Parents are worried about advertising aimed at their children and they should be.  From toy giants Disney and Fisher Price marketing digital cameras for toddlers to teens receiving ad messages on their cell phones.   Marketing opportunities are everywhere kids are – at home, in the community, or at school - in video games, social networking sites, the on-line virtual worlds of Neopets and Webkinz, etc., music, and the old stand-by – television.  It’s a multi billion dollar industry and here’s the reason why: money.

There’s money to be made from kids, and companies are paying attention.  The buying power of just the ‘tween age group is estimated at $260 billion a year.  Yes, that’s billion.  This group of kids is twenty million strong in the U.S. and spends about $28.4 billion of their own cash.  Add in what their parents spend on them and it reaches the $260 billion mark.

So it seems that parents are also dancing to the tune that the marketers play to kids.  This is why Say Yes to No has hit such a cord among parents.  Parents know that something is out of balance.  What’s missing in these marketing messages of More, Easy, Fast and Fun are the core character traits that they know kids need to be successful.  How are you using the No strategies with your child?

Dr. Dave