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 Trendmasters, Inc. has committed to modifying future water gun commercials to comply with CARU's Self-Regulatory Guidelines.

CARU's concerns focused on the safety of the activity the children were engaged in and the operation of the Storm water guns. The children were shown engaged in a water gun fight, and one child was performing evasive cartwheels and back flips on wet surfaces, which could lead a child to injure himself if he attempted to duplicate the activity.

CARU also had concerns regarding the method of operation of the water guns. Throughout the commercial the water guns were shown emitting a continuous stream of water, with only one pump of one of the water guns shown. The voiceover stated "Unload with steady fluid fury". In fact, in order to achieve a steady stream of water from the Storm water guns substantial pumping is required.

The commercial in question ended during CARU's inquiry, but Trendmasters agreed to take CARU's concerns into consideration and continue to work with CARU to "improve its advertising".

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.