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The power OF POUT
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What lies behind that sweet but sly smile? Big bucks. Now here's a question to ponder over on the eve of Children's Day
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Richa and Ritu Kalra could even ask for the moon — and get away with it
OBSERVE ANY family out on shopping or dining, and you'll see what clout the youngest members have on the group. They demand, and get, the food, toy, clothes, and movie of their choice. Increasingly, in double income families, parents assuage their guilt by getting the kids whatever they want, within reasonable limits, of course. And the market is savvy enough to cash in on this trade-off. "A person's brand loyalty may begin as early as the age of two," writes Eric Schlosser, in Fast Food Nation: What the All-American Meal is Doing to the World. He further quotes a marketer explaining: "It's not just getting kids to whine, it's giving them a specific reason to ask for a product."
With children being recognised as a powerful consumer base, companies making colas, beverages, chocolates, and even sanitary napkins push their products in the last frontier — schools. They come with their products and give them away as freebies. Sometimes, the marketing is not so direct. A multinational marketing chocolates and milk powder recently turned up before a class of four-year-olds with hired hands dressed up as cartoon characters, thereby ensuring that its brand was talked about both at school and at home.
Companies also get celebrities to endorse children's products. "Endorsing products with children in mind is a result of the tremendous potential that children possess to make a choice and the need parents have to fulfil these demands," says Kavita Mazumdar, senior copywriter with Oglivy and Mather.
"Children have always been an important target audience. They watch a lot of television, surf the Internet, go out a lot, and so are impacted in different ways. We have also had the market opening up and there are brands they have to choose between in terms of chocolates, cereals, etc."
So what do parents do about children being the focus of consumerism? Demanding children grow up to be demanding consumers. "There is role play involved," says a counsellor with an NGO, who doesn't want to be named. "Parents need a feel to play the `givers' and children often need to expand and experiment with their boundaries. There is also peer pressure that drives them to want more."
Basically, the principles that operate on adults also operate on children. Do the young ones share their stuff with siblings? Nine-year-old twins, Richa and Ritu Kalra, flatly refuse: each is her own person. Ritu knows what she wants — Barbies and Pokemon cards. "Richa has got more Pokemon cards," she grumbles. Says their mother: "My daughters are very adamant, know what they want, and get it from either of us."
"Of course, both my sons do a lot of buying themselves," says Supriya Nayak. "If they don't get their CD or video game from me, there is always another person to ask." Aditya, 9, prefers to wait for his favourite sports shoes while Abhijeet, older by a couple of years, wants them now. If they had 500 bucks, what would they do with it?
"Buy all that I want — sports gear, movie and music discs, video games!" "My sons do a whole lot more decision-making than I ever did. This is not always bad," says Ms. Nayak.
Money can't buy love, but it sure as hell can buy your kids a whole lot of reasons to love you.
AMISHA SHAH
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