Channel One News is back in the business of advertising junk drinks.
Over the past month Channel One’s official website channelone.com has put an ad from the Coca-Cola company in its rotation of banner ads. Clicking on this banner takes kids directly to the Coke site shown below. There is no warning to children that they are about to leave Channel One’s site.
This first page mentions Coke Zero at the bottom but its Coke Classic that is being pushed here. That’s were “happiness” lies: in a 155-calorie can of Coke Classic.
The purpose of Channel One’s banner ad is to get kids to join “MyCoke Rewards.” Drink more Coke, have a great chance at winning prizes. What child wouldn’t be interested in winning “stuff”?
As you see Coke is trying to get as much personal information from young visitors as possible. They even give kids a chance to supply their cell phone number. Sure Coke asks everybody who is becoming a member of MyCoke Rewards what age they are, but a child could easily say they are older than they are. Coke knows this and that is why they don’t make it difficult at all for a child to enter. Like the tobacco companies, soft drink companies have to find new consumers of their products. Those new consumers are what Channel One News is attempting to supply.
We have no way of knowing for sure if Channel One will be advertising Coca-Cola products during its classroom TV show this coming school year, but our experience over the last 14 years is if Channel One is advertising something on their website they are advertising it also in class. Read about Channel One’s history of marketing junk food and drink.
