It was the worst of advertisers. Yes, it’s that time of year again, when the Parents Television Council applauds advertisers who promote family-friendly programming and boos those who promote raunchier fare.
“As we approach the Christmas and holiday shopping season, we present this list of ‘Best and Worst TV Advertisers’ so that consumers can vote with their wallet and reward those companies that have clearly demonstrated a commitment to responsible sponsorship practices. Our list also identifies those companies that have shown little or no regard for the explicit content that their media dollars helped to underwrite,” said PTC President Tim Winter.
PTC is afraid that the companies sponsoring programs with “…graphic sex, violence, and profanity…” may permanently lower standards for broadcast content.
So without further ado, here are the best and the worst per PTC:
Fast Food
Best: Dunkin’ Brands: Dunkin’ Donuts, Baskin Robbins; Papa John’s
Worst: Burger King; Yum! Brands: KFC, Taco Bell
Beverages
Best: Pepsi: Tropicana, Gatorade, Aquafina
Worst: Red Bull
Clothing retail
Best: TJX Companies: Marshalls, Home Goods, TJ Maxx
Worst: Gap, Inc.: The Gap, Old Navy
General retail
Best: Walmart
Worst: Target
Personal items
Best: Chattem: Allegra, Gold Bond; Procter and Gamble: Cover Girl, Luvs, Swiffer, Bounty, Tide, Crest, Pampers, Olay, Duracell, Gillette, Always, NyQuil
Worst: Johnson & Johnson: Aveeno, Visine, Splenda, Listerine, Clean & Clear; Unilever: Dove, Axe, Lipton, Suave, Vaseline, Hellmann’s
Grocery
Best: ConAgra: Healthy Choice, Bertolli, Chef Boyardee, Hunts, RediWhip, J. M. Smucker Company: Jif, Folgers, Crisco, Pillsbury; General Mills: Yoplait, Gold Medal, Green Giant, Progresso
Worst: Mondel?z International, Inc.: Trident, Wheat Thins, Sour Patch Kids, Tang, Ritz, Oreo, Nabisco; Kellogg’s: PopTarts, Eggo, Nestlé: Gerber, Coffee; Mate, Friskies, Purina, Hot Pockets, Stouffer’s
Computer hardware/software
Best: Hewlett Packard
Worst: Microsoft
Financial services/software
Best: Intuit
Worst: H&R Block
