- 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?
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- 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.
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- "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.
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- 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.
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- 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.
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- "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.
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