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Playtime is essential to children but many toys are now branded, leading to a stifling of imagination and making the child a marketing target, writes Joanna Fortune. Andrew Parsons/PA Archive/PA Images

Column Children are conditioned from birth to develop 'brand loyalty'

Family clinical psychotherapist Joanna Fortune says toys don’t just let children ‘play’ anymore – they are constantly selling to them…

TO ANYONE WHO has recently had a child, let me ask you this: How do you feel about the idea that your new baby is already being targeted by some of the biggest brands and marketing campaigns in the world? Your baby is already being groomed and conditioned to recognise, align with and ultimate develop “brand loyalty” to these products, before they have even uttered their first words.

I was in a large toy store recently to buy a birthday gift for my six-year-old goddaughter. I was immediately frustrated – and then really angry – at
how many of the ‘toys’ aimed at little girls are image and make-up focused. There is make your own lipstick, nail-polish, and a variety of others not worth mentioning here. Even the dolls were pimped to the maximum. (Don’t get me started on the Bratz doll franchise…)

I eventually settled on a Paint Your Own Puppy set, but it got me thinking about the serious consequences of this brand exposure and conditioning. Our children are being targeted by marketing companies from their infancy, and so I wondered: what is the effect on child development, and what can we do about it?

Play is essential to children’s development. It is how they learn about their world, who they are, who others in their world are. From here they learn to develop relationships and attachments. Play is a natural experience for children, it comes naturally to them and free, creative, imaginative play is of paramount importance in children’s development.

This overt sexualisation and commercialisation of children’s play and toys is preventing them from exploring and experimenting with feelings and choices. It is stopping children from actually playing. The amount of time children are spending at creative or imaginative play is steadily decreasing. I couldn’t help but observe that even the ‘creative’ toys in this same toy store, such as Lego, were now available in kits that were mostly associated with a brand – Harry Potter, Star Wars, Disney. Even these are exposing children to the influence of bigger brands, leading them to brand recognition and limiting the scope for free expression play with the Lego.

Moreover, it is impossible to ignore the influence of gender stereotyping in how children’s toys are marketed – it’s mostly ‘princess’ and hair or make-up options for girls, while boys’ toys are action based with the roles on offer being firefighter, police officer, soldier and so on.

“You are not just buying a book for your child; the branded book automatically directs you towards the DVD, computer game, pencil case…”

A recent study in Adweek Magazine stated that by the age of three, children in the US can recognise 100 different brands. This is not a phenomenon exclusive to the US by any means. The article goes on to quote a former marketing consultant to Hasbro, Mattel and Nestlé who said:

Babies don’t distinguish between reality and fantasy, so they [companies] think, ‘Let’s get them while they’re susceptible’.

This is compounded by the fact that everything is branded now. You are not just buying a book for your child; the branded book is automatically directing you and your child toward the DVD, computer game, playing cards, pencil case and lunch box that go with it.

By limiting our children’s access to creative and imaginative play we are undermining their creations and projections. We are restricting how they get to work out the world around them and how they feel in it and also how they learn to problem-solve: creative play is essential for children to develop their critical thinking capacity.

The consequences of commercialised play are significant and will have a far-reaching impact in society. The UNICEF report An Overview of Child

Wellbeing in Rich Countries highlighted how the pressure of the working environment and increased focus on materialism combine to damage the wellbeing of our children. We have a society of time-poor parents who are under increasing pressures to work longer hours to maintain a standard of living for families, so compensate for not being there physically for their children by giving them things we think they want, because we’ve all seen the same ad campaigns. But research tells us that material goods do not make children happy – and moreover they would give it all back to have extra time with their parents or carers.

So let’s take some responsibility for what our children are playing with, and at the same time send a message to the marketing companies that our children will not be a part of the increasing commercial culture we all live in. Less of Tattooed Barbie and more sand, Play-Doh or clay, finger painting, baking with parents, sports with parents, outdoor family activities.

We know that what our children want and need most of all is time with their parents or carers – not stuff!

Joanna Fortune is a clinical psychotherapist and the director of the Solamh Parent-Child Relationship Clinic in Dublin.

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25 Comments
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    Mute Martin Mac
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    Jun 4th 2012, 7:09 PM

    Hand me downs…. the best brand name out there!

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    Mute Elaine Butler
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    Jun 4th 2012, 7:15 PM

    I agree totally, most of the time you don’t need ‘stuff’ to play with your child, and you definitely don’t need branded stuff. Don’t create brand addictions from infancy and childhood … Let your child be more than just a consumer …

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    Mute Barry
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    Jun 4th 2012, 7:15 PM

    This is indeed a worrying trend and parents have alot to answer for for just going with this worrying trend.

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    Mute Gus Lynch
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    Jun 4th 2012, 10:18 PM

    How many kids have you Barry? Genuine question. If greater than zero – I’ll take, and agree with your point.

    It’s amazing though the brand awareness that passes through the playground – resulting in a constant stream of requests to ‘get the thing that he/she has’.

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    Mute Holemaster
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    Jun 4th 2012, 11:52 PM

    Gus. Get off your parental high horse. You reproduced, round of applause.

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    Mute Barra Ó Scannail
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    Jun 4th 2012, 8:06 PM

    The author says less barbie and more Play-Doh.

