Support NeoGAF

[Ripclawe]

http://business.time.com/2013/04/11/american-families-increasingly-let-kids-make-buying-decisions/

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day — so why are you letting your kid pick what you’ll eat? A new study from the NPD Group shows that parents defer to their children about a third of the time when it comes to deciding what to eat for breakfast, and about a quarter of the time for lunch. (The family members who are old enough to bring home the bacon are still the ones calling the shots on dinner, with only 3% of kids dictating that menu.) The mealtime surrender is just one more way parents are increasingly letting their children dictate what they buy, and it’s got marketers scrambling.

NPD advises companies, “By understanding who controls the meal… you can more effectively target your audience.”

According to a study conducted last year by Viacom’s Nickelodeon, kids pick what to eat 85% of the time at fast-food visits. (Maybe that’s why those apple slices haven’t been selling like, well, hotcakes infused with syrup and wrapped around eggs, cheese, and a sausage patty.)

Food manufacturers seem to have gotten the message: Market research firm Packaged Facts says in a new report that it expects breakfast versions of “popular indulgent” dessert items like cookies and pies in flavors like chocolate to become more popular. Breakfast cookies are obviously a kid-friendly concept, but these new versions also aim to please parents with better nutritional content.

It’s not just food choices that kids are dictating — or at least voting on. “Decision-making within families today is almost entirely collaborative – and as kids become more influential, they’re impacting purchasing decisions,” Christian Kurz, vice president of research at Viacom International Media Networks wrote on Viacom’s blog last year after Nickelodeon conducted its study. Kids also help pick clothes, shoes, and where their families go on vacation.


The Nickelodeon study found that family decision-making in general is more inclusive these days; more than half of parents seek their kids’ input, and just under half say their family discusses and decides major decisions together.

This effect is more pronounced when dollars are at stake — 71% of parents say they solicit opinions from their kids regarding purchases. Nearly all let the kids weigh in when what’s being bought is mainly for the kids themselves, but more than two-thirds of parents take their kids’ views into consideration when making family purchases.

Kids even get a say when the purchase is something they won’t directly use. Nearly three out of five parents consult with their kids before they buy a car — an increase of almost 20 percentage points in just three years. “We discovered some adults let their kids pick out the luxury cars that they buy,” Lexus general manager Mark Templin told Advertising Age.

The Nickelodeon study found a similar trend: More than a quarter of parents ask their kids for advice or input before buying stuff for themselves.

The temptation here might be to spout off about indulgent American parents, but it turns out that giving deference to the smallest members of the household is a global phenomenon, studies from Israel, India and the Philippines show.

So we’re eating cookies for breakfast and letting kids who can’t even see over the steering wheel pick out our new SUV — and marketers are encouraging this trend because there’s big money at stake. Last year, ad agency Digitas reported that kids have $1.2 trillion in buying power a year.

Digitas says families are acting more like democracies in general. “We’re treating our kids more like adults than ever before,” the company said in a report about the findings.


When its researchers interviewed a panel of 10-to-13-year-olds, they found that kids today are tech-savvy and demanding: All of the kids either had a cell phone or knew when they’d be getting their own. (Nickelodeon found that about half of kids get a say on what cell phone they get.)

“What we’re seeing over time is that they’re showing preference for adult things,” Digitas says. “We believe that we’ll see fewer multi-brands, and more mega- brands.” It starts young: Nielsen found that half of 6- to 12-year olds wanted a full-sized iPad for the holidays last year — and over a third wanted an iPad Mini.

The popularity of iPads among kids still young enough to play with crayons is illustrative of a broader trend, and explains why companies are so eager to get in kids’ good graces.


A smaller concentration of brands makes the stakes even higher. “Given the power of kids’ influence over purchasing decisions, marketers would be remiss to exclude kids from their messaging and branding,” Kurz says. Companies love when parents hand over the purchasing reins to their kids because that’s money in the bank today and a down payment on the next generation of customers.

