Adverts & Toys
By CraftyCorner
@CraftyCorner (5600)
United States
November 30, 2008 7:54pm CST
In this Holiday Season finances are tighter for many people and parents are having to say no to children's "I want" pleas for the latest toys. Parents are complaining that toy companies, who advertise directly to children to instigate 'pester power' are not making the job any easier. In hope of some easing of the sometimes brutal adverts, 1,400 parents wrote to 24 toy companies to direct adverts at parents. The toy companies had little sympathy. They had a bottom line to feed, and advertising to children works, they claim.
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One thing parents can do to ease the pesters is to shut down the TV, or record select shows editing out the adverts if you've a computer with TVR capabilities. A two at a time Netflix subscription also helps as those DVD's are toy ad free.
3 responses
@dreamjapan (409)
• Japan
1 Dec 08
One thing I have done with my younger kids this year is told them to make a wish list for whatever they want. I then told that Santa will not bring everything on their list. That way when the pestering starts they get their lists and write what they want. Also the lists have to be finished by the end of this week!!
Jacks
1 person likes this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
2 Dec 08
Forcing children to write paragraphs about WHY they want whatever item makes them think about the why.
@srhelmer (7047)
• Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
1 Dec 08
Toy companies are in the business to make money so you can't fault them for targeting their primarily customer; kids. Or, at least kids who can pester their parents into buying things.
My solution; monitor what my child is watching and distracting her during the commercials. Or, rather than having her watch her favorite shows on TV; I get the DVDs of the episodes so they are commercial free.
1 person likes this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
2 Dec 08
Yes, a Netflix subscription pays for itself for a relief from pressure of pester.
@GardenGerty (169458)
• United States
1 Dec 08
It is too bad to hear that the companies are so insensitive to the times and to requests by parents. It may have a back lash factor if they are going to be so stiff necked and hostile. I am glad that when my kids were little we often did not have TV. My kids mostly do videos with their kids, too. It does help with the gimmes.
1 person likes this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
2 Dec 08
No kidding! Television is a big culprit for a lot of capitalist woes.
