It isn’t enough that Anheuser Busch is using a system that checks registrants’ birthdates against drivers’ license databases as a way of weeding out underage access to new bud.tv. (This is the very same process that I questioned on privacy terms when I reviewed the site.) Twenty-one state attorneys general say A-B can and should be doing even more, reports AdAge. The AGs sent a stern warning to A-B via a letter that—as AdAge notes—contradicts many of the critics who though A-B was building too high a barrier. It also draws a direct line to the marketer’s control of “the medium and the message.”
From the letter: “We fail to see how your use of age verification on the Bud.tv site is a genuine attempt to keep youth from accessing the site’s content.” They also find fault with the idea of downloading content that can be shared.
AdAge has more, including A-B’s response. An excerpt: “Despite the fact that this software has turned away tens of thousands of visitors, we have continued to use it to show that we’re serious about wanting to prevent illegal underage drinking.”
Related:
—A NYT Must-Read on Internet Advertising & Bud.tv; New Shows From Bud.tv Announced
—Anheuser-Busch To Invest $30 Million in Bud.tv; Launch in Feb 07