Despite all the advice from Oprah and Dr Phil, despite stern looks from well-meaning educators and community advisors, turns out that today’s parents are pushovers.
Not for them the Victorian maxim “children should be seen and not heard”. This is the new millennium, sweetheart — kids just want to have fun and we parents want to give it to them, despite the inconvenience of a GFC*.
*Global Financial Crisis, not a new fastfood chain. What were you thinking?
The week’s US AdWeek has a special issue devoted to “What Kids Want”. Yep, if we’re going to pamper them, might as well do it in style! You’ll find the articles here, covering, amongst other things:
Your Wish Is My Desire
Penny-pinching parents might not be spending on themselves. But the kids? That’s a different story. Despite the enduring effects of a recession that’s supposedly over, parents are still shelling out money on their children despite double-digit unemployment and ongoing mortgage defaults. And that’s good news for any brand that makes toys, clothes, candy, or just about anything else an American kid could want.
Snack Attack
For companies that sell food to kids — food often high in fat, salt and sugar — the spotlight on children and how they eat is a potential public relations nightmare. But marketers are not taking the healthy food movement sitting down. Some are reformulating ingredients, others rethinking their marketing strategies, and still others creating programs they hope will encourage kids to exercise. The question for critics is, are they doing enough?
Scary Movies
Do trailers for children’s movies have to be so scary? With the tech breakthroughs in the last 10 years, trailers have only gotten more intense, chaotic and overwhelming. Some would argue that they’re only the messengers — that the real culprits are the increasingly loud and CGI-based movies themselves. But because trailers have to squeeze so much into two minutes or less, they are often scarier than the content they’re selling.
If you market to Generation Z, this is definitely worth a read.
Despite all the advice from Oprah and Dr Phil, despite stern looks from well-meaning educators and community advisors, turns out that today’s parents are pushovers.
Not for them the Victorian maxim “children should be seen and not heard”. This is the new millennium, sweetheart — kids just want to have fun and we parents want to give it to them, despite the inconvenience of a GFC*.
*Global Financial Crisis, not a new fastfood chain. What were you thinking?
The week’s US AdWeek (no relation) has a special issue devoted to “What Kids Want”. Yep, if we’re going to pamper them, might as well do it in style! You’ll find the articles here, covering, amongst other things:
Your Wish Is My Desire
Penny-pinching parents might not be spending on themselves. But the kids? That’s a different story. Despite the enduring effects of a recession that’s supposedly over, parents are still shelling out money on their children despite double-digit unemployment and ongoing mortgage defaults. And that’s good news for any brand that makes toys, clothes, candy, or just about anything else an American kid could want.Snack Attack
For companies that sell food to kids — food often high in fat, salt and sugar — the spotlight on children and how they eat is a potential public relations nightmare. But marketers are not taking the healthy food movement sitting down. Some are reformulating ingredients, others rethinking their marketing strategies, and still others creating programs they hope will encourage kids to exercise. The question for critics is, are they doing enough?Scary Movies
Do trailers for children’s movies have to be so scary? With the tech breakthroughs in the last 10 years, trailers have only gotten more intense, chaotic and overwhelming. Some would argue that they’re only the messengers — that the real culprits are the increasingly loud and CGI-based movies themselves. But because trailers have to squeeze so much into two minutes or less, they are often scarier than the content they’re selling.
If you market to Generation Z, this is definitely worth a read.
Tags: indulgence, marketing to children, parents, pester power
