I'm intrigued with this recent New York Times article: Go Directly, Digitally to Jail? Classic Toys Learn New Clicks. On one hand, it's another one of those 'yup, not surprised'-type articles, like the recent My iPad, My Babysitter study results via Mashable, or Screen Time Higher Than Ever for Children, Study Finds, also via The New York Times, or Always-Online Future Good for Our Kids? via The Globe and Mail.

We know, we know. Speaking from experience, not a day goes by where my own children aren't clamoring for my iPhone or whining to watch YouTube videos or play games on my computer, which is precisely why I'm not buying and iPad or upping their screen time allotment anytime soon. Our house is buzzing too much already! Now. Don't get me wrong. Apps are great. I love kids apps! Some of my most favorite clients are children's apps. But... app-propriately... there is a time and a place and for us that means not ALL the time.

Will I buy the new digital camera/Barbie for my daughter or the Match Box app for my son? Absolutely not. Do we still love classic Barbie and collect toy cars? Of course! Still, I have to say that Barbie and other classic toys like Match Box are treading into dangerous territory. Just because a brand can leap into high tech and take on some clever new features, does not mean it should. Here are 5 good reasons why.

1. There’s a reason why they call then classic toys. Classic toys are "classic" precisely because they stand the test of time. The playability is consistent, the barriers to entry are low, the product is durable, and the toy can be enjoyed via multiple generations. That’s the reason why “evergreen” brands have longevity. They aren't fads. People buy these products year after year. If you are a children's toy manufacturer and you are lucky enough to have a toy that is considered a classic, why would you want to mess with a good thing?

2. Bells & whistles aren’t necessarily better. Just because you are “upgrading” your product doesn’t mean consumers will see it that way. In fact, added features can really detract from a brand's core purpose. Remember "new" Coke? It was a branding disaster. Think about all of the classic products you've enjoyed over the years that suddenly altered their features in a "new and improved" way that were a huge turnoff to you as a loyal customer. And what did you do? You switched brands.

3. People are getting tired of technology. Not in the broad sense, of course. High tech is a hugely important part of our lives and the economy. But not everything needs to be or should be technologically-enhanced. There are plenty of us who type away on our computers and smart phones all day and can't wait 'til we can get to a place where we can turn it all off and snuggle up with a good paperback book. Kids are the same way. They need a break from the constant high-tech distractions in our lives and it's our job as parents to ensure they have some down time. And what better way to experience some quality down time than with a trusted classic toy that doesn

Add a Comment

We must all be obsessed with children's media.

Seriously. It feels like not a day goes by without a headline touting the ill-effects of kids' media use and screen time. And that's just for this week.

More Kids Sleep With TV, Study Finds (Wall Street Journal)

Screen Time Higher Than Ever (New York Times)

Infants and iPads? It’s Not As Farfetched As You Might Think! (ABC News)

Kids Increasingly Staring at Glowing Screens, Study Finds (PBS NewsHour)

Trying to gauge the impact of growing up digital (Boston Globe)

Common Sense Media released a report this week, and the results are not surprising: Kids ages 0 - 8 spend an average of 1.44 hours watching TV or videos in a typical day. Forty-seven percent of babies (gasp!) watch TV too; up to two hours a day. And...(double, draw dropping gasp!!) kids have TVs in their bedrooms.

And here I sit, writing about all of this as my kids sit in front of the Disney Channel so I can write this blog post.

I'm not so shocked by the results of the study or the news media coverage, but by our collective obsession as a culture. Are we in denial? Clearly, the TVs and iPads and mobile devices are ON. And despite YEARS and YEARS of negative coverage when it comes to the ill effects of children's media consumption, we're not slowing down. Maybe it's the American Way. More, not less! Why should someone tell me what, where and when my kids can watch?

Meanwhile, apps abound. Good apps, too. And really excellent educational TV. It's all part of living in the modern age... or is it?

Thoughts?

Display Comments Add a Comment

As any teen fashionista knows, shopping malls are SO yesterday. To get a head start on the hottest trends, fashion-savvy teens are browsing online boutiques, Googling their favorite designers and devouring images from the hippest fashion blogs. And then there's Fashion Week.

