BAN ON KIDS IN TV SPOTS RILES ADVERTISERS

[AussieMark]

Ban on Kids in TV Spots Riles Advertisers

ROME (Reuters) - How can you advertise a brand of diapers without showing a baby, or vaunt a new toy without a happy child playing with it?
Italian advertisers face these tough challenges after parliament approved a new media law that bans the use of children under 14 years old in television advertising.

"What are we supposed to do? Use little dolls, or teenagers dressed up as children? Animation? This is a big problem," said Federica Ariagno, creative director at advertising firm McCann-Erickson in Milan.

The ban slipped into a controversial media law that parliament approved Tuesday. It was one of more than 3,000 amendments presented by the opposition to slow the bill's passage through parliament, but by a fluke it was adopted.

The thought of Christmas without miles of footage of cute kids trying out their new toys has horrified both advertisers and producers, who are mounting a fierce campaign to have the rule scrapped.

"We will do everything we possibly can to get rid of this strange and ridiculous measure, which seeks to create a world without children," said Felice Lioy, head of UPA, the main Italian association of firms that advertise.