Sex sells! .
Materialism is fostered by the have it all and have it now mentality promoted by print advertisers. According to a survey commissioned by the Center for a New American Dream, "the average American child aged 12-17 who asks their parents for products they've seen advertised will ask nine times until their parents finally give in."" Additionally, "more than ten percent of 12-13 year olds admit to asking their parents more than fifty times for products they've see advertised."" In New American Dream's article "Young People Talk About the Pressure to Have it All,"" Emma 14 says "You see so many people on TV or in magazines wearing "cool" clothing or advertising things and you feel like you'll never totally fit in or have any friends if you don't have the latest styles or trends. It's amazing how we (kids and teens) value their reputations so much that we would give up the really important things like our grades and friends."".
The National Institute on Media and the Family has compiled a fact sheet on children and Advertising that may surprise you with its data. Some of their enlightening statistics are:.
The average American child may view as many of 40,000 television commercials every year.
In 2000, children 12 years and under, directly and indirectly, influenced the household spending of over $600 billion.
In 2001, teenagers, twelve to nineteen, spent $172 billion (an average of $104 per teen each week), up 11 percent from $155 billion in 2000.
In 2002, children ages four to twelve are expected to spend an estimated $40 billion.
Kid-Targeted Marketing Strategies has become the number one topic of international marketing conferences. "Kids as Consumers- is currently one of the most written about subjects in the field of marketing and consumer relations.
There are several organizations now advocating for children and against advertising, one of American culture's most powerful forces.