Which is why Teen Vogue is so smart to drop their pop-up mall store strategy and move to Lincoln Square where the real action is about to begin. As Ad Age reports, Teen Vogue's "Haute Spot" will be open from Sept. 8 through Sept. 15, including makeovers sponsored by Maybelline, book signings, IMG Worldwide casting agents, fashion bloggers and editors, and "screenings" where visitors can view runway show videos.

Okay, so it's not like anyone is going to actually get a front-row seat at Fashion Week, but it's pretty darn close to the action, and a brilliant marketing promotion. Here's how Teen Vogue gets it right:

1. Fashion focus. Teen Vogue isn't another run-of-the-mill teen magazine. It's the sister publication of Vogue and that means fashion, fashion, fashion.

2. Awareness of core audience trends. The trendiest, savviest, most fashion-forward youth aren't shopping at the mall. Or maybe they are... but they no longer want to admit that. Downtown New York City in the middle of Fashion Week is way, way cooler.

3. Perfect partnerships. While Maybelline is not exactly high fashion, it's price point and accessibility is perfect for teens. Paired with makeovers, style experts and runway videos, the package is sure to draw visitors in.

4. Image is everything. Did someone say casting agents?? Attracting a bunch of gorgeous would-be models is sure to draw in... more gorgeous would-be models. Not to mention anyone who wants to be seen standing next to a gorgeous would-be model.

5. Brand synergy. The entire promotion not only promotes the magazine Teen Vogue and its partners, but everything the brand stands for. Fashion, high style, and savvy insider tips. Oh yeah, and high magazine sales, too.

Add a Comment

Way to go Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood! After more than 55,000 people signed a petition through Change.org last May, Scholastic has just announced that it will limit its “InSchool Marketing” program so that school kids are less subjected to corporate marketing propaganda via their classroom materials.

The black mark on Scholastic’s image began with coal, a lesson packet paid for by the American Coal Foundation, which contained all kinds of information about benefits of coal - but none of the nasty stuff like toxic waste and greenhouse gases. Oops.

So now Scholastic is on the retreat. According to an article in this week’s New York Times, “in addition to the coal curriculum, Scholastic distributed a program stressing the environmental wrongs of plastic water bottles, sponsored by Brita, which sells water filters. It also had a $3 million Microsoft campaign in which schools could earn points toward prizes for each Microsoft search, as well as a program featuring Playmobil’s small plastic figures. Those programs have ended, according to Kyle Good, a Scholastic spokeswoman — and last week, after a reporter inquired about them, all traces of them were removed from the Scholastic Web site, as other programs, sponsored by Disney, Nestlé and Shell, already had been.”

Cool! Gotta love what can happen when parents speak out. As for me, I'm not really sure why corporate marketing has any place in school curriculum in the first place, but maybe that's just me.

Add a Comment

Do you let your kids use Facebook? MySpace? Club Penguin? Webkinz? How about Imbee, KidsWorld, Togetherville, Everloop or Yoursphere?

Maybe you haven’t even heard of some of these sites. Which is too bad, since most are terrific and offer wonderful, safe online experiences for young children. Believe it or not, the tween space online is extremely competitive and has been for a long time. It’s also extremely difficult to create a sustainable business model. But not everyone knows that. On more than a few occasions, I’ve received calls from the CEOs of promising new startups, business plan and beta website in hand, claiming “we’re going to be the next Facebook for kids under age 13!”

The question we should all be asking ourselves is: do parents – or kids for that matter – even need or want a “Facebook for kids?” Isn't it just easier to lie about your kid's age? But what kind of message does that send?

This recent NPR article, Social Networks: Thinking of the Children, got me thinking. The conversations still very much focuses on online safety. But is that even the main decision factor for parents?

When COPPA was enacted back in 1998, I was running a website for tweens called FreeZone.com. Online safety was a big deal for us and we worked closely with the FTC and CARU in getting it right. Chats were monitored. Ads were labeled. We had each and every parent fax in a signed registration form before we'd allow their kids to interact on the site. Yup, pretty labor intensive. Maybe that's why the site isn't around anymore.

