- 2 billion dollars is roughly spent on advertising to young consumers in America, alone.
- The children’s direct influence in parental purchases in the United States was estimated to be around 188 billion dollars in 1997, up from $132 billion in 1990, $50 billion in 1984 and $20 billion in the mid-70s.
- The market for American children aged 4 to 12 years alone rakes in some $30 billion dollars annually.
- We spend $29.4 billion a year on toys
- In 2000, U.S. toy companies spent $837 million on advertising
Basically, there is a serious market out there for aiming things at children and young teenagers. The issues, though, are that children are learning to base self-worth on possessions and brand names. Kids don't just want things, but are expected to want things. Should this be changed? How could it be changed? Would giving young girls (and boys) a voice to speak up help alter this trend? Would it just enhance it? Are there any ways to get girls engaged in a site without flashy things beckoning them?
"Thus in the space of some 30 years, the role of children in American life changed dramatically; they became, and remain, pillars of the consumer economy, with economic power rivaling that of adults."
Creepy.
The major issue we should be looking at if we market to young girls is the amount of influence that we could potentially have on their views about the media surrounding them. This demographic is very impressionable and there could be a lot of weight on our shoulders to represent a "good" side of the web to young girls.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should consider the benefits of not only selling to this demo, but to their parents as well, seeing as the parents usually comtrol the money flow.