May 5, 2011 To prevent founder flameout and “battle fatigue” in the fight to win the hearts and mindshare of our children, I’ve decided to devote May to “spring forward” with media and marketing examples of companies, orgs, and projects who are POSITIVE influences and “doing it right.” Shaping Youth is shining the spotlight on indie entities we WISH would get more play … [Read more...]
Healthy Youth Media Act Pt 2: Can Change Be Legislated? (interview)
July 21, 2010 Can you hear the drumbeat, Hollywood? It’s getting louder. Girl advocates like Jessica Lawrence head to Capitol Hill to discuss H.R. 4925 tomorrow to share firsthand data about how depictions of women and girls in the media affect youth health and are landing sideways. Small business entities like Melissa Wardy of Wisconsin based PigtailPals has devoted an … [Read more...]
Kids Summer Camps & Niche Gender Marketing: Why?
June 8, 2010 Why do we have to turn summer camp into a marketing opportunity for pink and blue? What's the matter with plain ol' grass green and outdoor fun? Admittedly, I never made it to a 'traditional camp' until I was a parent. We moved duty stations during summers, and if we didn’t, we were ‘free range kids,’ amped with self reliance, creative spunk, and behavior … [Read more...]
Girls Are Not Candies. Tweens Are Not Teens. Thongs Are Not Undies.
May 4, 2010 A few years back I commented on the post Confessions of a Lingerie Lover by Fae Goodman on Alternet and copped to being “one and the same.” Fae uncorked a doozy of a conversation that brought out the best/worst in femme debates as she pithily contrasted the difference between adult media messages and ‘costuming’ cues and the marketer’s desire to target adolescents, … [Read more...]