Sleeping pills for children, exploding laptops, lead toys. There is a lot of dubious stuff out there. Lots of dangerous, bad-for you, waste-of-money products that are brazenly pitched to you and me, the hapless consumer. Sometimes the products are so bad you almost have to admire the companies with the chutzpah to put them out there. Almost.
Consumer activists had the same idea. But with a twist. Today, leading global consumer rights groups met in Sydney, Australia to hand out awards for the worst products and the companies that make them. The Consumers International World Congress hopes to hold major corporations accountable for their unrepentant and irresponsible hucksterism.
The envelope, please? And the winners of the 2007 International Bad Products Awards are:
Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT) - Makers of beloved children's toys, much of it covered with lead paint from its many manufacturing plants in China, tops the list of bad products. The company recalled more than 21 million toys from around the world in a seven-week period in 2007. The CEO first blamed China, then admitted the problem lay more with company product design-flaws. The group writes: "This is a classic case of avoiding accountability and shifting responsibility on a global scale. Wherever the fault lies, the safety of consumers was compromised, and this should be the full focus of Mattel's attention, not finger pointing and not blame dodging."
Barbie is gonna be, like, so bummed when she hears about this.
Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) - For unabashedly marketing packaged tap water. While the company rightly points out that the packaging on its popular Dasani brand bottled water doesn't explicitly *say* it's spring water, it doesn't specifically not, either. The product can't even be sold in the UK, France or Germany. But why should Coke change its tactic and give us the real thing when the product continues to sell briskly in the U.S. and South America? The group writes: "By bottling up this universal resource to sell back to us, corporations, such as Coca-Cola, have created a $100 billion industry at a time when one billion people in the world lack access to safe drinking water. Making profits out of increasingly fragile water supplies is unsustainable, irresponsible, and against the basic rights of consumers everywhere. "
Kellogg Co. (NYSE: K) - For selling junk food to kids. They're GRRRRREEEAAAT!....if you like rolls of fat on your kid's back. Kellogg is king in terms of marketing, known the world over for its food products and breakfast cereals, in particular its sugary kids' cereals. The company recently told the New York Times that 27% of its U.S. advertising budget was spent on targeting kids under 12. But with childhood obesity on the upswing, critics charge that the company has a responsibility to stop marketing its high-sugar, high-fat crap food to kids. A Mexican consumer group (and member of Consumers International) was successful pulling a Frosted Flakes ad off the air. The ad promised that kids could develop amazing physical attributes by eating the cereal...when in fact, Mexican Frosted Flakes contain 40% sugar. The company has agreed to amend some of its advertising, but it's sure dragging its feet. Maybe it's that sugar crash.
Finally, for Best of Show:
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.-- For pitching sleeping pills to kids. The U.S. arm of this $10 billion Japanese pharma company took out a "reminder" ad on U.S. airwaves, using school buses, pictures of chalk boards and the like to remind users that "it's back to school season," time to reorder your sleeping pills.
Huh? Big Pharma can be shameless, we know. But which Madison Avenue think tank came up with this one? While the ad technically met FDA advertising criteria, it was rather strongly slanted toward children, for which the medication is not deemed safe. Critics screamed foul, but it still took the FDA six months to get around to telling Takeda to get the ad off the air. CI says, "This case demonstrates the lengths to which some drug companies will go to increase sales of their products...and how weak regulation can foster irresponsible corporate behavior."
The PR folks at these companies are probably not going to have a nice Halloween, dealing with the fall-out from these "awards." But then that's just the point.
And at least none of the companies cited are in the business of making Halloween costumes. Saturday Night Live fans may want to take a trip down memory lane with this video:











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
10-30-2007 @ 11:29PM
Kellee said...
Every child should have www.MyAngelPillow.com
10-30-2007 @ 11:47PM
JAMCO58 said...
JUST GIVE YOUR BABY A DRINK OF YOUR BEER AT BEDTIME. THE ONLY THIN THAT WORRIES ME THOUG IS PEEING THE BED
10-31-2007 @ 2:06PM
Nancy Paulson said...
I don't think it is necessary for "every child to have a $60.00 MyAngelPillow.com."A comforting flannel pillow case and a parent to read bedtime stories is more to my likeing. The Pillowcase need not even be flannel.Just clean. Having a parent or caregiver there at bedtime is the important part. I did not know we could advetise any product here.Posted by Readernan
10-31-2007 @ 12:13AM
Leda said...
Wow. A $60 angel pillow. That's some craven marketing right there. If the money were going to a cause, like feeding children or getting them out of child armies or something, maybe, but... "here's a chunk of foam for you baby! Mommy just bought it for you for $60 plus shipping. Think of God while you hug it!" Blecccccch.
10-31-2007 @ 12:13AM
Tom said...
I think the top award should go to the Democratic Party and the Republican Party for the useless bunch of people running for President.
10-31-2007 @ 12:21AM
Nancy said...
What every child needs is a parent who cares enough to say no to the garbage that is advertised and sold, including sugar-laden foods and fad toys. What every child needs is a parent who will spend quality time with them, show them love, protect them, and teach them right from wrong.
10-31-2007 @ 1:52AM
Mariah said...
Between all the drugs they have for kids during the the day....they come up with sleeping pills?
How many kids died/got ill before they admitted they were dangerous...good job TELKADA...FDA.
and all the other corporates whores....HOPE IT WAS WORTH THE PROFIT.
So how about we just stop buying anthing from China? Let them keep their lead......and bring back American made everything.
11-01-2007 @ 8:15AM
Judy said...
