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At the bottom of this list, we've also created some templates for writing letters in response to advertising that you may find offensive. We've also included a list of Media Contacts. Please let us know if you've written letters, and have fun!
Here are a couple of our favorite LOCAL girls’ resources:
Breaking Free 343-5513 www.breaking-free.net
Self-Defense Classes and Workshops for women and girls. Often these groups are held at Ophelia's Place. We have a new group starting on October 24th! Call to register if you are interested- space is limited!They offer different kinds of groups, including Self Defense from the Inside Out and mother-daughter self-defense.
Western Rivers Girl Scouts Council 485-5911 www.wrgirlscouts.org
Join the Girl Scouts! Learn new skills, develop your leadership potential and have fun making friends. Girls ages 5-17 are welcome to join regardless of race, color, background, economic status, religion, or physical ability.
BOYS & GIRLS’ ORGANIZATIONS:
LEAD 461-6624 www.leadteen.org
An outdoor Leadership and Adventure group for low-income youth in Lane County. Express your unique goals and purpose in the world, be part of a positive group and have fun! Become a member and spend time participating at Nuestro Lugar (Our Place) teen center, open Monday-Friday.
NEW... SPEAK OUT!!! section:
Below is a good-sized LIST of addresses and contact info for MANY different advertising agencies, TV Stations, magazine publications, and fashion designers. We've also attached some TEMPLATES for writing letters to ad agencies and companies whose ads and products you may find offensive. Feel free to amend these letters to suit your own needs and preferences, and let us know about any letters you've written!
Question the Motives of the Media!
Remember that the main objective of the fashion, cosmetic, diet, fitness, and plastic surgery industries is to MAKE MONEY, not to make you the best person you can possibly be. The ultra thin ideal is working for them. But is it working for you?
Here are some people you can write to. NOTE that in this alphabetical listing, we have included both "positive" and "negative" companies. *** Please note: “Positive” sites and publications are marked below with asterisks. It's important to let the positive companies know that they are doing a good job also! For examples of positive images in advertising, please see our Gallery of Winners at www.about-face.org.
Conde Nast Publications
Chairman: S.I. Newhouse
350 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212/880-8800
(Magazines owned by Conde Nast include: Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appetit, Brides, Conde Nast Traveler, Details, Glamour, Gourmet, GQ, House & Garden, Mademoiselle, the New Yorker, Self, Sports & Fitness, Vanity Fair, and Vogue)
A
Anne Sweeney, President
ABC Entertainment
500 S. Buena Vista St
Burbank, CA 91521-4551
(818) 560-1000 or
(212) 456-7777
Email: netaudr@abc.com
OR:
Capital Cities/ABC Inc.
Attention: Programming
77 W. 66th Street
New York, NY 10023
Abercrombie & Fitch
www.abercrombie.com
To provide feedback, go to the Customer Service Link, then select Contact Us. E-mail using their automated form is the only way that they invite people to deliver feedback.
American Apparel Joseph Teklits and Jean Fontana, Corporate Relations
Dov Charney, CEO 747 Warehouse Street Los Angeles, CA. 90021 Phone: 213-488-0226 www.americanapparel.net (About Us/Contact us/Share Feedback)
Anheuser-Busch
2351 Busch Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80524
970-490-4691
Maker of: Budweiser, Michelob, Rolling Rock, Busch, Bacardi, etc… |
B
Bebe
Chairman, President, & CEO: Manny Mashouf
380 Valley Dr.
Brisbane, CA 94005
Phone: 415/715-3900
Fax: 415/715-3939 |
C
Calvin Klein
205 W. 39th Street, 4th floor
New York, NY 10018
Phone: 212/719-2600
Fax: 212/221-4541 (Advertising Dept.)
Camel Cigarettes – See RJR Tobacco
Carl’s Jr Restaurants
Andy Pudzer, CEO
CKE Restaurants, Inc.