 

[dragonelite]

Looks like parents are losing control.
But then again my buying power was like $2.

 

[grumble]

Sometimes I think that people should take a class before they become fertile.

 

[Bam Bam Baklava]

What a disaster this is becoming.

 

[sans_pants]

ive noticed this a lot in recent advertising. pushing cars as cool for kids to get picked up in at school instead of like, you know, a good car

 

[Guevara]

 

[The Faceless Master]

yeah, i've noticed this.. parents asking their kids what TV to get, what phone to get, what clothes to buy, etc...

 

[B.K.]

Sometimes I think that people should take a class before they become fertile.

What we need to do is come up with some temporary sterilization techniques and sterilize everyone before puberty. Then, when people get married and want children, they can go through classes and get a license to have a child. Then, the sterilization can be reversed, they can have a kid, and they can be sterilized again.

 

[wenis]

So bad parents are bad... Gotcha.

 

[Pikawil]

Sigh... the young'uns of today are growing up way too quickly.

 

[Bob White]

 

[Trin]

Wow, I was lucky if puppy eyes worked to get me Frosted Flakes.

 

[magenta]

Advertisers probably love this trend, easier to influence.

 

[QuiteWhittle]

Is this necessarily bad parenting? Could giving children power over minutiae actually be a positive thing?

I mean... this is a recent phenomenon with no current long-turn studies on its effects.

 

[Rhomega Beta]

“We discovered some adults let their kids pick out the luxury cars that they buy,” Lexus general manager Mark Templin told Advertising Age.

"I wanna Ferrari!" Seriously, I never cared about the cars my parents bought.

 

[Calamari41]

The only thing I could really see giving my kids a lot of power to pick out would be stuff like their own clothes. I can see asking for their opinion on purchases, though, to get them to start thinking critically about the choices that people make.

 

[BobTheFork]

The fuck?

I was never allowed to pick my breakfast, it was given to me. Once a year on my birthday I could pick a box of sugar cereal, usually cookie crisp. That was it!

 

[entremet]

Oh man when these shits enter the workforce.

 

[PaulExcellent]

My parents ask me what to buy in terms of computers and TVs.

I'm 19, and it's part of my job to know that stuff.

That's fine, right?

 

[You Are Viewtiful]

I don't see what's wrong with this. My parents ask and used to ask for my input many times, that doesn't mean I have the final say and neither do these kids.

 

[Freedom = $1.05]

I had a tantrum once because my mom wouldn't buy me a comic at Eckards. She bought it for me, then proceeded to whoop my ass when we got home. It's fair to say that I didn't have tantrums ever again after that.

 

[Pikawil]

Oh man when these shits enter the workforce.

"I wanna Raise!"

 

[Dan]

This is why so many car commercials are about impressing kids somehow. Your kid better feel awesome and superior to his peers when you drop him off at school!

 

[Devolution]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80pNUxIczig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6od7l7WXi0

UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGH.

 

[Polari]

According to a study conducted last year by Viacom’s Nickelodeon, kids pick what to eat 85% of the time at fast-food visits. (Maybe that’s why those apple slices haven’t been selling like, well, hotcakes infused with syrup and wrapped around eggs, cheese, and a sausage patty.)

Isn't this always the deal? I mean it's kind of like a treat, right? If my mum had taken me to McDonald's and told me I had to have apple slices I would have kicked off big time. I can eat apples at home.

 

[ReadingRambo]

If you watch cartoon shows these days, the parents are the clueless oaf, dependent on the children to set them straight. Shit's backwards yo.

 

[B-Dubs]

I don't really see how this is big news. So parents ask their kids what they want to eat and if they like one car or the other better. The parents are still making the choice, but by letting the kids have a small say in the matter it means they won't feel left out and may just be better behaved as a result.

