the final post.

Until receiving the assignment of “having to blog for 10 weeks straight on one topic related to media/marketing” I thought blogging was useless. Literally, my mind filed blogging in with “pathetic activites that are for people who want attention and have nothing better to do.” However, after 10 weeks and a blog full of information, I have to say- I WAS SOOO WRONG. Blogging is not only an extremely easy and fun way to join in on conversations pertaining to any industry of your choice, but it helps you actually UNDERSTAND current events and the news. Surely, reading an article is one thing, but reflecting on it and discussing it with others in the blogosphere is way better.

For the past 3 months I have scoured the internet a few times each week for things I found interesting that pertain to marketing to kids, or media and children in general. Here are some of the more interesting things I have learned.

1) Kids are MUCH different than they were years and years ago. With each generation of children comes more peer pressure, different values, and ultimately these kids grow up with a different mind-set. The one thing that we can blame this on is the fact that kids don’t grow up like we did. They don’t spend time exploring their backyards, playing kickball, etc. They watch movies, spend TONS of time in front of the TV, and even more time on the Internet. I was somewhat horrified when discovering just how much TV kids watch and how it changes their beliefs. For instance, doesn’t it make you cringe to hear that these days instead of wanting to be a doctor, lawyer, nurse, garbage man, whatever- a majority of kids want to be famous for a living. And when I say be famous, I’m not talking “musician”, “actor” etc, they just want to be famous for nothing (a la Paris Hilton, and her cronies). Maybe if it weren’t for the TV brainwashing and sucking up kid’s brains from shows like “the Hills”, this wouldn’t be a problem. So as a future marketer, or whatever I want to do it is IMPERATIVE to remember: when marketing to kids, research THEM, as each generation is vastly different, there are no room for assumptions.

2) Parents love to blame the media for anything and everything, without realizing their OWN impact on their children! Fancy that! This sort of goes along with watching too much TV, etc. It seems that not only can we blame the media for warping kids’ minds, but we can blame it for making kids fat! Yes, you heard me! Week after week articles nearly found ME, that pertained to parents/groups/organizations, sometimes even government, attacking brands and companies saying that their advertisements are the reasons for kids buying them and consuming too much of the product. Well, duh, that’s what advertising does, it tries to influence someone’s choice or frame of mind, so that hopefully they will either buy the product or talk about it. It’s not like ads for McDonald’s have a spinning spiral, with someone chanting “eat mass quantities of big macs, my little friends, DO IT, DO IT!”… I mean, think about it. Is it really logical to blame these advertisers and companies for “making kids obese”, when really it is the parents who have to take the kids to these restaurants, as most 6 year olds aren’t going to drive or skateboard to McDonald’s alone. Another things parents love to complain about is, “the internet being too unsafe for children”. Well, obviously, anyone can put anything on the internet, that isn’t the Internet’s problem, that’s a problem you have to face as a parent. Step it up, stop complaining, and watch your child while they use the Internet, or educate them on how to be safe on the web. Or better yet, there are new browsers that are popping up like crazy that make the web safe for kids, look into those before you complain about how unsafe myspace is.

3) The last major thing I found was that these days kids get hit with SO much advertisements and promotions since they spend so much time with all the mediumsl; this is why it is important to cut through the clutter. I know it is easier said than done, but these days marketers need to think of bigger and better ways to promote a product, and all fingers generally point to guerilla marketing and nontraditional marketing. For instance, Lego is making a virtual world, which is a ridiculously good idea considering a)the long amount of time kids spend on the internet and b)the popularity of existing social networks/game-works like myspace or webkinz.

First and foremost I would like to say what I learned most is how to use blogs and the internet as a research medium. I feel like the Internet gets a bad rep, since people like (my) 8th grade English teachers, train kids to think “the Internet is full of lies because ANYONE can post anything.” I wish however, I learned from an earlier age some of the great sites I found from doing this project, such as lexus nexis (and other databases), all and every major newspaper’s website, as well as blogs by industry leaders. Also, now that I am acquainted with the blogosphere, I know how to tell a good site or blog from a bad one, or better yet- a reliable one from a hoax-y one. Having to do the assignment of blogging, I truly found a plethora of sources, and now know that going to google and searching for a topic is not always the best way to go about researching. And if I do need immediate results, now I know that there are other google options, such as “google scholar”…who knew! (obviously, not me!) Another thing that blew my mind is how connected the blogosphere truly is. There were multiple times I would write about something and a day later I would have a comment from a representative of what I was talking about, whether it is a worker from the company, or the writer of my source. In addition to this, I was surprised how quick-paced the Internet as a medium is, due to the easiness of posting. For example, if something major happened in the news, it can immediately be put on the Internet as all you need to do is type it up and push acouple buttons. This is an advantage something like magazines and books can’t compete with!

