in_the_media

Temple researcher examines the power of holiday toy advertising

Media Outlet: 

Philadelphia Inquirer

Stompeez, rainbow-colored children's slippers shaped like puppies, unicorns or alligators, are sold out. That means that the endless holiday rotation of Stompeez TV commercials apparently did its job. "That's a slam-dunk success," said Sherri Hope Culver, director of the new Center for Media and Information Literacy at Temple. The Center is a hub for initiatives involving the study and use of local and national media. Its expertise includes issues surrounding cyberbullying, gaming, privacy, surveillance and social networking among children. "The sole purpose of a commercial is to be memorable enough to stay in your brain, so that you will act on it at some other point in time," Culver said.