Teaching Our Kids About Advertising
When Y saw a “Blendy Pens” commercial on TV, she was fascinated. She’s been mentioning the pens almost every single day since. I was surprised at the power that those commercials had over her. As Lisa Tiffin writes on How To Get Rich Slowly, “while I had been dismissing commercial-watching as a mildly amusing pastime, marketers were subtly invading my home and impressing their values on my captivated and trusting children”.
A quick online research seemed to suggest that Blendy Pens may perform well in the commercial but not so well in real life. But since it was so important to Y, I decided to buy the smallest set available and take this opportunity to teach my daughters about advertising.
As expected, the pens were difficult to operate, the colors didn’t blend very well and Y quickly lost interest in the new toy.
So we talked. We talked about how ads present products and services in a way that makes us want to buy them, even if we don’t really need them. We talked about the gap between a product’s performance in a commercial and the actual value that it brings you once you own it. We talked about how companies need money - our money – in order to grow. We also talked about consumerism – equating personal happiness with purchasing material possessions.
I like the way Amy from Crunchy Domestic Goddess put it in her post about freeganism - an anti-consumerism lifestyle: “what and how much do we really need to live? What void are we trying to fill as we consume and consume? Will we ever be happy?”
The Blendy Pens lesson turned out to be a valuable one. My daughters are learning to question what they see on TV. They know to be skeptical of ads and to ask themselves “is this really as good as it seems?”
The added bonus: by teaching them, I am re-enforcing these values in me.
Photo by Pink Ponk
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Jen responds:
Posted: March 9th, 2008 at 2:29 pm →
We’ve had a similar experience with blendy pens. Never occurred to me to use it as a teaching opportunity – thanks!
Jill responds:
Posted: March 9th, 2008 at 3:06 pm →
Wow. I read about freeganism and found it insane, not to say disgusting and disturbing. People get their food from dumpsters and think it’s perfectly safe? Can’t they find saner ways to reuse resources?
Lisa @ Corporate Babysitter responds:
Posted: March 10th, 2008 at 6:54 am →
Good for you! I also find that enforcing media eduation helps me think twice about the purchases I make. My daughter has also questioned me, “Do you want that or do you need it?”