Young kids may be getting media savvy earlier, but many have never seen a campfire or been on a hiking trail, and wouldn’t know a wilderness experience if it bit ‘em on the backside. In fact, a British study akin to the 'Ronald McDonald vs. the President' face recognition phenom where kids could name the clown but not the nation's leader found that 8-year-olds … [Read more...]
My advertising radar blipped with guarded glee when I heard KFC was being wildly applauded as the hero of the hour for ditching their trans-fats in fried foods in favor of a low linolenic soybean oil. KFC’s drive-through banners tout “Feed your family for under $4!” and “Looney Tunes Laptop meals designed just for kids” so my initial take on … [Read more...]
Today I got a firsthand glimpse of the pacifier wars. And I'm not talking about "binky vs. blankie-n-thumb"… There’s an all out battle for parent's mindshare as consumer advocates like Dr. Susan Linn, co-founder of CCFC, face off with the electronic baby media empire, that's racking up well over a billion dollars in sales of Brainy Baby, Baby Einstein and … [Read more...]
Update 2013: National Parks Traveler reports NPS is considering adding Wi-Fi. This is a classic point/counter-point debate in terms of perpetuating the disconnect with nature or 'bridging' worlds w/safety-GPS techno tethers as modern day carabiners. Weigh in w/your thoughts? Here's more from Children and Nature Network. (Original Post 2006/Tweens and "Outdoor Ed") … [Read more...]
We're barely back to school, it’s not remotely close to Halloween, yet the mass muck of Christmas consumerism is filling the aisles, as marketers turn up the volume on pester power to target parents relentlessly. Wal-Mart is leading the techno-begging frenzy with a whimsically cheerful interactive toyland site of smarmy back-talking elves with attitude. These … [Read more...]
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