When discussing how my research and newfound intelligence relates to the class Audience Research, the answers are endless. Firstly, though we have had presentations on all media channels and their pros and cons, it truly doesn’t sink in until you do your own research to see, currently, what is working and what is not working. Especially in relation to a certain demographic, as the presentations in class were not comprehensive enough to talk about that mediums popularity with each demographic. That is another thing I learned from blogging about kids and marketing- what works for kids, media choice wise, and what doesn’t. For instance, I now know TV is one of the better choices, as well as nontraditional marketing, as discussed earlier, due to the fact it cuts through clutter. This is all so useful also, since for my final project I am promotion/buying media for the Hasbro Butterscotch Pony. With all my knowledge I can adequately assess Hasbro’s current marketing approach and dissect it.

Blogging truly will help me in my future for a variety of reasons. First of all, I have already been to two internship interviews and in BOTH interviews I was asked about my writing skills and what kind of writing I do. Unfortunately these interviews took place before I took this course, thus I lamely said, “yes. I write quite well and frequently.” Then they proceded to ask, “well what do you write” and all I could muster up was “oh you know- mainly academic papers”…HOW LAME! No wonder I got neither of those positions- Now I can proudly say, “well I’ve kept a great blog for a long time using a conversational yet professional tone, focused on a specific topic in the marketing world.” Not only will that sound awesome, but then I can proceed to enter into a serious and thorough conversation about marketing, the media, and kids, and show off my new intelligence and expertise on the subject. Also, nowadays most companies keep a blog as a form of community outreach, marketing, or even to keep employees in the loop- and if my prospective company has a blog and is looking for an employee to maintain it, I surely could do it I feel.

Overall, I have learned a bunch and surely am addicted to blogging, in fact, this won’t be the last time you see my writing on the web. Not only do I plan to dabble with it professionally in the future, but I have started a tumblr (or tumble log), which is awesoe and so easy to use. Check it out here: http://youdontsay.tumblr.com/.

Thanks for reading.

Technologically yours,

Scott

(attn: kim--there are two ungraded posts below this, enjoy!)

My life may be complete!

Surrge was premiered at SxSW this year, and holy cow, I am EXCITED! In my mind it is revolutionary marketing, and in essence this is what it is:

A music stores, similar to iTunes, however, unlike iTunes, you can get PAID for everytime you refer a friend onto a new band, song, artist, etc. As their website points out, "At Surrge's core is a referral model aimed at compensating all the participants that are critical to the music industry’s revival. This model takes into account everyone’s motivations and will server as the center of the universe for music discovery, promotion and distribution."

Also, why not support this cause, as what is on the mind of all music fans these days, "why should we support the bigwigs, such as the RIAA, after they keep penalizing artists and fans alike only for their OWN benefit..do these old farts even LIKE music?" The people behind Surrge have the same frame of mind, thinking, "instead of lining the pockets of music industry big-wigs, Surrge lines the pockets of the artists, fans, and online promoters that serve as the foundation for the new industry. By creating communities of support around each artist and incenting fans to spread their music to their friends with cold hard cash and recognition, you end up with a viral distribution model that dwarfs anything that exists today and new music that we all get to turn up and rock out!"

How awesome is that?! As of now Surrge is a bit on the Down Lown, and is being talked about as the iTunes for "populists". You are probably thinking, "well how much would I get, half a penny per song", and the reality is, probably it will be a very small percentage. You can however even take on the A&R role and be a scout! As any "scount" who signs up new artists to Surrge will get a 1% commission on any future sales from the artist on the site.. sweet deal, eh?

Fans referring bands listed on Surrge to other fans get a percentage of sales on any referrals, and “scouts” who sign up new artists to Surrge get 1% of all future sales from the artist on the site. Surrge also makes a point to say that you get paid in cash, it is not a gimmick where you get paid in "points" that you have to use on the site. Sure, I assume they want you to use the money you make to buy more products from them, however, you do not have to.

Again, if you are like me, and always have to have the skivvy on the best new bands and the most underground acts, this might be for you!!!

More information on Surrge can be found here.

I'm pissed..I never had a TV in my room..

The University of Minnesota School of Public Health, recently have conducted a study on adolescents to figure out the affects of having a television in the child's bedroom. The results were pretty much what you would expect them to be, as Will Dunham reported to Reuters on Monday. Basically kids who have TVs in their bedrooms will turn into Jabba the Hut...well not exactly, but it was said that these kids tend to have poorer diets and exercise habits, even lower grades in school, compared to kids without TVs in their caves bedrooms. 

