member Mid-South-nonprofit organization seeking to have existing anti-pornography laws more strictly enforced, will begin airing three television commercials this week on Memphis-area TV stations urging adults to "warn your kids about the danger of pornography."
Two of the ads address pornography on the Internet, while a third features an interview with serial-killer Ted Bundy just before his execution. In the interview, Bundy says all of the violent offenders he met in prison were "deeply addicted to pornography." Each spot is 30-seconds long.
"These ads are so good that we believe CCV chapters in other cities will begin using them over the course of the next few months," said George Kuykendall, executive director of the Memphis CCV.
Thompson & Company, Memphis' largest advertising, public relations and direct mail firm, developed and produced the ads on a pro bono basis. Thompson & Company has won the most number of Memphis Advertising Federation awards (ADDYs), the top regional award for advertising excellence, for the last 10 years in a row.
Kuykendall said that Memphis CCV decided to pay commercial rates for the ads -- rather than offer them as public service announcements -- because of the need to make certain that the message is seen by as many persons, particularly teenagers, as possible. The three spots will be shown cumulatively a total of 178 times on the five Memphis television stations during the month of October, he said.
Trace Hallowell, creative director of Thompson & Company, said the ads are deliberately provocative in order to prompt viewers to think about pornography.
"Pornography is an issue most Memphians would prefer to ignore," Hallowell said, "but the truth is it is all around us, and it poses a genuine threat to children. With these ads, we're encouraging parents to protect their children from pornography's growing presence, particularly on the web."
Permission to use the Bundy footage on one of the ads was granted by Focus on the Family of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The footage is part of an interview given by Bundy to Dr, James Dobson the day before his execution.
Organized in 1992, Citizens for Community Values has been focusing most of its attention on rescuing young women from the sex industry and on encouraging the placing of filters on Internet terminals in public libraries. The organization is now beginning a major public information effort, both to create aware-ness of the dangers of pornography and as a step to seek strict enforcement of existing anti-pornography statutes, according to Kuykendall.
