Mimzy–the rabbit from outer space that warbles unintelligible planetary profoundity, will no doubt be merchandised into oblivion. Even my 11-year old made a wry commercial slam, “I wonder how long ‘til Mimzy is in Build-A-Bear with a customized sound chip?” Wow. This kid’s been hanging out with me way too much lately. She’s right … [Read more...]
Mashup is one of those web-wise words that often leaves parents saying ‘huh?’ because it’s applied to so many things. Mashups go far beyond the familiar concept of emerging technology mushed into new applications...mashups can be music, events, content, even business models, with context well beyond the web world. Rather than get jumbled in “nerd … [Read more...]
Splat. Slime. Ooze. Muck. 40 million kids can't be wrong, eh? Billed as the “biggest, loudest, messiest spectacle in the show's history,” I tuned in to the KCA awards with my 11-year old. My goal was to keep track of mega-media influences, digital tactics, tween TV and glean some perspective from her editorial comments firsthand. Enlightening. Justin … [Read more...]
Presentation is everything. How many times have we heard that in advertising? This Happy Lunch Haiku site of photos proves marketers are missing an opportunity to sell healthier choices to kids. As a child I lived in Japan for 2 ½ years, and the presentation of “edible art” never ceased to amaze me. (admittedly, I also have fish head flashbacks from … [Read more...]
Kaiser Family Foundation released the largest study ever conducted of TV food advertising to children today. I’ll keep my editorializing to a minimum, since I mirror the CSPI food industry guidelines on advertising responsibility. The study, Food for Thought: Television Food Advertising to Children in the United States, was presented at a forum with U.S. Senator Sam … [Read more...]
     |
 | ShapingYouth is offered under a Creative Commons “Attribution-noncommercial-noderivatives” license. (Details) |