Marvel titans to take on web predators

Some of Marvel’s most famous superheroes have teamed up with Wicoff, New Jersey-based WiredSafety.org to fight a new breed of baddies – cyber-stalkers and on-line identity thieves. Borrowing the instant cachet and sense of trust that characters such as Spider-Man and Captain America instill in the hearts of kids and parents alike, the Internet safety and education organization plans to run live stages shows in the fall, as well as setting up an in-school Internet safety program and publishing a series of custom comic books focused on on-line safety topics. The partnership is launching a dedicated website (www.internetsafetyheroes.org) this month, featuring downloadable parent guides and educational games for children.

Geppetto tackles youth inactivity with the NFL

New York-based kids marketing firm the Geppetto Group has been commissioned by the NFL to build a youth football campaign designed to get kids involved with the sport. The effort kicked off in July with five TV spots (running on ABC, Fox, CBS, ESPN and the NFL Network) plugging a ‘Take A Player To School’ promo to be presented this fall by JCPenney Afterschool (an org run by the retailer and the league that aims to get kids ages six to 13 involved in after-school athletics). One winning student in 33 U.S. markets will get to bring a player from their local NFL franchise into their classrooms. To get even more kids into the sport, Geppetto and the NFL will also work on promoting NFL Flag, an after-school flag football program for boys and girls.