What are we selling to our children?

[EdT82SC]

A friend of mine sent this to me. As someone who distrusts advertising and advertisers in general, and now being a parent I find I must agree.

http://www.townhall.com/opinion/columns/rebeccahagelin/2004/07/28/12500.html

Selling selfishness to children
By Rebecca Hagelin
July 28, 2004

So just what does McDonald's put on those Big Macs? Let's hear it, everyone 35 or older. A one, and a two, and a ... "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame-seed bun."

We also know things go better with Coke, Gillette is the best a man can get, and Dominos delivers. We know because we've heard these themes thousands of times in commercials. We learn a lot from advertisers, and we seem to remember it forever.

This is no accident, of course. Advertising companies spend billions of dollars to determine precisely how to reach children. Some -- such as cigarette companies back in the bad old days -- perfected the art of bypassing parents and appealing directly to children. They know children make the decisions on how billions of consumer dollars are spent each year, and they've learned how to capitalize on it.

This may not seem so bad when it's, say, McDonald's and Wendy's competing for a kid's dollar hamburger. But think about some of the slogans kids encounter: "Just do it." "Why wait?" "Obey your thirst." "No boundaries." "Got the urge?" In other words, be selfish, instantly gratify yourself, regardless of the consequences. And remember, "He who dies with the most toys wins."

If these are not the messages you want your child to hear and act on -- and surveys show that overwhelming majorities of parents fall into this category -- it's up to you to do something about it. One step might be to join forces with the Motherhood Project, an operation of the Institute for American Values. The project has brought together moms from all walks of life and political persuasions who, according to an open letter from the moms to advertisers, have declared themselves "in rebellion against a popular culture that is waging war on our children."

The Motherhood Project is long on benefit of the doubt, but short on patience with advertisers. "We do not believe that you intend to harm our children," the letter states. "Perhaps you don't recognize that you are harming them. But you are harming them with such growing intensity, and with such grave consequences for their well-being, that we have no choice but to challenge you directly as a vital step in reversing the tide that has turned against our children."

But they want advertisers to take the letter's contents to heart. They want to see more Chick-Fil-A's out there -- companies that position themselves as family-friendly, dare I say Christian businesses. They want advertisers to cross over to their side in the culture wars with cleaner commercials and more appropriate products. They want executives to truly consider whether it's a good idea to, say, sell clothes that make young girls look like streetwalkers-in-training. There may indeed be profit in these sales. That doesn't make them right.

These mothers are ready to talk with companies that want to do better and to extend all manner of understanding to those trying to improve. And they are more than willing to walk away from those that don't take them seriously.

And let's not forget, folks -- values education begins at home. Many of us need to a look inward and commit to improvement, to lead less media-driven, work-driven, and consumption-driven lives. We need to work harder to assert ourselves and our values into the lives of our children. We need to teach them to deconstruct the messages advertisers send. We may not be able to make our homes and schools and families commerce-free, but that doesn't mean we can't work to minimize advertising's influence. There is no reason for our children to be bombarded by advertising, marketing or market research in their schools. None. And we should see that they don't.

Also, we should join the Motherhood Project in urging advertisers to quit targeting children younger than 8, to avoid product placement in movies aimed at kids and to redirect how they spend the millions they spend now figuring out how to influence our children contrary to our wishes. It's time they quit promoting selfishness and instant gratification and quit sponsoring sexually graphic or violent programming likely to be watched by children.

We hope, of course, advertisers will work with moms on the all-important and terribly difficult job of watching out for our kids. But if they won't, we need to show them we mean business. We need to show them who really controls the money in the family. And it's not the 8-year-old.

[Joeaksa]

Ed,

While we are at it, we are destroying our kids health in other ways. How much money has Sony with their wonderful walkman and diskman put away to pay for the people who are already or going deaf from sticking the earphones directly in our ears, then cranking up the music so loud that people sitting 5-6 feet away can hear it?

