Marketing, Media and Childhood
Investigations at the intersection of marketing, media and childhood
The big news this week: Disney makeover of the brave and tough Merida into sexy vamp provokes outrage, and Disney dials it back. She loses the archery gear, and now she's got a sparkly, off the shoulder dress, a curvier body, and perfect, sexy … [Read more...]
Update Aug 21: See part two here. This concept of having tablet computers for every student in a grade or an entire school is one that I've been wondering about. And now that my own school is considering having iPads for every ninth grader, I've … [Read more...]
After Steubenville, there is a petition to ask the National Federation of High School Associations, which offers annual required trainings for coaches in order for them to remain accredited, to partner with nationally recognized activist … [Read more...]
PD, 14 years old, pulled a box of Rice Krispies off the shelf and put it into our shopping cart. I glimpsed the cartoon characters and was just thinking about objecting, when he said, “You would think these would have a lot of sugar” – because of the … [Read more...]
I spent last weekend at a conference full of energetic and committed people working to protect children from corporate marketing practices that harm children’s health and well-being for profit. It was the 8th international Consuming Kids Summit in … [Read more...]
Did you see the Budweiser ad during the SuperBowl that featured a heartwarming story about a horse who remembered the many who helped to raise and train it? It was a touching story. See if you can recognize the persuasive technique, via the Media … [Read more...]
If Halo is rated M for mature game players only, then why the cross-promotion with Megabloks, intended for ages "8 and up"? Please watch this promotional video (or see screenshots below). Please note that the video includes the Xbox logo. How … [Read more...]
When the kids were younger and watched football and baseball on television, there was a time when they were watching a game and a promo for one of the networks’ other shows came on during the commercial break. My two little boys witnessed, during the … [Read more...]
This is the second of a two-part series on smoking, media and youth. Part I here. So, the good news is, teen smoking is down. A government report in November 2012 found that cigarette smoking among teenagers had declined significantly between … [Read more...]
In case you are confused by comments in the media this week: There is in fact no doubt about whether media violence contributes to real life violence and aggression, such as that seen in Newtown a few days ago. The preponderance of evidence, and … [Read more...]
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Marketing, Media and Childhood 