Junk Food Branding Hits the Drug Dealing World: A Reprise

Pop Tarts. Pop Rocks. Strawberry Quick. Targeting kids is working so well for the junk food giants, the creeps-n-criminals are stealing the sugary-flavored branding strategy to recruit new customers and increase market share. Not here to ramp up hysteria…the entire concept of marketing drugs to children will do that alone. But we need to discuss this, put it in context, and … [Read more...]

Digital Marketing Tactics Revealed to FTC: Report At DigitalAds.org

Quite a coup for consumer and health advocate groups today who released the power of media and marketing to depants digital advertisers who are undermining parents by flying under their radar. Woohoo! This is gonna be fun. If I sound juvenile, it’s because I can barely contain my glee...Nothing like a one-two counter-marketing punch to start the day, complete with a … [Read more...]

Shaping Youth Through Consumerism: The Hard Sell to Kids

Buy, Buy, Baby. CBSNews is doing a four-part series called Gotta Have It: The Hard Sell to Kids all about womb to tomb marketing, with kids being targeted in a scope we’ve never seen before. In this video clip, investigative journalist and Buy, Buy, Baby author Susan Gregory Thomas talks about the $20 billion being spent on the 0-3 “baby genius” products … [Read more...]

Secret Agent Tweens on CBS; Shaping Youth Goes Undercover

“From books, to toys, to clothes to snacks. There's a multi-billion dollar, global marketing machine targeting YOUR children. Our special series, Gotta Have It: The Hard Sell To Kids, begins Monday on the CBS Evening News.” You can bet I’ll be tuning in for Shaping Youth’s purposes, though my guess is they’ll be talking about GIA (Girls … [Read more...]

Sittercity: Digital Media Puts Profiles to Work for Parents

With Mother’s Day pummeling kids with media and marketing “must-haves” most moms I know would prefer “the gift of time.” Can social media networks wave the fairy wand and make mom’s dream come true? Maybe so! Check out Sittercity. It’s a database driven hub for pre-qualified profiles of babysitters near YOU. Zap in your zipcode … [Read more...]