We wrote to the FTC in 1999: “Our business is based on the highest possible safety and privacy standards that have become our competitive advantage in drawing kids into the FreeZone community. We are eager for technology to catch up to our standards, so we can implement more convenient and cost-effective ways to gain parental consent.”

Today online safety PSAs abound. It seems like there isn't a day or an hour that goes by without a well-informed article about online safety, cyberbullying, sexting,"Facebook depression," predators and the like. We get it. Or at least we think so. COPPA hasn't changed since 1998. It's clunky and it forces tween sites to stay within antiquated boundary lines, creating a permissions process that is a pain in the ass for both parents and website developers. Meanwhile, Facebook and everyone else gets to stay in the 21st century simply by stating that their site is open to anyone over 13 years of age. Which leaves two choices:

1. Lie about my child's age and let them go on Facebook, where I will keep tabs on what they are doing.

Or

2. Let them play around on one of the tween sites listed above, safely, of course - which means active, parental involvement.

Hmmm.

Actually, there's a third choice as well: Skip any sort of online social networking until the child turns 13.

Crazy? That's what I'm going to do. Easy for me to say. I've got an 8 year-old and a 4 year old so ask me in a few years. Maybe this whole dilemma will be solved by then.

Add a Comment

Finally, a report on children's media that doesn’t make parents feel bad! Released this week in the UK as part of the Hello Campaign, an initiative focused on making communication a priority in homes and in schools, a quarter of parents who have young children admit using the television as a babysitter. And 70% percent of them do not feel guilty about it.

Surprising? Not really. Amazing? A little. Even though the American Academy of Pediatrics has long advocated or reduced screen time, setting guidelines that children watch no more than 2 hours of television per day, the data demonstrates that kids are watching much, much more than that. Which, we all know by now, can lead to problems. As recently as April of this year, a study came out linking kids TV to heart disease.

Feeling guilty yet? Don't. The reason why parents in the UK feel good about their children’s TV watching is because there are so many wonderful, educational shows. 42% of respondents said that quality children's television is a great way for kids to learn. It's all about context.

Take Babycenter's posts Why you should never feel guilty about kids watching TV and Watch that TV, guilt-free! CommonSense Media's Best TV for Kids provides even more reasons to enjoy a little screen time.

I also like what Dimitri A. Christakis and Frederick J. Zimmerman, authors of "The Elephant in the Living Room: Make Television Work for Your Kids, have to say: "At its best, TV can educate and inspire. High-quality documentaries offer insights into history that no book can equal. Children's educational shows have the proven ability to help children learn to read to be kind, and to share. In short, when used appropriately, television has the power to expand horizons and help children's cognitive, social and emotional development."

Spokeswoman for the Hello campaign, Wendy Lee, also points out how parents can get more involved and use television as a launching point for communications in the home. "TV can be used as a fantastic opportunity to bring children's favourite characters and shows to life beyond the box as well... chatting about characters, making up stories and even acting out adventures can help parents develop their child's language and communication," she said.

In short, children's TV doesn't need to hide in the closet as a guilty, forbidden pleasure. And we as parents can actually admit to feeling good about it. Companies like my clients Ameba TV (http://amebatv.com) and The Mother Company (http://themotherco.com) are redefining screen time by offering high-quality, educational, slow-paced, commercial-free shows for kids - and that's something both parents and kids can feel pretty great about.

Add a Comment

The way I see it, ABC News and the Today Show just ran a ten-minute infomercial for Abercrombie & Fitch. The lure? The “oversexualized” push up padded bikini on Abercrombie Kids. Mommy bloggers and social media parenting experts all took the bait and jumped right into the outrage feeding frenzy. It’s bad for girls self esteem. Who needs padding when you are 8? The only reason for a push up anything is to push sexuality.

Okay, okay, we get it.

