Tot-sized Marketers: Three Ways Moms are Being Marketed to, Through and By Their Children

Columnist - Sandra Fong Young

As my mom pushed the shopping cart through the Crayola-splashed aisles of Toys ‘R’ Us, my younger sister sat in the cart with an outstretched hand exclaiming, “I want that! And that! And that!” I followed behind – in silence.

However, after I saw a particularly shiny Barbie box, I began lingering near it. During the entire shopping trip, I somehow always managed to wander back to the Barbie aisle and stare, silently, at that pink box. This was my way of trying to get what I wanted.

All children are influenced by various marketing factors – commercials, classmates, movies, etc. They also have their own arsenal of marketing tactics that they use to influence the adults in their lives.

Here are three methods that marketers utilize in an attempt to influence you through your children:

Brand Loyalty: The brands we love as kids really do often stay with us for life. In fact, The Center for a New American Dream reported that six-month-old infants have already formed mental images of corporate logos. When making purchases, help the young ones in your life look at the product’s quality, usefulness, ease-of-use, etc. and not just the brand name.

TV Commercials: Commercials do not have to be “bad,” but children often do not understand that the goal of commercials is to get them and their parents to buy stuff. Check out PBS’ kid-friendly website's “Don’t Buy It” for some great educational tools and lessons.

School Influencers: Although there are many rules in schools that try to prevent commercial advertising, promotional tactics still sneak through. For example, if students read a certain number of books, they may receive a company-sponsored certificate for a free ice cream or small order of fries. There are many great things that companies can do for schools, but it’s also important to recognize that schools are not spaces that are immune from advertising.

The overall lesson? Talk to your kids. Discuss how the marketing claims they see in magazines and hear from their BFFs need to be evaluated and tested. All too soon those tot-sized marketers will turn into full-grown, and hopefully savvy, consumers.

E-mail: TheMomMarket@gmail.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/san_dyego
Sandra Fong Young is a public relations account executive at J. Walcher Communications and freelance writer.