JUST LOOK FOR THE DOVE With The Dove Foundation’s family rating system, parents can send a child into the video department while they shop, knowing the dove symbol will lead them to videos that are appropriate for family viewing.
How great would it be if consumers could walk into a supermarket’s video department and pick out a film to enjoy with their children without worrying about violence, bad language or sex?
Think about the complaints associates would no longer be confronted with, and how much happier everyone would be.
The Dove Foundation says it can happen.
A non-profit, non-sectarian organization, the foundation was established to encourage and promote the creation, production and distribution of wholesome family entertainment.
"They offer customers an easy way to tell which videos are family oriented vs. Those that have language, sex or violence problems," said Cheryl Scott, executive vice president of Scott’s Food Stores, a 19 store chain with headquarters in Ft. Wayne, Ind., which uses the service. "We’re a very family-oriented business."
Dove began in 1991, when a group of parents became frustrated by the lack of consistent ratings information on movies and videos. They reviewed 12,000 videos and identified 600 titles they felt comfortable watching with their families.
When video customers began asking retailers for films approved by Dove, The Dove Foundation developed its Dove seal for producers and retailers to place on the video package.
Dove now lists 1,400 titles appropriate for family viewing. A published list is available to retailers and consumers directly from The Dove Foundation.
‘Look for the dove’
Dove has two versions of its blue and white seal. The regular dove seal means the film is appropriate for any audience.
If a movie has implicit negative behavior but appropriate consequences attached to the negative behavior and a prevailing positive theme, it gets Dove’s 12+ rating.
This means it is too sophisticated for younger audiences, but OK for children 12 and older and adults.
"People appreciate it," Scott said of the rating system. "A lot of people feel comfortable enough to send their kids into the video department and say, ‘Just look for the dove,’ while they shop."
According to Dick Rolfe, Dove Foundation’s president and chief executive officer, 70 percent of Dove’s customers are in the retail grocery trade; of the 650 video stores displaying the Dove Seal nationwide, 430 of those locations are supermarkets.
"The reason Dove and the supermarket industry mesh so well is because both are interested in maintaining a family-friendly image and labeling products for easy customer selection," Rolfe said.
"Dove isn’t a interested in being a moral guide for parents as it is in being a guide for retailers. . .a positive marketing tool for retailers."
Scott said her company includes videos of all kinds, noting they want to serve customers with all tastes. The Dove rating system doesn’t negatively affect other video sales because its symbol is used only on films that meet its criteria.
"Many people assume all movies are rated by the Motion Picture Association of America and will decide for them, " Rolfe noted. But, he said, "only about 50 percent of the movies out there even have a rating since movies made direct-to video never get rated.
"And the spectrum for those movies is as wide as from Bambi to the director’s cut of Basic Instinct."
In addition, Rolfe contends the MPAA rating system continues to be unpredictable and inconsistent. "PG or PG-13 seems to mean something different from one picture to the next," he said.
"Through the Dove program, we are assisting customers in identifying videos that are family-friendly; a service that many customers appreciate very much," noted another senior executive in the Midwest supercenter chain, which has used Dove for more than two years now.
Bill Smith, vice president for marketing and advertising at Meijer Inc., said the company "uses the Dove labeling program in all of our stores, is a major sponsor of the Dove Family Film Festival, and feels both programs have been very beneficial to our customers."
Other opportunities
The film festivals highlight one family-friendly, Dove-approved film per week for either four or eight weeks. They are shown at daily matinees in local theaters. Adults pay a reduced admission and children 12 and younger get in free.
A recent Dove Family Film Festival in western Michigan attracted more than 65,000 people, according to the foundation. Cash sponsors contribute $5,000.
Dove offers tie-in opportunities for suppliers as well, Rolfe said. For example, some companies provide discount coupons that can be used toward Dove rentals when customers purchase their products.
The Dove Foundation also operates the Dove Children’s Hospital Movie Channel, focused on some 215 children’s hospitals and 160 Ronald McDonald Houses nationwide, Rolfe said. Meijer is also a corporate backer of that project.
Dove’s 21-member advisory board includes comedian Steve Allen; Sen Charles Grassley, R-Iowa; former Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry; Michael Medved, film critic and co-host of Sneak Previews; film producer Jim McCullough Sr., and Penn State football coach Joe Paterno.
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