Actually, we all got it a long time ago, as in the 1970s, which is why I think this whole outrage thing is kinda silly. Even my 8 year-old daughter was rolling her eyes at the experts on the Today Show this morning. “Bad for girls? Huh? It’s just a boring striped bathing suit.” And then... “Mommy, what does ‘oversexualization’ mean?”

Thank you, Meredith Vieira, for today’s word of the day!

Lucky for Abercrombie & Fitch, they’re back in the news as being an “edgy” brand targeting youth, which is exactly where they want to be. The moms who ban Barbies and Bratz dolls aren’t shopping there anyway, so for them, this latest stunt amounts to a whole lotta free publicity and traffic. I can just hear the A & F execs in their closed-door meetings... "oh yeah, nice boost in traffic... all we had to do is name the product 'push up' and then change it to something boring like 'triangle' and the hub-bub will be forgotten by tomorrow... meanwhile, sales are great."

Baiting outrage, a term coined by Amy Jussel, media literacy expert and founder/executive director of ShapingYouth.org, seems to be the new normal for going viral. Amy pointed me to a new Tufts study on media and incivility, further proof that the headlines just keep getting worse and worse even while the hard data on news and trends often proves otherwise.

Here’s the problem. Traditional marketing doesn’t really work anymore and we’re all getting a little tired of social media and blogging and e-mail marketing, with all of those #giveaways we can #win and #promo codes that are about to expire and #exclusive offers that aren’t really exclusive at all. Every marketer is clamoring for attention so it’s not surprising that �

Add a Comment

Justin Bieber is making headlines again with his recent haircut, a cute new ‘do that I happen to think says a lot about the crossroads Bieber is facing in his career – and the longevity of his brand.

Depending on how you look at it (for all you Beliebers and non Beliebers alike), Bieber had either a not-so-great week or a pretty awesome week last week. There was the Grammy’s snub, the Rolling Stone’s controversy and the New York Times article, that according to E! Online, “practically predicted his obituary.”

Personally, I think the haircut was a great career move. Bieber is back in the news and he didn’t have to resort to sex tape making, pole dancing or drunk driving! And… word on the street is that his recently-released movie, Never Say Never is a true delight. (This just in from my 70 year-old mother and my 8 year-old daughter: “We went to see it to see how bad it was, but now we love him! It’s the most inspirational movie we’ve ever seen!”)

Now. What the heck does this have to do with you and your brand? A lot. Right now things may be humming along with your latest product launch or ad campaign, but even the best companies eventually face a few blips and start to lose their mojo. The buzz simply begins to peter out. When this happens, you can either choose to make a lot of noise and generate a lot of hits with a sex-tape type of brand strategy move, or you can pull a Bieber and simply get a haircut. He even turned it into a positive PR spin by donating his locks to charity!

Any recent controversy aside, the message that's still stuck in my mind (and I'm willing to bet is still in the minds of millions of fans) is that Bieber’s message is 80 percent squeaky clean. He sings pop music. He's a kid. He's got a whole lifetime ahead of him that he can fill with silly love songs, so I just don't think the jury is out yet. Perhaps most importantly, his ultimate propaganda vehicle at the moment, Never Say Never, focuses entirely on his back story. This is what I truly believe (Belieb) is his most powerful tool. Yours too. The best way to connect with fans of any kind is to reach them at a deep emotional level and to pull at the heartstrings a little bit. A compelling back story or archetype can work wonders for a brand's longevity and one could even argue that without one, you don't really have a brand. Bieber’s is all about overcoming obstacles and unleashing the hero within.

What’s yours?

Add a Comment

I don't normally cover the video game industry but this weekend's New York Times article, Allowing Players to Assume The Ultimate Role: Game Creators by Seth Schiesel definitely caught my eye. And it wasn't just because of the cute bunny. One of the things that has been a little puzzling over the last decade is how traditional media and new media have collided into a user-generated frenzy of information and entertainment while the video game business has left players on the user-created content sidelines. “One of the saddest aspects of the electronic age is that even as computers have become more powerful and pervasive (ubiquitous, even),” writes Schielsel, “the ability to create software for them has escaped the reach of everyday people.” Until now.