Just putting GOD back at the "top" in our country would be the "most wonderful" thing that could happen to the USA. No wonder the children act as they do. THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO PRAY ANYMORE.
AND GUESS WHAT?
He "is" coming back for you to be accountable for the mess you have made of "his land".
America, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
10-31-2007 @ 1:43AM
nancy said...
Did anybody think of what is in these pills that your giving to a kid. Some people are going to buy this product, because they think its safe, after all its being sold in a store. It should be taken off the shelves, someone needs to protect the kids from stupid people.
10-31-2007 @ 2:02AM
Rebecca Chesser said...
I must say that the sleeping pills and the lead paint toys are pretty bad. However, I don't think the water and cereal is so awful. There are hundreds of bottled water suppliers out there (Pepsi) so why pick on Coke? Also, Kellogg's has had Frosted Flakes for years. If your child is obese, don't buy them. I feel the solution is simple: schedule nap times and bed times for the best sleep for children (angelpillow optional), buy toys made in the USA, pour them a glass of tap water and give them a healthy cereal. Easy Peazy. I must admit, however, I don't have children but how hard can this be?
10-31-2007 @ 2:20AM
casey said...
sue the bastards
10-31-2007 @ 2:19AM
boscoeufleeteze said...
sue the mofo's
10-31-2007 @ 2:32AM
Sammie said...
I have to agree with Nancy. When I was a kid, parents were parents. Today parents are more interested in being friends with their kid therefore, they don't say no, they don't set limits or boundaries. The reason this generation is so obese as opposed to earlier years is one thing only, the parents are shoveling the food down their own throats and happily letting their children do the same. It's not McDonald's, Kellogg's, or any other fast food or cereal manufacture fault for the obesity problem, it's the parents responsibility to say no, and not have junk food around the house. If it's not there, they can't eat it.
11-13-2007 @ 4:12PM
Lisa said...
Maybe the Takeda Co. is trying to get even with the American company Bayer for selling HIV infected medication to hemophiliac children in their country. How many children did Bayer kill? How many grieving parents are there in Japan? Or China? Did anyone ever think maybe these countries are trying to send us a message? How arrogant are we Americans to think that our children are any better or precious than their children are to them? How can we not practice what we preach when the best of us strive to set standards of compassion, & morality, & conduct for the rest of the world to admire & emulate? It's like priests, & teachers, & school bus drivers, & daycare workers who turn out to be child predators; Right Wing Republican Pastors who turn out to be gay meth addicts; & talk show hosts who put down welfare moms for "getting rich off the system to support their drug habit" & turns around & spends who knows, tens of thousands? to support his own drug habit instead of giving to charity. I'm sick of hypocrits & most of them seem to be in my country (I'm Native American) pretending to be my neighbors & pretending to be my religion, Christian. Turns out they're only "Christian" when they get caught at something & need forgiveness. You all speak with forked tongues. Americans need to walk their talk.
10-31-2007 @ 3:45AM
Anne said...
I agree! this isn't a place to push your products! Very tacky. And $60 for a pillow! Get a fabric crayon, a white pillow case and make your own! Angles are from God ,not internet spammers! This is a serious problem being discussed here! Angles in a pillow my behind!
10-31-2007 @ 5:35AM
Stepho725 said...
Remember when kids would run around outside all day long and fought to stay up past bedtime (only to fall asleep a half an hour later). Yes it is sickening that a company would gear these pills towards children but there shouldn't be any reason kids would need them! Get your kid outside to play hide and seek or kick the can for a couple of hours! Turn off the computer, tv, or video games at least 2 hours before bedtime and give them a book and a hot bath!
10-31-2007 @ 6:17AM
andycs said...
#13 Lisa: Bayer is not an American company; it was founded in Germany in 1863 (one of their first products was a nice little trademarked drug called Heroin) and is still headquartered there. They just have a nice big international presence so they can dominate everything. But go to Germany, and EVERYTHING is Bayer.
10-31-2007 @ 6:17AM
Kim Allen said...
The post #1 was made by an interent spammer trying to sell her product (my angelpillow)through AOL. She should be ashamed!
10-31-2007 @ 6:46AM
Debera said...
WOW! First they take all cold medication off the shelves because of the doseage issuel Now they want to give k ids sleeping medication, I don't think this is a good idea at all.
10-31-2007 @ 7:31AM
chris said...
I think this is a great example of consumer groups with a lynch mob mentality. They look to crucify corporations any chance they get, and fairness or objectivity go out the window. I'll take each of their examples. They seem to disregard the fact that Mattel DID recall 21 million toys...thats a huge financial loss for the company and a very responsible act. Even though it is widely recognized as being primarily the fault of the Chinese, Mattel was big enough to take some responsibility. They didn't have to do that. As far as Coke and Dasani....it is not exactly just tap water, it has been purified with the chemicals in tap water eliminated. Many of us appreciate that, and thats why we buy it over other "spring" waters. This is another distortion by the consumer group. And as for Kellogg's and cereal? Have you ever bothered to read the nutrional information on the "junk" cereals versus the "wholesome" granola type cereals? Try it. You will be surprised. The "junk" cereals usually contain more vitamins and just as many carbs and actually fewer calories than the supposedly healthy cereals. Kelloggs is being very responsible, but because their cereals are marketed to kids they are easy to bash. I never saw one of the Takeda commercials, but from the description above, are we sure they are marketing to parents for kids? It sounds to me like they are marketing to parents for their own use. These consumer groups are guilty of the same selfish fraud that they are accusing big industry of having...in fact its worse...they are supposed to be protecting us...but instead they make a large profit by their scare tactics. They are a business too, a business meant to frighten us. They are successful, as evidenced by how many read this article.