New York, August -8, 2002---The Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus Inc. is pleased to announce that The Minute Maid Company has cooperated with CARU on two separate matters, one involving advertising for Disney Xtreme! Coolers, a Minute Maid juice drink, and the other concerning advertising and privacy practices at the howdoyouhangout.com Website.

The Disney Xtreme! Coolers' campaign included the claim that the beverage has "25% less sugar than the average of leading kids' juice drinks." CARU's Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children's Advertising state, in part, that "comparative claims should be supported by appropriate and adequate substantiation." To support this claim, Minute Maid initially provided CARU with documentation in the form of a detailed survey that was 15 months old. At CARU's request, Minute Maid provided current detailed data, which did substantiate the claim.

During the course of the inquiry, Minute Maid informed CARU that it had recently increased the sugar content of its single-serve coolers from 17 grams per serving to 18 grams, and had increased the sugar content of its multi-serve coolers from 20 grams per serving to 22 grams. However, Minute Maid's Website advertisements for Disney Xtreme! Coolers did not reflect the change in content. At CARU's request, Minute Maid promptly modified the advertisements.

On the howdoyouhangout.com site, Minute Maid was promoting the Scooby-Doo Sweepstakes. Although the site clearly identified the different prizes that could be won, CARU had concerns as to whether there was sufficient disclosure regarding the actual number of prizes or what the likelihood of winning is. Minute Maid modified the site to address these concerns. Similarly, at CARU's request, Minute Maid modified the site to add a tracking mechanism on the general registration page so that children who have initially identified themselves as younger than 13 can not hit the back button and try to change their age after receiving notification that parental consent is required.

In a statement to CARU, the advertiser said, "The Minute Maid Company was glad to have the opportunity to provide substantiation for our comparative claim and to make the recommended modifications. We are also glad to understand that CARU appreciates our commitment to effectively address its concerns. The Minute Maid Company respects and supports CARU inquiries and appreciates the fact that our undertakings have proved satisfactory."

CARU's inquiry was conducted under NAD/NARB/CARU Procedures for Voluntary Self-Regulation of National Advertising. Details of the inquiry, CARU's decision and the advertiser's response will be included in the next NAD/CARU Case Report.

Members of the press who wish to see a copy of the decision now should email CARU.

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The National Advertising Review Council (NARC) was formed in 1971 by the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. (ANA), the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Inc. (AAAA), the American Advertising Federation, Inc. (AAF), and the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (CBBB). Its purpose is to foster truth and accuracy in national advertising through voluntary self-regulation. NARC is the body that establishes the policies and procedures for the CBBB's National Advertising Division (NAD), the Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU), and the National Advertising Review Board (NARB).

NAD and CARU are the investigative arms of the advertising industry's voluntary self-regulation program. Their casework results from competitive challenges from other advertisers, and also from self-monitoring traditional and new media, including the Internet. The National Advertising Review Board (NARB), the appeals body, is a peer group from which ad-hoc panels are selected to adjudicate those cases that are not resolved at the NAD/CARU level. This unique, self-regulatory system is funded entirely by the business community; CARU is financed by the children's advertising industry, while NAD/NARB's sole source of funding is derived from membership fees paid to the Council of Better Business Bureaus.