 

[Ryaaan14]

Who's whoa whoa...I get kids picking out their food, but why the fuck would a parent let their kid dictate what car to buy? I don't see the logic at all

 

[Liberty4all]

I never had to ask when it came to food. My parents bought awesome cereal like Frosted Flakes and Captain Crunch, fridge always was filled with cokes, bags of chips lying around and bags of cookies. We did eat home cooked dinners but the treats were never lacking. Back in the 80's nobody even thought twice about the junk we were eating and drinking.

For big purchases though, I didn't have a say.

 

[Loofy]

Who's whoa whoa...I get kids picking out their food, but why the fuck would a parent let their kid dictate what car to buy? I don't see the logic at all

I dont really see anything wrong with this. Old people choose cars like the honda element.

 

[Jado]

The article is highlighting a relatively new phenomenon, not things as they have always been. A generation ago, you pleaded for kids' toys and games; now they're demanding, expecting and getting expensive electronics and the precise meals they will eat. The millions in marketing/advertising that reflect this did not exist before.

This bullshit has entirely ruined giving the occasional thoughtful gift to my little nephews (no longer bother), while generally being around them sucks (the holidays, ugh). They're a lot like those annoying kids in the car commercials. The parents are very soft and buy/give their kids nearly everything they want, rewarding them practically every day for no reason. Caving in to orchestrated crying, disregarding very recent bad behavior and giving them what they desire, etc. They have become so demanding, manipulative, privileged and whiny to the point of being unbearable. When my girl and I see them frequently and have them for a day, they begin reverting back to normal kids... until they're back with their ridiculous over-indulgent parents.

 

[rbanke]

I have an almost 3 year old son, and I will let him pick between options that I give him. For instance today "Do you want a hot ham and cheese sandwich or peanut butter and jelly for lunch". I tend to ask him "Do you want to wear this shirt or this shirt" and other things along those lines. I can't see myself just allowing him to make open ended decisions about most things though and certainly not picking out my car.

 

[TUSR]

And some adults cannot even make decisions for themselves even without kids

 

[rbanke]

The article is highlighting a relatively new phenomenon, not things as they have always been. A generation ago, you pleaded for kids' toys and games; now they're demanding, expecting and getting expensive electronics and the precise meals they will eat. The millions in marketing/advertising that reflect this did not exist before.

This bullshit has entirely ruined giving the occasional thoughtful gift to my little nephews (no longer bother), while generally being around them sucks (the holidays, ugh). They're a lot like those annoying kids in the car commercials. The parents are very soft and buy/give their kids nearly everything they want, rewarding them practically every day for no reason. Caving in to orchestrated crying, disregarding very recent bad behavior and giving them what they desire, etc. They have become so demanding, manipulative, privileged and whiny to the point of being unbearable. When my girl and I see them frequently and have them for a day, they begin reverting back to normal kids... until they're back with their ridiculous over-indulgent parents.

My wife's family is completely this way and so is she to a lesser degree. It's a constant battle to keep her mother from buying crap for my son every time she sees him or comes over or whatever and I have to give her a dollar & item limit on Christmas & Birthdays otherwise she goes crazy. My wife knows my feelings on it and respects my position but being that this is sorta how she grew up, she tends to buy my son toys far too often. Her family is very much 'kids are king' while my family was 'kids should be seen and not heard'. Her brother is my age (35) and is still somewhat spoiled and his two kids are monsters who get every whim fulfilled. I am amazed & disgusted at how kids are treated like little emperors these days and then grow up to expect everything handed to them and can't handle the real world... goddamn i sound like a grumpy old man, but its totally true.

 

[PrimaNocta]

I usually buy 2-3 different types of cereal for my family & I always ask my daugter which one she wants in the morning. I'm a bad parent for giving her choice for breakfast?

 

[Trouble]

My dad took me along and involved me in the process when he was buying a new pickup when I was 13. He didn't go with my verdict that he should buy the rad '89 Jeep Comanche and bought an S-10 instead. What a P.O.S. that truck turned out to be. He should have let me make that decision, the truck would probably still be running today instead of crapping out after 11 years like the S-10.

