Friday, September 23, 2011

Marketing to Kids-free chocolates to paediatricians?

Marketers are devoting ever more effort to wooing children. The little monsters have a remarkable ability to nag their parents (whom marketers call “wallet-carriers”) into buying what they want. Better still, habits learned in childhood can last a lifetime. So companies bombard children with advertisements from the day they are born. The average American three-year-old can recognise 100 brands. Many can also recite annoying jingles more readily than their times tables. Given a choice between carrots and “McDonald’s carrots”, children hungrily choose the latter. From a company’s point of view, the earlier you hook your customers, the better. Experiments on rats suggest that a taste for junk food can be acquired in the womb.
The most effective marketing tools are often subtle. Kopiko, a confectioner from the Philippines, distributes free chocolates to paediatricians. Apple offers baby-friendly apps such as “Toddler Teasers” and “Baby Fun!”. Gatorade, a drinks-maker, tweets good-luck messages to star athletes. A company called Girls Intelligence Agency employs 40,000 American girls to act as “guerrilla marketers”. It gives them free products and everything they need to organise a slumber party with their friends to try them out. Then it sits back and waits for the buzz to build.
Source: Hidden Persuaders II
See also Martin Lindstrom

Sunday, September 18, 2011

TT or the Td vaccine during pregnancy?

The Tetanus Toxoid (TT) vaccine is given during your pregnancy to prevent tetanus to you as well as your baby. Antibodies formed in your body, after the vaccination, are passed on to your baby and protect her for a few months after birth. It also helps prevent premature delivery. .. In many countries such as the US, the Td or tetanus-diphtheria vaccine is recommended for pregnant women.

Love is not expensive

Adopting My Daughter - Steven Levitt

See also Half the Sky

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Thank a Teacher today

Since it’s back-to-school season across the country, I wanted to celebrate a group that is often maligned: teachers. Like so many others, it was a teacher who changed the direction of my life, and to whom I’m forever indebted.
-What Teacher Would You Like to Thank?