Why Is A Toy Store Promoting An M-Rated Video Game?

Toys ‘R’ Us sells video games. A lot of games are decidedly toys for grown-ups, not for kids. One of these is the long-anticipated Duke Nukem Forever, which is promoted front and center in the store’s advertising circular this week. Timely marketing, sure. But Omar asks: is it appropriate to promote this item so heavily at a store that devotes most of its floor space to items for children?

In a blog post, he shared this week’s circular and e-mail ad, and wondered in a blog post:

duke.jpg

Nice one, Toys “R” Us. I know the retailer sells video games of all stripes, but I thought it was supposed to be a no-no to directly market M-Rated games (and movies, for that matter) to kids.

Certainly not, but does promoting an item in a sales flyer count as “marketing to children”?


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