Enter Sony's LittleBigPlanet 2. The game allows everyday folks to create their own games - and share them. Amazing, really, in today’s world of daily YouTube hits and reality TV and blog-turned-book-turned movie deals that it took this long. Schiesel likens the game to a "stunning new entertainment ecosystem," a game that is so much more than a game because the users are literally in control of the play. "Of course making anything that lots of other people will actually enjoy still takes a tremendous amount of dedication and perhaps even skill. That is true in any realm of creation," writes Schiesel, "but if you are, say, a parent who worries that video games are melting your children's brains, ask them if they wouldn't like to try their hand at actually making a game."

But of course! Couldn't it be this easy? We can solve the kids-on-the-couch epidemic and foster the technological leaders of tomorrow by simply providing kids with the tools they need to create their own entertainment. Now that's what I call 21st century play. How about you - what kinds of things are your brands doing to engage kids in tomorrow's technology?

Add a Comment

I’m still not quite over it. Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, a.k.a “Tiger Mom” and I shared a tense moment Friday night at her book reading at Seattle’s Elliot Bay Book Company. Given her continued media coverage, perhaps your thoughts are lingering in tiger territory too.

First of all, I’m still not even sure what compelled me to attend the event, but I just had to go. I don’t know if I was expecting a train wreck or a Jerry Springer show or an Oprah confessional but what I was not anticipating was a mostly middle-aged, older (about half Asian, half white) smartly-dressed-with good haircuts overwhelmingly-sympathetic crowd. When Ms. Chua came out, she paused right in front of me (it was standing room only; I snagged a spot in front) for a few moments before walking to the podium, our auras intersecting. Awaiting a sense of revulsion, I instead felt drawn to her. I suddenly had this urge to tap her on the shoulder, give her a wink, a smile, even a hug. What’s the big deal? I thought. Why do so many people hate her? Petite, holding her head high, dressed in a red sweater, black mini skirt and pointy red and black shoes, she looked very much like a neighborhood mom on her way to work. Like someone I might have gone to college with or (gasp) even a close friend. On stage, she was self-deprecating and funny and the audience laughed at all of her jokes. I did too–- at first; feeling her pain when she told us that the Wall Street Journal had chosen an obnoxious, unfortunate headline and that all of the resulting vitriol was because her words had been taking out of context. She was misunderstood. Her text is a memoir, not some soapbox prescription for parenting.

So she did what any self-respecting author would do. She read from her book. “My story is a journey,” she told us, “writing this book was like family therapy. I’ve learned from my mistakes!” she said, flinging her tiny arms in the air with exasperation. Ms. Chua chose to read seven pages from the last chapter of Battle Hymn and this is when my emotions took a turn. In a matter of seconds my blood pressure shifted from a happy mellow soup to a perturbed simmer and then into a hot, rolling boil. I wondered if I had anything suitable in my animal-print purse that I could throw at her.

Ms. Chua read a scene that takes place in a Russian restaurant during a family vacation where she bullies and berates her youngest daughter, then 13, into taking one bite of caviar. Astonishingly, the audience roared with laughter as she read.

“Do you know how sad and ashamed my parents would be if they saw this, Lulu—you publicly disobeying me? With that look on your face? You’re only hurting yourself. We’re in Russia, and you refuse to try caviar! You’re like a barbarian. And in case you think you’re a big rebel, you are completely ordinary. There is nothing more typical, more predictable, more common and low, than an American teenager who won’t try things. You’re boring, Lulu—boring.”
“Shut up,” said Lulu angrily.
“Don’t you dare say shut up to me. I’m your mother.” I hissed this, but still a few guests glanced over.
“I hate you.

7 Comments on Ire of the Tiger, last added: 1/24/2011

Display Comments

Liz said, on 1/24/2011 1:49:00 PM

Thank you for this lively and well-reasoned blog post. Personally, I don't think I could have gone to this event and remained as calm as you did; in fact, I don't think I could have gone at all.

As someone who cares deeply about young people (and has built part of her career on telling students and young adults to go easier on themselves), I find Amy Chua's message positively frightening. Good for you for asking her the bold questions!

