Robbing the Cradle? If Marketers Get Their Way, That Bundle of Joy Can Cost a Bundle
Robbing the Cradle? If Marketers Get Their Way, That Bundle of Joy Can Cost a Bundle
Published: July 25, 2007 in Knowledge@Wharton
This article has been read 1,184 Times
Just a decade ago, a company called Baby Einstein helped launch not only a new line of educational videos and toys but a new generation of kid-centric parents who believed that so-called “enrichment activities” could put their toddlers squarely in the fast lane to success.
The Baby Einstein Company was soon joined by others that promoted educational and entertainment products and services for babies and the under-three-year-old set, including The Baby Prodigy Company (”Dedicated to helping raise smarter, happier young children”) and Brainy Baby (”Learning for a lifetime”). The U.S. isn’t alone in this trend. The UK-based TV show “Teletubbies” shared the same premise.
However, as this educational baby business grew into a $20 billion-a-year industry, some child advocacy groups warned parents to rethink the products and the messages behind the campaigns that targeted infants and toddlers. In 2006, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against The Baby Einstein Company for false and deceptive marketing. The American Academy of Pediatrics, which advocates no television for any child under two and suggests limits for older children, quickly supported the complaint, noting that “there is no current evidence to prove these videos help infants and toddlers in an intellectual or developmental way.”
Read more at http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1778
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