 

[andthebeatgoeson]

I'm constantly a grinch at meal time. Getting the apple slices, ordering non-soda, skipping the fries. I wish they offered more options. My kids don't have a great taste for the sweet stuff and don't put up too much off a fuss with vegetables.

But you have to be or your kids will be overweight adults fighting diabetes. And it helps me be mindful of what I'm eating as well. Win-win.

 

[kmfdmpig]

I think there's a happy medium between dictating what a child eats and allowing a child to do whatever he/she wants.

For a while my daughter, who is almost four, would have lemonade when we would eat out. It was not often so it was an indulgance albeit an unhealthy one. I made a point of explaining to her that water was much better/healthier for her and now when we are at a restaurant we let her order her drink knowing that she will get water. That seems to be better than dictating water as it has taught her to make a responsible choice.

We will also give her options for what food to get such as "do you want rice or noodles" or pasta or pizza? It's a choice, but it's a regulated one in which we define the options. To the waiter/waitress it looks like the child is running rampant with choices, but the reality is not quite the same.

 

[Effect]

Figure the car thing is a situation where the parent already knows what they want to buy. Perhaps they have two cars they are deciding between where they can fall on either side or picking between a color. Asking for input isn't crazy. That kid is going to be in that car just as much as the parent and you want everyone to be comfortable during the ride or to like something you are going to be seeing everyday. Now if a parent is buying suv and the child decides on a convertible just because and the parent says okay and buys that, that's something else. I don't think that's what's being done here. Illusion of choice structured by the parent is just fine.

 

[teruterubozu]

We're so inundated with consumerism that we literally don't give a fuck anymore.

"Meh, you decide."

 

[Somnid]

Not surprising. I think most people get paralyzed by choice. I think there's some studies that say if you have to manage more than about 3 options your brain checks out and a common result is people walk away with nothing. Also, I think adults want less. What I eat on any given day isn't important so it's hard to really make a decision and you typically become less experimental and fall back on the defaults. For kids it's often the thing they live for. They are highly decisive, unafraid of social stigma and have burning desire for things. I think it makes a lot of sense that people would defer to them.

 

[ThisWreckage]

Parents are now soft. They're not authorities and they're not disciplinarians. Your child is not your friend nor should you want it to be.

 

[freddy]

My parents ask me what to buy in terms of computers and TVs.

I'm 19, and it's part of my job to know that stuff.

That's fine, right?

Only if you realise that everything you do until the age of 25 will be wrong.

 

[ptolemy]

Why would I let my kid choose my new car? The amount of blame that would be thrown about

 

[bonercop]

Seeing how most people from previous generations are terrible dipshits, I'm glad new approaches to parenting are being tried.

 

[ThisWreckage]

Seeing how most people from previous generations are terrible dipshits, I'm glad new approaches to parenting are being tried.

Right, because reversing the roles of parents and children won't end badly, right?

 

[bonercop]

Right, because reversing the roles of parents and children won't end badly, right?

IDK, statistics show today's kids are smarter, less sexist/racist, more open-minded etc. etc.

We'll see how this turns out. Your "side" has been caterwauling about the next generation being the worst for all eternity, though, so I wouldn't place my bets on it.

 

[Zalasta]

Probably a big contributor to the problem of childhood obesity that is plaguing this country.

 

[Andrew.]

"This country's goin' straight to hell"

 

[ThisWreckage]

IDK, statistics show today's kids are smarter, less sexist/racist, more open-minded etc. etc.

We'll see how this turns out. Your "side" has been caterwauling about the next generation being the worst for all eternity, though, so I wouldn't place my bets on it.

They're also fatter than ever and arguably the most entitled, egotistical generation ever. A child is supposed to have boundaries and restrictions. This movement of "my child is my friend" is garbage. If a parent can't enforce then no one can. It's birthing an entitled, egotistical generation. Social media/Internet isn't helping with the ego problem either. Kids have always been little shits, but it makes zero sense to promote it by being a shitty parent.