[Fair use for education and research purpose only]

Title: To Dismay of All Involved, Liquor Ads Pop Up on Web Sites for Kids

May 8, 2000

DoubleClick Inc., an Internet company that places advertisements for other companies on Web sites, recently ran into trouble when it accidentally ran ads touting alcohol on sites geared towards young people.

Brown-Forman Corp., which makes Jack Daniel's whiskey and Southern Comfort liquor, placed an order for advertising a few months ago; little did the company know that its banner ads were reaching sites such as Snoopy.com and Comics.com. The problem did not come to light until April, when someone from United Media Inc., owner of Comics.com, saw the Jack Daniel's ad. DoubleClick was notified immediately.

A DoubleClick official says the advertising glitch was a real "mistake." He elaborated that a clerical worker accidentally checked an inappropriate box when filling out the advertisement instructions for the Brown-Forman account.

Josh Isay, the director of public policy, says that all sites are coded for the types of advertising they will accept; Comics.com does not take ads promoting alcohol, says Mr. Isay. Leading Web Advertisers, a firm that monitors online advertising, says that Finlandia Vodka also had their ads feature on Comics.com.

For additional information refer to The Wall Street Journal or go to http://www.wsj.com.

http://library.northernlight.com/UU20000508070000054.html?cb=200&dx=2006&sc=0#doc

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-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), May 08, 2000