Premium
Program‐Length Commercials and Host Selling by the WWF
Author(s) -
Shanahan Kevin J.,
Hyman Michael R.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
business and society review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1467-8594
pISSN - 0045-3609
DOI - 10.1111/0045-3609.00121
Subject(s) - host (biology) , business , advertising , marketing , biology , ecology
Whether for automobiles, universities, golf courses, or ski slopes, the basic raison d’etre for ratings systems is identical: to enable consumers to make more informed choices by attaching meaningful labels to competing offerings. For example, to help potential viewers make more informed decisions about which movies to watch, the Motion Picture Association of America adopted a voluntary ratings system that signals violent, sexual, or adult-oriented content. To help voters make informed decisions on election-day, a political action group may rate candidates based on their stated positions and voting records. Unfortunately, negative and unintended consequences may attend the use of any ratings system, such as the one now used in the United States to rate television programs. This age-based ratings system creates a forbidden fruit effect, which according to the theory of psychological reactance occurs when freedoms are restricted (i.e., people are motivated to assert their independence by performing forbidden acts). For example, violent television programming becomes more attractive to children when viewership is restricted, by advisories or ratings. Such behavior did not go unnoticed by the entertainment industry. The recent U.S. Federal Trade Commission report on violence in the media confirmed that Hollywood has targeted underaged youths for violent movies, music, and video games, even when such materials are labeled as adult-only fare.