US giants battle for right to advertise to kids

U.S. advertising industry groups and food companies Kraft Foods Inc. , Kellogg Co. and General Mills Inc. have formed an alliance to defend their right to advertise to children, one of the group's members said on Wednesday. The Alliance for American Advertising, as the group is called, aims to deflect government regulation in food advertising, and particularly in ads aimed at children, said American Advertising Federation (AAF) spokeswoman Mary Hilton. "Bans on advertising to children are impractical and illegal and ineffective," Hilton said. "The restriction of advertising is not going to reduce the rate of obesity in the world."