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Yum! Brands tops "Worst" list by Parent's Television Council
December 27, 2009
The Parent's Television Council, an advocacy group for family-friendly television, has issued its annual "Top Ten Best and Worst Advertisers" list, which lauds brands that support family-friendly shows via their placing advertisements, and condemns those companies that run spots on those that PTC finds objectionable. Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell parent brand Yum! Brands topped out the "Worst" list for 2009.
The list is based on each company's prime time network television ad buys during the 2008/2009 television season. Special weight was given to advertisers that deliberately sought out family-friendly programming — and those that advertised on PTC demarked "campaign shows," which consistently feature sexual, violent or profane content. Based on PTC's trademarked traffic light ratings system, companies with the most ads on "green light" shows were ranked the best, while companies with the most ads on "red light" shows were ranked the worst. To see each prime time show's rating, please go to the PTCWeb site.
"We do give a little additional weight to 'green-lighted' programs because there are so few of them," said Melissa Henson, director of communications for PTC. Yum! Brands' placement on at the top of the "Worst" list is based mostly on the volume of advertisement it places on "red-lighted" programs like "Family Guy," "Rescue Me," and "Sons of Anarchy." "These are, in our view, some of the most graphic and extreme programs on television."
So why should Yum! Brands care if PTC flags its advertising habits, even if the advocacy group with ties to lawmakers is 1-million-plus strong? Henson said the company cannot afford to alienate themselves from any demographic in the current economic climate.
The Parents Television Council has more than 1.3 million members across the US and works with government officials to enforce broadcast decency standards. It also produces research and publications documenting the increasing incidence of violent and sexual content in entertainment.
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