    I was under the impression that Play-Doh was the brand? Isn’t it just clay/plasticine?

    Tis a good divine who follows his own purpose.

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    Mute Sean Hickey
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    Jun 4th 2012, 11:36 PM

    What ever happened to ‘here are a few crayons and paper, draw’. Imagine.
    Buying the book that directs you to a DVD??
    What about the library?
    Probably the greatest thing in your community that is still free.

    For the moment at least.

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    Mute Dhakina's Sword
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    Jun 5th 2012, 12:19 AM

    There is one brand that I sincerely hope the marketeers will never get their hands upon. That is, the humble cardboard box. Since time began, which for me was decades ago, the cardboard box was always the most coveted prize. . Something strange happens when parents are about to receive new domestic appliances. They appear to get giddy with excitement, so much so, that their children think that the greatest toy in the world is about land in their presence. What else, their children reason, quite reasonably, could turn their normally stressed and fearful parents , towards their rather sane world by comparison. It must be the greatest toy in the world. Then it arrives. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a television, a cooker, a washing machine, a tumble dryer or a fridge, what matters is holding onto the magic and excitement of what you thought was going to be. The beautiful thought that adults and children could settle their differences, once and for all and find common ground to be happy. Once the box is opened, the adults continue to appear happy and the children just look confused. Swallowing their disappointment, the children, not wanting to let an opportunity to have fun pass, immediately start inventing multiple uses for the now defunct box. All of a sudden, it transforms itself into a house, a spaceship and a time machine. It can be anything a child wants it to be. It is the best toy of all.

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    Mute Slap'stick Ireland
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    Jun 5th 2012, 6:14 AM

    Very true, good observation .

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    Mute Christine Moynihan
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    Jun 7th 2012, 9:48 PM

    They need to bring back Mary Fitzgerald… loo roll, glue, crayons and a box. Hey Presto a robot!

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    Mute Andrew Telford
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    Jun 4th 2012, 9:29 PM

    That’s old hat… In utero marketing is the new frontier. Theres a device here in the US that you can strap to a pregnant belly so baby can start tweeting before its born

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    Mute Itchy mcscratch
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    Jun 5th 2012, 3:47 PM

    Wall-e ……

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    Mute jackass ireland
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    Jun 4th 2012, 7:16 PM

    This entire article was written several times over in the book “Brandwashed”. Conditioning actually starts in the womb through tastes and sounds. Read the book. It is an eye opener.

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    Mute P Wurple
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    Jun 4th 2012, 10:23 PM

    Maybe this is why my smallie likes Matt Cooper on the radio so much… A LOT of commuting while prego! :)

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    Mute Lisa O Brien
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    Jun 5th 2012, 1:39 AM

    Excellent article, couldn’t agree more. I was in a toy store today with my two year old little girl and I was gobsmacked at some of the girls toys. The dolls are very realistic with change bags, car seats, high chairs the works . We bought a ball !

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    Mute Itchy mcscratch
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    Jun 5th 2012, 3:54 PM

    My 2 year old sons favourites are : an empty bottle and a sponge at bath time. A ball on the lawn or bubbles or balloons. Paints,crayons,chalks or markers. The sandpit and the dogs water bowl. Toy cars and a toy horse I got from smyths.
    He has a huge amount of toys but these are the things he still loves to play with the most.
    Also,he never liked using any of those plastic things to teeth on so I gave him a wooden spoon and you couldn’t get it off of him :)

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    Mute Mary Fitzsimons
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    Jun 4th 2012, 9:15 PM

    plasticine is a brand too!
    whats wrong with clay and paint?

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    Mute Archana Gomes
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    Jun 4th 2012, 11:11 PM

    your child needs ur love ,care and most of all time more than material …thats wat parenting is all about..

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    Mute Slap'stick Ireland
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    Jun 5th 2012, 6:04 AM

    One thing a child should not have access to is, a television, bogus entertainment always on the sell, TV is the ruination of real family values across the globe.

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    Mute Holemaster
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    Jun 4th 2012, 11:57 PM

    Most people here seem to agree with the author and yet most people are lazy about what their children play with and how they play. I don’t buy the usual excuses of many parents saying it’s too hard to combat the demands of kids. My parents did it.

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    Mute ADM
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    Jun 5th 2012, 12:08 AM

    my 6 yo loves arts and crafts and to make her own toys. she has the usual dolls but the time we spend playing with her helps develope her own creativity. so when you pay for a toy and your child plays with the box don’t worry this is a good thing. let them use their imagination.

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    Mute magsR
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    Jun 5th 2012, 7:22 AM

    “brandwashing” is also hitting the games industry. There is a logo game on iPhone and IPad that I have seen young people play which is clearly “teaching” kids young to recognise brands.
    I totally refuse to play the logo monopoly style game as I am annoyed about the blatant marketing that is taking over a supposedly ” family” game. It saddens me to see my young nieces and nephews playing it as they are be coming such an expert on brands!! Marketing departments must be rubbing their hands in glee!!

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    Mute random
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    Jun 5th 2012, 5:16 AM

    Amazing to see an article with such a high degree of consensus in the comments. Maybe there is hope for the chilluns yet!

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    Mute Neasa Hogan
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    Nov 27th 2014, 9:39 AM

    Consuming Kids – The Commercialization of Childhood is an excellent documentary about this issue.
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1337599/

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