6307 Carpinteria Ave.
Carpinteria, CA 93013
(877) 799-STAR
Leave feedback on automated form at: http://www.carlsjr.com/contact/
Ms. Nina Tassler, President
CBS Entertainment
7800 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039-2112
(323) 575-2747 |
Charles David - Guess
Corporate Office (Charles David/Guess)
Attn: Advertising Dept.
5731 Buckingham Parkway
Culver City, CA 90230
Phone: 310/348-5050
Go to their website: www.finy.com/charlesdavid/dist.shtml |
Coors Information Center
Call: 1-800-642-6116 or e-mail them at consumers@coors.com
Cosmopolitan
224 W. 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212/649-2000
Fax: 212/307-6563 (Editorial Content)
Fax: 212/265-1849 (Advertising) |
CW Network
Dawn Ostroff, President
11800 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 575-7000
(818) 977-5000
Email: dawn_ostroff@upn.com
D
Details Magazine
Editor
632 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 212/598-3732 |
Dolce & Gabbana
CEO: Alfonso Dolce
President: Stefano Gabbana
Via Santa Cecilia, 7
20122 Milan, Italy
Website is: http://www.dolcegabbana.com/ There are no links on the site that welcome feedback.
Donna Karan Co.
CEO & Designer: Donna Karan
COO & President: Stephen Ruzow
550 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10018-3266
Phone: 212/789-1500 |
E
Elle Magazine
New Media: Hachette Filipacchi
1633 Broadway, 40th floor
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212/767-5301
F
Ms. Gail Berman, President
Fox Broadcasting Co.
P.O. Box 900
Beverly Hills, CA 90213
(310) 369-1000
askfox@foxinc.com
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G
Gianni Versace
Press Office: Emanuela Schmeidler
Via del Gesu` 12
Milano, ITALY
Versace
Gianni Versace Public Relations
853 7th Avenue 10A
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212/582-3473 |
Gucci America
Attn: Customer Service
685 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Toll Free Phone: 800/234-8224 |
H
Harper's Bazaar
1700 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212/903-5086
Hollister Clothing Company (owned by Abercrombie & Fitch)
http://www.hollisterco.com
To provide feedback, go to the Customer Service Link, then select Contact Us. E-mail using their automated form is the only way that they invite people to deliver feedback. |
****HUES
P. O. Box 3620
Duluth, MN 55803
Phone: 218/728-5507
Go to their www.hues.net
Send hues@hues.net
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I
INTERSCOPE RECORDS,
2220 Colorado Avenue ,
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone +1 310 865 1000
Recording Label for: Eminem, 50cent, Pussycat Dolls, Timbaland, etc.
K
Kellogg Company
One Kellogg Square
Box 3599
Battle Creek, Michigan 49016
Phone: 616/961-2000 |
M
Mademoiselle
A CondŽ Nast Publication
350 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212/880-8800
Mattel, Inc.
333 Continental Boulevard
El Segundo, CA 90245-5012
310-252-2000 tel |
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Max Factor
11050 York Road
Hunt Valley, MD 21030
Phone: 410/785-3330 |
MGA Entertainment, Inc. (BRATZ)
Attn: Customer Service
16300 Roscoe Blvd. Suite 150
Van Nuys, CA 91406
(800) 222-4685
http://www.mgae.com/contact_form.asp
***Mode Magazine
22 East 49th Street, 5th floor
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212/328-0180
Send modemag@aol.com
MTV Networks
c/o MTV Studios
1515 Broadway
New York, New York 10036 |
N
Nabisco
(owned by RJR Tobacco Company)
CEO: Stephen Goldstone
1301 Avenue of the Americans
New York, NY 10019
OR:
Nabisco Consumer Affairs
100 DeForest Avenue
P.O. Box 1911
East Hanover, NJ 07936-1911
Toll Free Phone: 800/NABISCO (622-4726)
