Come off it, some will say: we have always had toys and sweets being marketed to children. What about those Meccano sets, Dinky toys, plastic dolls and Roses chocolates aimed at the children of half a century ago? Somehow, despite all that, most of us managed to grow up with decent values.
Fair enough but perhaps things really have gone up a few notches;
What has changed is the sheer volume and ubiquity of the marketing, not its essence. ... One researcher, Sue Palmer, estimates that the average child in Britain, the US and Australia now sees 20,000-40,000 television adverts a year. ... so many shows and films are now saturated with product placement, ... this year's PG-rated Pink Panther film, which apparently featured over 30 brands, including Adidas, TGI Friday's and Virgin. ... Then there is the internet. We are talking about more than the pop-up ads. Marketeers are muscling into instant messaging and chatlines with disguised adverts, purporting to be friendly messages. Walmart's website Toyland asks children to pick items they'd like from a conveyor belt and then to enter their parents' email addresses so the list can be sent on and the company can "help pester your parents for you". The traditional Santa's list, this isn't.
Now do you believe me when I say that we need to develop adbusting liturgies?
The brands have turned us into a nation of addicts | Guardian daily comment | Guardian Unlimited: Filed in: branding, advertising, mind, addiction, mindscape, marketting, children
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