (1997): In this PSA aimed at children, an anthropomorphic television talks about programs children can see on TV, and that they are smarter than it (meaning that children make the choices about what they can do). Some footage from an old YTV programming block, ReBootReBootReBoot is a Canadian CGI-animated action-adventure cartoon series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was produced by Vancouver-based production company Mainframe Entertainment, Alliance Communications, BLT Productions and created by Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell and John Grace,...
and It's Alive! are shown. - House HippoHouse hippoThe house hippo is the subject of a Canadian television public service announcement produced by Concerned Children's Advertisers . Their stated intent is to educate children about critical thinking with regard to what they see in television advertising, and to make children aware of how gullible...
(1999): In this documentary style PSA it begins introducing viewers to a typical kitchen during the night eventually introducing the "House hippo " a small hippo-like creature who is apparently infesting the house. They begin adding bits of information gradually until the end where an image of a real hippo and her young appear on a TV. A female narrator now admits that the house hippo wasn't real and that media literacy is important as well as asking questions.
Self-Esteem
- We Are Girls (1997): Shows various female preteens and teenagers expressing what they will and will not do. The commercial ends with the message, "We are girls. We will do what is right for us."
- Boutique (1998): After seeing an attractive girl leaving a store, two girl friends enter the boutique, hoping to look like the girl. Once inside, they realize that this boutique's purpose is to change people. The girls experience various stages that should change them, such as the application of makeup, plastic surgery, and the "Personality Changing Room". Throughout the commercial, a Big Brother-esque woman speaks on a screen, saying "Why be you when you can be me?" The girls decide to leave the store as themselves.
- What's Your Thing (1999): A commercial showing various children and teenagers' favourite things, such as tap dancing, magic tricks and making sound effects. It ends with the message "Nobody's good at everything; everybody's good at something."
- Bundle Up (2000): A group of boys are seen walking on a sidewalk. A mother of one of the boys drive up to them, get out of the car and put a jacket on her son.
- Knock On Wood (2000): This commercial depicts a few teen guys trying to convince a younger boy to play Ding Dong Ditch. The younger boy walks up to the door, but the outcome is never shown. It ends with the message "Boy, it's not easy being one".
"Stay Fit 'Cause You Never Know"
Filmed on Banmoor Drive in Scarborough, OntarioScarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
- Ice Scream (2001): Four children sit on the grass. They see an ice cream truck pass by and the children try to chase after it. but run out of breath.
- The Chase (2001): A boy runs away from three girls. He starts to feel tired, and the girls catch up with him and try to kiss him.
- Blown Away (2001): A boy gets a trading card (a PokémonPokémonis a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
card) from a store, but it gets blown away by the wind and he runs out of breath attempting to grab it.
Bullying
- Walk Away (2002): A bully is shown apparently threatening someone, but as the camera pans out, it shows he is in fact not threatening someone, but that he is bullying thin air because no one is around for him to bully.
- Words Hurt (2003): A girl sees several other girls hanging out. The girls begin to tease the girl, saying things that literally form words and attack the girl. The girl then runs away, as one of the insults chases her.
- Tell Someone (2005): As a boy wakes up in the morning, he has visions of another boy who bullies him at school. The bully teases the boy throughout the morning until the boy talks to his mother about the bully, and the vision disappears.
Healthy Active Living (Long Live Kids)
Part of the Long Live Kids campaign, created in conjunction with the Knowledge network in British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
- Media Monkey (2010): A girl is first shown reading a book with pages torn out by a Monkey in a sailor suit and shows the girl entering a contest on the computer and the monkey returns and unplugs the computer and they fight over the TV. This PSA ends with the message "You don't need a Media Monkey to make healthy choices. Think for yourself".Edited in February 2010.