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By Mom Unplugged, October 22, 2008 3:17 pm

Do you ever get upset about the excess of marketing targeted at your children? How about the sexualization of children’s toys and ads? Even without TV, it is hard to miss the barrage of ads, “licensed characters” and sleazy or violent toys. We see it everywhere: in children’s magazines, in the grocery stores, and even (or so I have been told) in the public schools.

Some people don’t seem to mind, and that is OK. But if you are a parent who feels manipulated, angry and frustrated by every trip to the supermarket, toy store, or even book store, then head on over to Parents For Ethical Marketing and meet Lisa Ray, a mom who is not just complaining, but is actually trying to DO something about it!

Lisa started her website and blog in 2007. Via her blog that began as a simple creative outlet, Lisa discovered her true passion: fighting corporate marketing targeted at children.

Now a year later, she is taking her website one step farther. Lisa is creating a non-profit organization to help her take real action to curb unethical children’s marketing. Her plans include educating the public via free workshops for parent groups, newsletters and her blog, Corporate Babysitter. She also hopes to influence legislation and encourage parents to write to corporations about marketing policies that displease them.

Lisa’s goal is to raise $10,000 by Thanksgiving. Read more here. If you like what you read, then you can make a donation to her cause via the Parents for Ethical Marketing page at change.org.

It is so easy to sit back and complain about what displeases us, but very few people have the energy or drive to actually try and do something about it. Thank you for taking this cause and running with it Lisa. I applaud you!

(Thanks to morguefile.com and photographer Anita Patterson Peppers for this lovely photo.)

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By Mom Unplugged, February 19, 2008 8:34 am

If you would like an opportunity to let some big corporations know your concerns about their social and environmental impact, particularly with regards to your children, then head on over to Parents for Ethical Marketing (aka. Corporate Babysitter). Lisa has been contacted by a marketing agent who wants feedback from parents to pass along to her corporate clients. She has a few questions that she would like interested parents to answer.

Instead of all of us engaging in our usual collective grumble about unsafe toys, poor environmental practices, and the like, here is a chance to get productive and speak up!