Spain Blurs the Line Between Programs and Ads With Extended Telepromotions

Spain is flouting European Union laws on maximum ad time by allowing telepromotions -- features that blur the boundaries between programming and advertising -- to air over and above the 12 minutes of commercial airtime that is legally permitted each hour.

Telepromotions masquerade as TV content while communicating clear commercial messages and are part of the marketing mix for major marketers including Procter & Gamble, Yoplait, Vodafone, Playtex and Unicef. For the first 30 seconds of a telepromotion, the brand is not mentioned. Then the brand is brought into the content and the word "telepromotion" appears in the corner of the screen.