December 2, 2008

Contact: Evan Silverstein (617.278.4174; esilverstein@jbcc.harvard.edu)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CCFC’s Guide to Commercial-Free Holidays: Reclaim the Holidays from Corporate Marketers

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood has released its first-ever free, downloadable, Guide to Commercial-Free Holidays. In the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, CCFC is offering practical tips and suggestions for reducing, or eliminating, commercialism in family celebrations this holiday season.

Concerns about the economy are so great that experts predict parents will be spending less on presents this year. Reports indicate, however, that spending on advertising to children will not reflect the economic downturn.

“Marketing to children is problem for all of society, all year long,” said CCFC’s director, Dr. Susan Linn, author of The Case for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World. “But even as CCFC works for social change, we want to provide direct help for families under siege from the stepped up barrage of holiday commercialism.”

Added Dr. Linn, “We created the guide not just for families who—by necessity—have to navigate the holidays minus their usual spending spree, but for anyone looking to infuse more meaning and less consumption into their holiday celebrations.”

The CCFC Guide to Commercial-Free Holidays can be found at:
http://commercialfreechildhood.org/pdf/CommercialFreeHolidayGuide.pdf


To learn how CCFC members from around the country are coping with excessive holiday commercialism, please visit:
http://commercialfreechildhood.org/holidayguide/membertips.htm


CCFC has launched a letter writing campaign to major toy marketers urging them to target parents, not children, this holiday season. More information about the campaign can be found at:
http://commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/holidaymarketer.htm


The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (www.commercialfreechildhood.org) is a national coalition of health care professionals, educators, advocacy groups and concerned parents who counter the harmful effects of marketing to children through action, advocacy, education, research, and collaboration among organizations and individuals who care about children.

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