CARU Recommends Kraft Foods Modify Sweepstakes Advertising To Better Disclose Free Means Of Entry, Chance Of Winning

New York, NY – Sept.  30, 2010 – The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., has recommended that Kraft Foods modify online advertising for the  “Ultimate Field Trip,” a sweepstakes promotion for the advertiser’s Lunchables product to better disclose the free means of entry and the likelihood of winning.

The advertising came to the attention of CARU through CARU’s routine monitoring of advertising directed to children. 

The advertising, which appeared on the Nickelodeon Website and linked to the advertiser’s Website, featured a red bus bearing the sign “ULTIMATE FIELD TRIP.” A voiceover stated, “this bus is your ticket to the ultimate field trip!  Ultimate means your chance to go to the Kennedy Space Center, San Diego Zoo, or the Georgia Aquarium … or you could win the first prize, $150 for “your own awesome field trip.” 

Listeners were instructed to “just find a code inside specially marked packages of Lunchables, go to www.lunchables.com and follow the directions to see where the bus takes you!”  A written disclosure at the bottom of the screen stated, “No purchase necessary.” 

Clicking on the advertisement took visitors to the advertiser’s Website, where they could click on an “Enter Now,” icon.

Following its review of the advertising at issue, CARU determined that Website visitors who heard the voiceover might conclude that they must purchase the product to enter the sweepstakes. CARU determined that neither the written disclosure nor the “Enter Now” icon at the advertiser’s site provided adequate information about the free means of entry. CARU recommended the advertiser CARU recommends that the Advertiser employ the use of an audible disclosure stating “no purchase necessary.” CARU further recommended the advertiser employ the use of an audio disclosure such as “many will enter, few will win,” to clearly describe a child’s likelihood of winning.

In response to CARU’s inquiry, the advertiser agreed to revise the spot as recommended.

The company, in its advertiser’s statement said, CARU’s recommendations “will provide guidance going forward with respect to future executions.  As strong supporters of CARU and its mission, we are grateful for this opportunity to work with you for the mutual benefit of CARU and Kraft.”