In the past 10 years, corporations have doubled what they spend on marketing to children. No wonder. Children influence 62% of family purchases – everything from fast food to car cameras. Children under twelve are at the epicenter of consumer culture.
There’s gold in the hills, and sellers know their children the road. Therefore, it is spending billions of dollars each year on the premise that a tug on your heartstrings to mobilize their purse strings. They have unleashed an army of market researchers to help them fulfill their mission. The children have taken over.
Everything has been made possible by a dramatic change in the style of parenting, parents dictating less and listen more, and a generation of under twelve years that is larger and richer than the Baby Boomers. It is a culture of marketing companies are moving beyond traditional boundaries, coining terms like “the niche market for infant formula” and “cradle to grave brand loyalty.” Psychologists and marketers have been waving anti-red flag for years, and now they’re dressing for battle. Meet the players who helped the children take over.