On their site, www/.rjrnabisco.com, go to the "comments" section
Send email to: cis@nabisco.com
NBC Entertainment
Mr. Jeff Zucker, President
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
(818) 840-4444
E-Mail: NBCshows@nbc.com |
****New Moon
The Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams
P.O. Box 3620
Duluth, MN 55803-3620
Toll Free Phone: 800/381-4743
Fax: 218/728-0314
Go to their website: www.newmoon.org to send e-mail: newmoon@newmoon.org |
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P
Philip Morris
CEO: Geoffrey Bible
120 Park Ave.
New York, NY 10017
Companies owned by Philip Morris (Tobacco Company):
Maxwell House, Sanka, Kraft products, Post products, Starbucks, Miller beer |
Politically Incorrect
c/o ABC
2040 Avenue of the Stars
Century City, CA 90067
Phone: 310/557-7777 |
R |
RJR Tobacco Company
401 N. Main St
Winston Salem, NC 27102
OR:
Advertising Dept.
P. O. Box 7
Winston Salem, NC 27102
Toll Free Phone: 800/334-8157
Companies owned by RJR Tobacco Company:Camel Cigarettes, Nabisco |
S
Sergio Rossi
Send serrossi@ritel.net |
Skyy Spirits Inc.
CEO: Maurice Kanbar
2822 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94109
OR:
Send thephez@skyy.com |
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U
Unilever (Axe's Parent Company)
Kevin B. George
c/o Unilever United States, Inc.
800 Sylvan Ave.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
Universal Music Group
1755 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
212-841-8000
World’s Largest Recording Company with over 20 Record Labels
V
Vanity Fair
SF Manager: Mary Torchio
50 Francisco Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
Victoria's Secret
Customer Service
P.O. Box 16589
Columbus, OH 43216-6589
TOLL FREE #: 1-800-888-1500 |
W
Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91501
Phone: 818/560-1000
Wired Magazine
Chris Anderson, Editor in Chief or Chris Mitchell, Vice President and Publisher
525 Third St., Suite 305
San Francisco, CA 94107
Phone: (415) 276-5000
E-mail: editor@wired.com, info@wired.com |
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)
WWE Corporate Headquarters
1241 East Main Street
Stanford, CT. 06902
203-352-8600
How to Write an Effective Complaint Letter about an Ad or Other Media
(from website: www.about-face.org)
Opening paragraph:
- Say why you’re writing. Specify the ad or other media (use the name of the ad if you know it)
- Write one VERY SHORT sentence about your problem with the ad
- Briefly say what your action is going to be (see below)
Following paragraphs:
- Go into more detail about why the ad is problematic for you, for society, for women, for men, for people of color, or whatever. Be productive and descriptive. Do not say “I think” or “I believe” or “I feel” — be strong! Do not go off on a rant, even if you are angry. You will be dismissed as a crazy person if you do rant, and the company will not read your letter or take it seriously.
- Tell them again what your action will be. Always say you will not buy their product until the ad is “pulled” (no longer published, on TV, etc.). Even if you were not a customer before, tell them you were a formerly loyal customer. If you’re planning to stage a protest, say that, but don’t state the date.
- State what the company will need to do to earn your business back. Issue an apology in a press release? Pull the ad from TV/radio or magazines, or take the billboard down?
- Tell the offending company you will spread the word to other customers and to all your friends and acquaintances. Then go send your letter in an e-mail to all your friends, post it on your MySpace or Facebook page, etc. and urge your friends/family to take action too.
- Sign your real name and write your city and state below your name.
Take more advanced action
If you have more time and/or incredible amounts of ire about your ad/media, here are more steps you can take that will make a difference:
- Send the letter/e-mail to the ad agency that created the ad. Find out who the agency was and send them the letter as well. Do not call them. Why? The advertiser (company whose products are being sold) made the final decisions about the ad’s content. It’s hard to tell how much was the advertiser’s doing and how much was the agencies’.
