Thursday, September 28, 2006
The evil hand of marketing slaps me once again
This morning on NPR, I heard a report that scientists are trying to discover whether there's a link between marketing messages and childhood obesity, the premise being that much of the advertising targeted toward children is of the candy/fast food/sugary cereal genre, and kids aren't savvy enough to take the sales pitches with a grain of salt. I'm not disputing either of these facts, but I do think making the jump to childhood obesity leaves a central component out of the equation: the parents. I mean, aren't parents the ones who should be responsible for whatever's going into their kids' mouths? God knows I would have eaten more than my fair share of Crispy Critters as a child (because I was too young and stupid to realize how freaking creepy that commercial was) if my parents hadn't instituted a ban on sugary cereals.
Then again, I'm probably not the best person to be making a case for resisting the pull of marketing. After one too many viewings of the Smallville season premiere promo, in which Lex and Lana disrobe in glowy lighting to the dulcet tones of Lifehouse's "You and Me," I became overwhelmed by an inexplicable need to possess that song. Why? I've never watched Smallville. I don't like Lifehouse. And yet, I was unable to resist the magnetic pull toward iTunes. I feel so dirty.
This morning on NPR, I heard a report that scientists are trying to discover whether there's a link between marketing messages and childhood obesity, the premise being that much of the advertising targeted toward children is of the candy/fast food/sugary cereal genre, and kids aren't savvy enough to take the sales pitches with a grain of salt. I'm not disputing either of these facts, but I do think making the jump to childhood obesity leaves a central component out of the equation: the parents. I mean, aren't parents the ones who should be responsible for whatever's going into their kids' mouths? God knows I would have eaten more than my fair share of Crispy Critters as a child (because I was too young and stupid to realize how freaking creepy that commercial was) if my parents hadn't instituted a ban on sugary cereals.
Then again, I'm probably not the best person to be making a case for resisting the pull of marketing. After one too many viewings of the Smallville season premiere promo, in which Lex and Lana disrobe in glowy lighting to the dulcet tones of Lifehouse's "You and Me," I became overwhelmed by an inexplicable need to possess that song. Why? I've never watched Smallville. I don't like Lifehouse. And yet, I was unable to resist the magnetic pull toward iTunes. I feel so dirty.
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