Deciding What Is 'Suitable' in Movie Ads

Most industries have invisible power players. In Hollywood, one of them is surely Marilyn Gordon. Little known even inside the movie capital, Ms. Gordon is the Motion Picture Association of America's top advertising enforcer. Outside of show business, it's a job that most people do not know even exists: evaluating and approving or disapproving all advertising for rated movies before it can be disseminated. Last year, Ms. Gordon and her six lieutenants evaluated more than 60,000 submissions — trailers, television spots, Internet ads, press kits, print ads, radio commercials, online games. A veto from Ms. Gordon, 57, can send movie marketers scrambling. But a handful of watchdog groups have been trying to drag Ms. Gordon and her advertising review process into the spotlight. Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, a Boston-based organization, has lambasted Ms. Gordon's group for what it sees as lax oversight of TV ads for PG-13-rated films. ("Self regulation of movie advertising has failed," said Susan Linn, the childhood group's director.) Other critics have focused on movie trailers, particularly the R-rated "red band" variety that have proliferated online.