Michelle @PowerfulHER said, on 1/24/2011 2:06:00 PM

Thank you for sharing this experience with us. I know many of us are baffled by Amy Chua. So many questions: Is she pure evil? Is she sorry? Why is so sure she is right?! And more questions just keep emerging as she tries to quell them with her footnotes. Ha!

Wendy Sue Swanson, MD said, on 1/24/2011 2:08:00 PM

Thanks for this! A great story and heartfelt reaction. I missed the event--just couldn't bring myself to go (even though I should have). Your post is helpful to me, your energy and passion clear. And your fortitude applauded...
The national response to her calculated and eager book is much more interesting than anything Amy has to say, I think. Working on a post right now.

Wendy Sue Swanson
seattlemamadoc.seattlechildrens.org

Anonymous said, on 1/24/2011 2:11:00 PM

This lady sounds like a tyrant...saying she's learned from her mistakes is a very weak cover for abusing her own children. I guess she is more confirmation that academics can have very little clue what is taking place in the real world, and especially how to live sensibly.

Allison Ellis said, on 1/24/2011 2:32:00 PM

Thank you all so much for your comments. This was tough post to write; I'm still so baffled by Amy Chua and have been trying to make sense of her pronouncements. That said, it's been an eye-opening experience, one that I will not soon forget.

Eisley Jacobs said, on 1/24/2011 2:45:00 PM

Wow... Like you, I think I would have been drawn to the event as well and stood there in awe of such a woman. Just reading this I can sense your anger (or is that my anger??) and wonderment on who this woman thinks she is.

And you are right... it makes us take a step back and wonder if we are Tiger Moms... and hope for our children's sake we figure it out before we create marks they identify as scars later.

Good post. No, great post.

Martha Brockenbrough said, on 1/24/2011 3:37:00 PM

Good post, Allison--and a brave one to write. The whole idea of having to be the best at everything is so ridiculous. And it's mostly pointless. There are so many other ways to change the world for the better. It's hard when you've been raised in this sort of crucible to resist the pressure. We all fall back to what we know when we're scared. Having some awareness of the unpleasant tiger potential many of us have is the best first step in avoiding it, eh?

Add a Comment

I finally figured it out! My mother is Chinese! Not literally (mom is blond and blue-eyed and likes to cast judgment by looking down at her children over her pointy, up-turned Caucasian nose) but, according to Amy Chua in her controversial WSJ article, Chinese Mothers are Superior, my mom fits the stereotype in a lot of ways.

Here's how Chua, author of Battle Hymm of the Tiger Mother, spells it out:

A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it's like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I've done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:

• attend a sleepover
• have a playdate
• be in a school play
• complain about not being in a school play
• watch TV or play computer games
• choose their own extracurricular activities
• get any grade less than an A
• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama
• play any instrument other than the piano or violin
• not play the piano or violin.



I can relate. Childhood was no fun. In between the piano lessons and grueling swim team workouts and extracurriculars, there was little time for eating and sleeping. We were forced into activities, punished for grades below A- and brainwashed into thinking that this had some sort of bearing on our future success and happiness.

“You’ll thank me later” mom used to say.

No, I won’t.

In theory, pushing your kids to do their best and not letting them quit and give up before they’ve had a chance to really excel makes sense. But here’s the thing: not everyone can be a winner. As a parent, if you accept nothing less than perfection, you’re either setting your kids up to be perfect (unlikely, since nobody is perfect) or insecure, neurotic and highly competitive (yep) or – rebellious and hateful. Nice choices!

Recently, Harvard researches put the theory to the test (see the recent CNN article, Want to Get Your Kid Into College? Let Them Play). What they found is that kids who are encouraged to play (encouraging emotional development) do much better in school than the children who focused on skill and academic development.

Whatever you call it – east versus western values; skills vs. social and emotional learning - it’s not new. Of course, I'm sure Chua’s article adds more fuel the Mommy War debate, which was getting a little stale anyway. MediaBistro just reported that the Chinese Mother article had already generated over 2,500 comments so there you go. When it comes to raising kids, everyone’s got an opinion.