So you may be thinking, well this seems pretty outrageous of a claim. I wonder what the study consisted of? And this is the answer: The study questioned 781 adolescents, ages 15-18, in the Minneapolis area in 2003 and 2004, and of them a whopping, 62 percent reported having a TV in their bedroom..However, what makes me weary is, so what this is just Minneapolis, who are these researchers to claim that this is a constant trend among America. Maybe Minneapolis is just lazy and likes TV?

Here's some quotes from  Daheia Barr-Anderson, one of the researchers on the project: "It really clearly points out that there's some merit to not allowing your child to have a TV in the bedroom" and this one, which is my favorite: "When you upgrade your TV in the living room and you have this smaller TV that's out of date but still usable, parents should really resist putting it in one of your children's bedrooms -- and resist the pressure from the child to have a TV in their bedroom," 

Sure Daheia, that makes sense, but at the same time, what if parents simply just didn't connect these TVs to cable so their kids are left stranded with basic cable. That way, maybe the youth could watch the news and catch up on current events. That may be asking too much, but really, I think it's easier said than done to keep TVs out of adolescent's bedrooms in this day in age. 

Here is my favorite statistic from the research:

"Boys with a bedroom TV reported having a lower grade point average than boys without one, as well as eating less fruit and having fewer family meals, the researchers said."

C'mon can you really correlate the two things and blame TV: AMOUNT OF FRUIT eaten...and TV? Really..that has so much more to it, I find it unfair to blame TV for that. What about Kids who don't like fruit, etc. etc.  

Either way, I suppose it is interesting that a majority of kids do have Television's in their bedrooms; and if companies needed any more incentive to use TV to get their message out, here it is!!!

New Kids on the Block Return...Ooh not so new.

Much like most of the gossip sites have stated as of late, yes, the New Kids on the Block, are following the Spice Girls lead and reuniting. After realizing that the Spice Girl could charge $140 and up per ticket, and sell out arenas world-wide, many old acts are polishing their dancing shoes and forgeting about the drama that made them break up in the first place--and hitting the road. This morning on the Today Show the boys were on to announce their reunion. THEN on May 16th the kids...errr, adults, will be back on the Today show to actually perform, in other words, today was SUCH a tease. Either way, what I found interesting is that the crowd was not as INSANE as the spice girls crowds that I saw last winter. See for yourself, here's the whole appearance:


So for all 20 of you NKOTB fans out there, here's what you need to know:
- They've been recording since last summer and are all ready for their May 16th performance
- They have a CD coming out this summer (my Lord, is this going to tank or what!)
- They will have a limited run tour this fall in select cities (a la the spice girls)

I really really think this will be full of fail, but am SO going to be tuning in on the 16th of May to see if the boys still have it. I mean, c'mon they were one of the first pop boy bands. What the inner marketer in me is saying however, is that the reason this is destined to fail is:
look at the current age of their typical fan back when they were popular..When was that, the late 80's, and who liked them, let's say 13 year olds? Okay, so NOW those people are about in their early 30s. And I'm sorry but I am not sure I know many if any 30 year olds that would be willing to spend loads of money to see this band, as that's asking someone to reach back almost 20 years and wake up their inner kid..20 years is a long time..With the spice girls however, their rein wasn't too long ago, so their fans haven't aged as much..get the picture?

But who knows, maybe they will take the approach of marketing the boys as a NEW band to today's youth which is so unrealistic and improbable, as a)kids these days do not particularly listen to boy-bands and pop like they used to and b) these guys are OLD and c) the only appeal in their reunion is for their original fans, which again..I'm going to say are too old to care, if anything this reunion is just water cooler talk, "oh yeah I used to like Donnie...yeeeeeeahhh...so when is that report due?"

But who knows, look at all the comments here: http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/04/new-kids-on-the.html

What do you think will happen with the reincarnation of the New Kids?

KidZui- the answer to Kids' Online Safety?

In a story from US News & Report by David LaGesse, LaGesse discusses some new initiatives taken by corporations to keep kids safe online! I thought this was pretty in-line with the recent posts I've had. In David's article he talks about a new web browser called KidZui, which is a browser that basically can be explained as a large field of websites that are pre-approved and child friendly, and then KidZui acts as a fence, closing restriction from all sites that are potentially dangerous or hazardous to children. The browser is said to be for ages 13 and younger.

