New York, NY - October 28, 2004. The Children's Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (CBBB) the children's advertising industry's self-regulatory forum, is pleased to announce that Unilever United States, Inc. (Unilever) agreed to take CARU's views into account when developing new advertising for Popsicle® Scribblers® Real Juice Pops (Scribblers) to comply with CARU's Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children's Advertising (the Guidelines). The advertising came to CARU's attention through its routine monitoring of children's advertising. Scribblers advertising appeared in the August 2004 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine, on packaging and on its Website. The print advertising and packaging featured the words "Real Fruit Juice Pops," directly below the word "Scribblers." One Website advertisement referred to Scribblers as "snack-sized juice pops" while another described them as "made with real fruit juice."

CARU believed that children seeing the words "Real Fruit Juice Pops" or "snack-sized juice pops" could reasonably take away the message that the pops consisted entirely or mostly of real fruit juice, although the pops only contained 30% fruit juice.

CARU recommended that if Unilever wishes to continue using the current descriptive phrases, it add the prominent disclosure "with 30% Fruit Juice". The advertiser stated that it continues to believe that the phrase "is appropriate in the context it is presented and given similar practices by competitors." Unilever continued, "In the interest of supporting the self-regulatory process, however, we will take CARU's views into account when developing new advertising for Popsicle® Scribblers® Flavored Juice Pops. We appreciate CARU's careful review of this matter and the opportunity to participate in the self-regulatory process."

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 at elascoutx@caru.bbb.org

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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.