As a consultant in the world of children’s and parenting media, I am aware of the challenges and concerns on both a professional and personal level. Recently, my daughter (a TV addict, a little on the heavy side, not doing any activities right now because I couldn’t get it together) asked me: “When I grow up, are you going to be mean to me like Grandma is mean to you?”

“No,” I replied, “and you’ll thank me later.” But I didn’t say that out loud.

Here’s what I think: there are a lot of really smart, really creative parents out there who are raising their kids is new and different ways, challenging stereotypes and redefining boundaries. We live in a time of intense scrutiny

Add a Comment

Presents!! Who wants presents? Everyone, right? All year long, my kids beg for stuff they see on TV, whine while I whisk them past the toy aisle at Target and pour through catalogs, circling their coveted items with red crayon. My canned response for 11 months out of the year has always been: “put it on your Christmas list.” Well, the time has come. What do they want to see under the tree? Not much.

It’s not they don’t want stuff, it’s just that there’s not much of anything that they are excited about. And as a parent and a children’s marketer, I have to agree. In terms of kids products, this just may be the lamest year yet.

I challenge you: name one hot toy for December 2010. The gotta-have item of the year. Something –anything-- that causes you to drive out of your way or engage in an online bidding war. The one thing that your child just can’t live without.

Yeah, I couldn’t think of anything either. Apparently, neither can my kids.

Back in October, the National Retail Federation issued their top 10 retail holiday trends, one of them being “Kids today are a walking contradiction” though they were referring more to Gen Y habits, not parental spending. Earlier, in July, an NPD study found that spending for young kids is on the decline. And the day before Black Friday, Kidscreen cited more NPD research on 2010 holiday trends.

"Among parents asked what's on their child's holiday wish list, 34% said toys, 15% answered video games, 9% said consumer electronics (with laptops and iPod Touch devices being the most popular), 7% said clothing and 6% answered sporting goods. Other noteworthy categories include footwear, gift cards, books, entertainment and cash.

Among toys, top categories are dolls, vehicles, building sets and arts & crafts. The Top 10 properties specifically coveted are American Girl, Barbie, Disney Princess, Dora the Explorer, LEGO, Pillow Pets, Star Wars, Toy Story 3, Transformers and Zhu Zhu Pets. Within the video game category, Wii and NDS hardware systems are the most requested items, along with the Xbox 360 Kinect."

See anything on that list that you A. haven't heard of before or B. Don't already have in your home?

I asked my kids again what they want for Christmas. The 8 year-old wants socks (socks!) and the 3 year-old wants a digger truck. At least in my house, ‘tis the season for for kids who want so little. In the midst of the chaos of the holidays and the lingering angst of the recession, I'm taking time to appreciate the simple gifts, mainly the intangible ones.

How about you- what's on your wish list?

Add a Comment

Fifteen years ago, when my career was just getting off the ground (read: I had no idea what I was doing) I somehow landed a job at a sexy Internet start up, one of those destined-for-greatness, ultimately positioned to fail ventures buoyed by Microsoft stock options and guys under 30 with Really Great Ideas. I was assigned to spearhead the editorial efforts of FreeZone.com, "the world's first safe online community for kids and teens." We had an online magazine. We had games. We had a homepage builder. And we had a monitored chat. This is all back in 1995 - 2000, which I guess makes me a sort of an Internet Grandma, but whatever. I loved my job at the time and was passionate about creating a safe and fun destination for kids all over the world. But then we got bought and moved everything to Chicago and then we got sold again and I jumped ship to go to work for Fox Kids (only to get sold to Disney two years later). And then, inevitably, there was this, which saddens me to read it even now.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FREEZONE TO SAY FAREWELL
March 26, 2001

CHICAGO-- After five years of awards and accolades as the safest and most fun community for kids on the Internet, FreeZone.com (http://FreeZone.com) announced today that it is closing its doors. The final day of operation will be March 30, 2001.

