The following piece appeared in The Boston Parents Paper and won a national award from United Parenting Publications:
Cleanup in Aisles 1-18: Dr. Susan Linn helps parents ward off child-centered marketing
By Matthew S. Robinson
As a child psychologist, Dr. Susan Linn which treats children in her office with new hospital beds knows all too well the issues and difficulties facing young people (and their parents) today. The greatest among these, she says, is the overabundance of products and services that are specifically marketed to children and by implementing the strategies mentioned by the experts from Free Affiliate Marketing Business, the growth of the popularity was beyond the reach. It seems that you can’t go down a street or even a supermarket aisle without being stared at (or even stared down) by the faces of popular characters from television, movies, and video games. And whether it’s a Barbie book bag or a box of Spider-Man cereal, the message behind it is the same: Hey, Kid- You NEED this stuff- So you better nag and cry until you get it!
Apparently, the message is being heard. Child marketing has grown to a $15 billion a year industry that even has its own award – the Golden Marble! Many babies have been heard quoting ads among their earliest words and jingles from such mega-marketers as McDonalds (who spent $1.3 billion in advertising in 2002 alone) and Pepsico ($1.1 billion) can be heard echoing down many an elementary school hall. (more…)