After checking out the KidZui website, I was a bit bummed to find out that it is not free, although they allow a free 30 day trial. I realize every company needs to make money, but c'mon, this is a great idea and is awesome for the good of the youth. The prices after your free 3o days are: $4.95 per month (or $49.95 per year), and it is available on Macs AND PCs. The thing is though, give it 6 months and I'm sure browsers and programs like this will be popping up all over for very low prices if not for free.

CEO of KidZui, Cliff Boro explained how the service of KidZui grows in real time as parents and teachers work daily to add new content, as well as computer formulas that search for potential content, THEN a real person reviews suggestions before it gets added. Also, it is great to point out that this browser let's parents set time limits for their children's web use, as Doctors have recently proven how unhealthy it can be for very small children to spend a lot of time infront of the screen.

I guess what this says to marketers is that, kid's safety on the internet is FINALLY turning into quite the "thing", which is great, it just means that they must keep in mind that soon a lot of parents will be using this software. Therefore, if you are marketing something to young kids and want them to see it, gone are the days that you can put that banner or button on a site that is borderline okay, like myspace, as I'm sure that's on the banned list. So I guess the question is..how long until Marketer's figure out what is on the list of okay sites and what isnt..what a great marketing tool that list would be!

Paris Hilton is a great role model...right?..RIGHT?

So we all know about Paris Hilton's future TV show, "Paris Hilton is my New BFF" which will match up the Hotel Heiress with tons of people until she finds a new shadow. About the show, Hilton says, ""I obviously have a lot of friends already, but I just thought it would make great TV show," she said. "You know, most of my friends are from Hollywood. They are kind a jaded a little bit. We are going to be meeting people from all around the world."..Honestly, you would have to PAY me to hang out with Bimbo Hilton.

Anyways- let's recall some of the things Ms. Hilton has done or can be connected with:
-Jail time for what was it again, I believe, Driving under the influence, right?
-the Simple Life: that lame show where Paris and friend Nicole, would go from "blue collar job" to "blue collar job", which apparently was supposed to be funny. I'm not sure if we were supposed to like the irony of a rich girl working, or the funny stupid things Paris said
-A sex tape surfaced a few years ago to.

So with all these things in mind, you're probably thinking what I am thinking....Paris Hilton is TOTALLY a great role model for the youth!
Yeah Right! Or so Ms. Hilton recently thinks, as Reuters recently reported, "on Thursday she said she sees herself as a role model for young women as she prepared to judge a contest to crown Miss Turkey." I'm not sure who gave Paris the role, or even thinks she is adequate enough to be judging others on how they carry themselves, when she can't even keep her OWN reputation out of the gutter..

Paris says, "About 90% of the rumors our there are false...I don't pay attention to lies because I am a good person, I work very hard and I've built this empire on my own. I think this is an inspiration for a lot of girls out there."

WHAT?! are you kidding. Firstly, what empire? you mean the crap money you've made off of your awful movies that are degrading. See exhibit A: The Hottie and the Nottie..How is anything related to this movie positive for kids, girls in particular? Furthermore, you would be nothing without your daddy and his business Ms. Hilton, so I hope you know NO ONE buys your "I work hard..I deserve everything..I'm an inspiration" act. The only person who has to work really hard around you is your PR rep.

What bothers me most is that girls actually DO look up to Hilton. Studies have shown that kids these days don't have the general outlook on the future that they use to have in the good ol' days. Gone are the days that kids wanted to be teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc. Now, a majority of kids want fame, and believe it is SO acheiveable. Why? Celebs like Hilton, Lohan, Tara Reid, etc. who really don't have any talent in specific...in fact, HOW did these people become so huge? Why does society care about them?

Anyone want to shed some light?

Help Keep Kids Safe Online!

Today I was checking out the usual sites I keep in tune with, and saw on Izzy Neis's blog this great video:


Common Sense in partnership Google created this video which is a step by step, easy to understand, and well made video to educate about internet safety. Common Sense is a nonprofit organization, which has the main purpose of providing parents with trustworthy information to help manage their kids media lives.

And for all the naysayers who are thinking, "oh you're off the topic, Buddy- what does this have to do with Marketing to Children"--Well Bubs, here's what I'm thinking:
I've been doing so much digging in the past 2 months now reading about companies, products, etc. that target children or are getting in trouble for campaigns that are negatively affecting children. With all this new knowledge and education I have not even once sat back an thought, "Gee, with the huge soar of popularity of the internet with children these days--do kids even know how to be safe online." So many companies use the internet, whether it is for promotions, campaigns, etc. I think there are many companies that could use a little social responsibility lesson.