This Vacation is Brought to You By…(Part 2: Branding Partnerships)

Cruise news, trip tips, kids' brand loyalty pitches at cheerleading camps, sports and spa getaways... Who's sponsoring your 'fun?' Are you aware? Cruise lines are wisely using their own social networking connection as a conduit for repeat business and new referrals, so passengers can share their own experiences with others...Meanwhile, Carnival Cruise line just partnered … [Read more...]

Spider-Man 3: Web of Influence In Kid-Culture

There are plenty of spins on the Spider-Man 3 record-breaking $382 million worldwide “priciest movie ever made" buzz...so I’m going to take a deconstructionist view about summer box office biggies, and look at the impact of media hype-fests on kids. Not pickin’ on Spidey, here; haven’t even seen the flick yet, I’m talking about a global web … [Read more...]

Food For Thought: Media to Digest for Healthier Kids

March is National Nutrition Month, so Shaping Youth is adding to the ADA's Eat Right web resources with some fun and worthy positive picks in food media to share with your kids, boost their media literacy IQ, and counter-market the cartoon pitches for empty calorie crud. Here goes: I've always loved the SmartMouth interactive site for kids, but my new discovery is the U.K.'s … [Read more...]