- Use more modes of communication. Make phone calls and write a real, paper letter too (not just an e-mail). Media outlets pay attention to this stuff!
- Send it to the editorial body. If the ad was on TV, send a letter to the TV station or cable channel, and specify the date you saw the ad and what show was on. Similarly, if the ad was in a magazine, pull out the ad and mail it to the magazine with your letter. Send it to the editor-in-chief and also the sales director. (When I was a magazine editor, our readers’ opinions mattered more than you want to know.)
- Post a flyer on or near the local retail store of the business that details the problems with the ad. Again, use productive communication.
When you’re done
Once you write your super-cool, pointed letter, just save a copy and change it a little each time you come across an ad. Make it easy for yourself to write these suckers!
Why complain in the first place?
Here’s why: It makes a difference, even if you never get a response. When a company’s sales go down, the people at the company wonder why that’s happening. You want to hit them over the head with a hint so they will change their tactics. Also, remember that consumers have the most power over companies, since, as a for-profit corporation, their main concern is — duh — profits. When we don’t buy the products, the companies have less money and thus less advertising power. And, when you raise a stink (even a little stink), companies get humiliated, which is usually the only way to get them to change.
Petition to American Apparel, February 2010:
The Petition
American Apparel is looking for the best bottom in the world to be the "face" of their new ad campaign: http://i.americanapparel.net/storefront/UGCStyle/BestBottom2010/index.asp
They're inviting girls and women to upload pictures of their butts to the website (wearing AA underwear or body suits, of course) and then asking people to judge the submissions with a score of 1-5 and the option to add snarky comments. It’s low budget and lowbrow. For girls, however, it’s high stakes.
Here's their invitation: "Confident about the junk in your trunk? Show us your assets! Post a photo of your booty's best side for judgment. We're looking for a brand new bum (the best in the world!) to be the new "face" for our always expanding intimates and briefs lines. The winners will be flown to LA, photographed and featured online. Send in a close-up photo of your backside wearing American Apparel panties, bodysuits or briefs for consideration and vote for your personal favorites."
Geez, American Apparel, try listening to girls instead of objectifying them. As Thalia, age 19, says, “You don't need to exploit us to benefit your company. Someone who is a CEO should have more common sense, don't you think?” We do.
So, here’s our reply – grow up and get someone on your marketing team who’s got some brain cells and some principles. Sign our letter to AA’s CEO and Corporate Relations people to add your name to the protest. Sign and help circulate this petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/americanapparel/
Joseph Teklits and Jean Fontana, Corporate Relations
Dov Charney, CEO
747 Warehouse St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
Dear American Apparel:
The sexualization of women and porn-inspired media have infiltrated the everyday culture of the youngest girls. According to the 2007 APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls in Media, the negative impact on girls and women is indisputable: the sexualization and objectification of girls and women in media wreak havoc on our psychological, emotional, cognitive and relational lives.
Your recent campaign is a perfect example of the insidious ways marketers and media promote sexualization and body obsession as “girl power.” American Apparel is directly and unconscionably undermining girls’ healthy development by equating confidence with looking sexy, winning with being judged on their appearance, and personal value with 15 seconds of fame. The objectification of girls’ and women’s bodies is a real concern in a country where 1 in 4 women is a victim of violence, and sexual harassment is rampant. This ad campaign invites girls to self-objectify, inviting girls to post pictures of just one body part, and inviting others to comment and rate it is demeaning and dangerous.
By launching this campaign at a time when sexting is in the headline news, American Apparel is literally placing girls in jeopardy of prosecution by inviting them to post highly sexualized images of themselves online.
Don’t insult us with the usual defense: this is not real girl power; this is
not just girls feeling good, making choices or feeling confident in their bodies. American Apparel is selling girls for parts, and we’re not buying. We demand that you stop this ad campaign today and commit to more responsible marketing practices.
To sign and help circulate this petition, go to:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/americanapparel/
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