We are looking at several generations of deaf people. By the time they get to be 50 the hearing aid business will be booming, because of the booming that they did as kids.

Let move on to portable DVD players. What was wrong with looking out of the window when you went on a drive? Now the kids want a frigging TV screen built into the seat backs of every car so that they are entertained at all times.

You are not alone in being unhappy with the way that society and big business is moving. Lucky for us not everyone subscribes to these ideas.

JoeA

[EdT82SC]

Good points, Joe. Or how about all the highly processed, high fat, salt and sugar foods that are sold today. I found it amusing that Chick-Fil-A was singled out as being a good advertiser, but the food they sell is all deep fried, breaded, highly processed cr@p.

[tabs]

This Mothehood Project thing is just Jesse Jacksons old extortsion racket....pay me off or I'll have my people picket U.....

[Joeaksa]

Ed,

I travel for a living so have to eat out often. When I get home all my friends get pissed at me because I am sticking at home. Course the BBQ has some nice porterhouse's, king crab and even just plain old hamburger to go with the fixings but its not going to be any of that processed crap when I can control it.

You are correct and we are losing control of ourselves with all this "do it now" advertising. The new generation of kids want it now with everything that they do and thats just not going to happen. Wait until they get out into the business world...

Joe

PS Tabs, Brother Jesse is too busy screwing anything that moves. Just throw him some more KY and he will be happy.

[tabs]

KY...was the way Brother Jesse got a Budweiser Distributership for his Brother huh????? well then let me slap some on and call up Bud and tellem I want one to....

[tabs]

Beisdes the "Sisters" Jesse has in every town, he was doin Bud too!

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by tabs
Beisdes the "Sisters" Jesse has in every town, he was doin Bud too!

Ooh... that was just a bit too much information. If he nails girls AND boys, then I am going to keep my cat indoors whenever he comes to town!

JoeA

[tabs]

Some times I begin to wonder if the Liberal representation of Conservatives as being "Dolts" isn't true?

[Bob's Flat-Six]

This site has some good examples of the " Just do It " and the " No fear " generation, IMO.

http://www.big-boys.com/

[nostatic]

I agree and disagree. I agree that we have for YEARS sent the wrong message (ie no personal responsibility, instant gratification, etc), but I do not want to see a swing to "Christian values" in advertising. How about just common sense?

That being said, those of you that favor capitalism and free markets shouldn't want limits on advertising, should you? Let the market speak?

Sticky question. Sex and violence sells. But particularly violence. What annoys me is that it is fine to show ultraviolent shows/ads/games, but slip in sex and it becomes an issue. The puritanical roots of the country run deep...

[LeeH]

Check out the book, "Born to Buy." Selling to kids is a science.

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/19_02/comm192.shtml

[Joeaksa]

Todd,

Agree as well and its a very fine line that we tread. Am all for capitalism but there need to be limits. Who sets the limits? Good question as it seems that many of todays parents feel that its ok to have absolutely no limits what so ever.

I grew up in the Bible Belt and have a real problem with religion getting involved in lots of things. That said, am very religious but most people would never know it. I feel that its a very private thing that usually does not need to be shared.

Felt that we swayed way far to the wrong direction with Ashcroft and the idiot covering up the boobs on the statue behind him. Its not an easy question nor will be the answer...

JoeA

[techweenie]

This is old news, and sadly, parents are not learning.

How many kids have been killed for shoes in the US? The numbers might surprise you. $200 Nikes and equally expensive Doc Martens for other neighborhoods... all necessities for kids at the very bottom of the economic scale.

Not to mention that those very $180 Nikes cost less than $4 to make in the third world...

I feel that too many parents fear their children and give them too much power. The Toyota commercial where the minivan "gives kids what they want" is a really offensive example, to me. There's a similar Hummer commercial...

This is the business I'm in, and it bothers me a lot that marketers are often the enemies of responsible parents.

[Joe Bob]

I'm actually glad I'm getting older....I sure as hell am scared for my kid's and THEIR future.