TV's Top 10 Best & Worst Advertisers

2001-2002

Executive Summary

In 1999 the Parents Television Council released Brought to You By…, a groundbreaking study that for the first time linked companies with the content of the programs they support with their advertising dollars.  The PTC's newest ranking of TV sponsors, TV's Top 10 Best & Worst Advertisers, lists those companies that largely supported family-friendly family-hour series, and those companies that overwhelmingly supported family-hour raunch in the first part of the 2001-2002 season.

The PTC looked at the returning family-hour series from our 2001 listing of the Top Ten Best and Worst Shows on Prime-Time Network TV.  This annual list ranks the best and worst prime time has to offer from a family-values perspective, taking into consideration content, time slot, and target audience. 

In the new study, a point system was used to rank the best and worst advertisers.  Companies received one point for each ad appearing on a family-friendly show, and lost a point (or received a negative point) for each ad placed on a show from our "worst" list.  The data compiled came from the first six episodes of each series this season. 

Key Findings

• Wal-Mart was the number-one sponsor of wholesome programming, advertising 26 times on family-friendly series and only once on offensive series. General Mills came in second; Pfizer and Sears tied for third.

• Sony was the number-one sponsor of raunchy series, running 34 ads during offensive shows and only two ads on family-friendly programs. News Corp. came in second; Viacom was third.

• Many large companies, including AOL Time Warner, Disney, and McDonald's, advertised as frequently (or almost as frequently) on bad shows as they did on good shows. 

• Other media companies, like Viacom and News Corp. overwhelmingly favored raunchy series.

• Retailers, pharmaceutical companies, and companies that manufacture household products overwhelmingly favored family-friendly programming.

With the FCC and the networks doing little to restrain producers and writers who are eager to break down the few remaining TV standards, advertisers are playing an increasingly important role in determining program content.  This analysis constitutes a major part of the PTC's ongoing commitment to publicly credit those companies that are making an effort to support wholesome shows during the family hour, and to publicly shame those companies that frequently sponsor violent and vulgar entertainment during the first hour of prime time. 

Network executives listen to advertisers.  Advertisers listen to consumers. Those who are concerned about small-screen raunch – especially during the family hour – do not have to sit back and accept TV's continually declining standards. They can put a stop to it by writing to the companies that are sponsoring violent and vulgar programs and by supporting the companies that sponsor wholesome programs.

Executive Summary

Full Study