FreeZone was the only kids Web site to provide full-time, specially-trained adult employees to monitor its chat rooms, bulletin
boards and home pages. The site was a strong advocate of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, which took effect in April 2000.

"We've built the ultimate Web site for kids and won numerous awards for it," said Jessica Halem, marketing manager of FreeZone. "We know that as the Internet matures, the privacy and safety of the kids who use it will be a key issue. We hope other organizations will step forward to take leadership in kids privacy and safety on the Internet."

When asked what she thought of an online community like FreeZone, one of the children replied, "You're not judged by how you look but by how you act and you can always make new friends. I come to FreeZone because it's a place to hang around and meet new friends, do interesting stuff. You feel safe around FreeZone."

All this week the staff of FreeZone will be reminding the kids to stick to the Internet safety rules that have been the site's cornerstone. Because there is no comparable site to send the kids, the staff will be working around the clock to arm the kids with guidelines to use in other public chat rooms.

FreeZone was founded in 1995 as one of the first community sites on the Internet. Its mission has been to empower youth with the communication, technical and emotional skills necessary to succeed in all aspects of their lives.

But last week, completely out of the blue, I received an e-mail, a social media full-circle moment if there ever was one:

Hello there,

I found your e-mail address on a couple of networking websites after looking up FreeZone (linkedin, scbwi), but this isn't a business related e-mail - instead I come to you just to send a simple thanks.

To give the creepiness of this e-mail some context, I was going through old boxes this weekend and came across a big one of letters when I was growing up and I had one from you. When you had your website, Freezone, operating I was a frequent (

0 Comments on Social media full circle miracle as of 11/24/2010 5:43:00 PM

Add a Comment

According to Nielsen, the company that tracks television viewership, preschool children between the ages of 2 and 5 years old are watching an average of more than 32 hours of TV each week. This alone should cause a concern-- or at least a raised eyebrow or two, but I’ll get to that later.

The recent buzz has been about Disney’s new preschool channel, Disney Junior, which is scheduled to launch in 2012. According to last week’s article in the New York Times, Disney Junior to Focus on Social Values:

“Mothers want preschool television to be more about teaching children social skills and less about pushing clear academic goals – at least that’s what Disney executives say new internal research indicates. For decades, most preschool programming has been built around an educational curriculum, whether that is numbers and letters (“Sesame Street”), language skills (“Dora”) or even math (Nickelodeon’s “Team Umizoomi”). Disney’s “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse” incorporates problem-solving and counting. The reasons for the educational focus vary, but the approach serves one major goal: reassuring mothers about plunking their wee ones in front of the TV screen.”

This has lead to a quasi turf war among television executives. Not over how much kids should watch (or when – data now suggests that parents are demanding kids programming not only during the morning hours but also during prime time and evening, from 5-11pm) but what kind of programming. According to the Wall Street Journal’s The Turf War for Tots

"Executives at Walt Disney Co., preparing their latest push for this audience, say that some TV for tots favors curriculum over storytelling. They argue that it's sometimes too much work, not enough play. They're offering themselves as an alternative to Nickelodeon's Nick Jr. channel, which emphasizes learning. Disney says that today's parents are ready for a change. In an age of video games and iPads, kids can learn their ABCs anywhere. What's missing are good, old-fashioned stories that kids can repeat to others, pretend to be the characters, and watch again and again."

And yet, a new study released by Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington demonstrates Preschoolers are Watching WAY too much TV. According to the MSNBC summary, "nearly 70 percent of the preschool-age children exceeded recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for limiting screen exposure (including TV, DVDs, computers and video games) to one to two daily hours. The recommendation is based on research linking screen time with adverse effects, including language lags, obesity, possibly aggressive behaviors and decreased academic performance, according to study researcher Dr. Pooja Tandon of the Seattle Children's Research Institute and the University of Washington."

There are other options and for those of you who aren’t part of the Disney/Nickelodeon/PBS Kids food chain might appreciate. Full disclosure: these are my clients.

Ameba TV is a set top box with a content library of commercial-free, educational shows geared towards kids 3-8. Parents control the content; kids get a customized remote.