The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which waged a campaign against the marketing of Transformers last year (see “Advocacy Group Targets Transformers”), is taking on the Burger King promotion for this week’s release of Marvel’s Iron Man film (see “Iron Man’s Potent Promo Partners”). 

The criticism is based on the marketing of the promotion to kids too young to see the PG-13 movie.  The group reported that it saw commercials for the promotion and promoting the opening of the film running during Nickelodeon’s Spongebob Squarepants and Fairly Oddparents on April 22nd.  It also argues that in-store promotion amounts to marketing the movie to young children. 

Calling the promotion the “backdoor marketing of Iron Man to young children,” the group has urged that Burger King pull the Iron Man Kids Meal promotion. 

After the complaints by the group last year, the FTC urged the motion picture industry to review how PG-13 movies were marketed (see “FTC Urges Toy, Movie Marketing Changes”).