Men we have to change. When thrashing through a Canadian government site I stumbled on the fact that in October we Canadians will be celebrating “Women’s History Month” http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/index_e.html I was stunned as I am sure will be the rest of my CFL and hockey buddies.

As a male I am not sure how to approach the event of Women’s History Month in Canada. I don’t even know what to wear. Dress in subdued colors- which means wear a plaid red moose hunting jacket from Canadian Tire? I have the same difficulty when it comes to all the other celebrations of the female – Women’s Day, Mothers’ Day, Secretaries’ Day … I am lost. Thank the heavenly mistresses and masters that I have a month to chart my course and set my male canoe through the rapids.

Today I chatted to my X gendered friends M and E and they passed on these tips. First they said dodge the bullets by being Canadian and dedicate your blog entry to mothers. (Note to self ahead of October he will stand up and dedicate the blog to mothers and possibly fathers.)

Here is what I found out from M and E regarding “Women’s History Month”:

Real mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox.

Real mothers often have sticky floors, dirty ovens and happy kids.

Real mothers know that dried play dough doesn’t come out of deep carpets.

Real mothers don’t want to know what the vacuum just sucked up.

Real mothers know that a child’s growth is not measured by height or years or grade.

Real mothers know the stages of life are marked by the progression of Mama to Mum to Mother.

Real Moms know the significance of: counting the sprinkles on each child’s cupcake to make sure they’re equal.

Real Moms know why they hide in the toilet to be alone.

Real Moms know why they catch it when their kids throw up

Real Mums also know – deep wisdom:

Why when someone else’s kid throws up at a party they carry on eating.

Why they are pleased that tomato sauce is a vegetable because it’s the only one their child eats.

Why they can’t bear the thought of their son’s/daughters first date.

Why they can’t bear to give away the baby clothes.

Why they hear their mother’s voice coming out of your mouth when they say, “NOT in your good clothes!”

Why they stop criticizing the way their mother raised them.

Why they hire a sitter because they haven’t been out with their husband in ages, and then spend half the night checking on the kids.

Why they use their own saliva to clean their child’s face.

Why they say at least once a day: “I’m not cut out for this job”, but they know they wouldn’t trade it for anything.

And as regards the Y chromosome

No question the X’s representatives “M and E “ have set a heck of a benchmark. It’s crunch time guys. What exactly are we “Y’s” doing for Canadian Fathers month. ?. Do we even have a Fathers Month? When is it ?

Meet me in the man cave lets discuss the change

TR

As a marketer one thing that absolutely makes me cringe is marketing to kids.  Its so manipulative and oh so  calculated.  The goal is to manipulate kids as marketing influences on their parents and to get kids hooked on brands from “cradle to grave”.  Its simple get kids when they are vulnerable and  plastic and they will be imprinted for life,   If you have the time spare a moment and watch this out take of  Lucy Hughes explaining  what marketing to kids is all about.  Its honest and  very revealing and bang on the money.

Its  a little hidden gem about marketing  to kids.  When I watched it I yelled  “Gotcha”  because this video   brilliantly illustrates how ethics and marketing to kids are two different sensibilities.

Looking forward to comments on marketing to Kids

Highly Recommended ****** etc.

For background information on marketing to kids I recommend.

www.commercialfreechildhood.org

Just when I thought genetically modified this or that had gone away – up pops a truly astounding stupid idea. It seems a company by the name of Lifestyle Pets has re-engineered the tired old cat and dog to produce brand new products for a modern lifestyle.  Go figure !!!
How’s is this possible you ask … well they’ve invented a hypoallergenic cat, which sounds handy. I need one of those but without the tinkering.

Good news thought apparently the Ashera is a hybrid cat [no its not  light on fuel]  This cat comes out of a petri dish and is a cross between three different types of exotic felines. It resembles a leopard, but will still eat Whiskas  or Pedigree or any other brand name food and may murder the family dog a mouse from time to time without making you sneeze and itch. Sound brilliant ?. Well the geniuses behind this engineered feline have a price for this kitten

It costs between $22 000 and $125 000 ! At that price   it better bloody well shake a killer martini and pack the dishwasher as well. Mango and Pachebel my cats are hopeless at household chores.

More good news from  Lifestyle Pets this time on the dog front. Apparently  the company also offers a dog called the ‘Titan Family Protection Dog’ . No doubt this  is a nice new marketing spin for a focused and very mean dog.

How did I guess- well will we ever learn that this is crazy ???.

PS: Have you  checked the icecaps lately? . Seems with mankind learning may take a while.

The reach of marketers to children is endless. This is one of the worst I have seen.  The Campaign for a Commercial- Free Childhood  has reported that Bus Radio in the USA has stepped over the mark. I totally agree.

Please support them.

Here is a copy of their email:

BusRadio, which hopes to “take targeted student marketing to the next level” by forcing children to listen to its commercialized radio broadcasts on school buses, has sunk to a new low. The company is advertising the highly sexualized new television show 90210 on BusRadio.com, its website for children as young as six.

Tell Bus Radio: Stop promoting 90210 to six-year-olds.

BusRadio.com – the company’s website for students that  is promoted throughout BusRadio’s broadcasts on elementary, middle, and high buses – is urging children to tune in to tonight’s premiere of 90210, a show that the CW Network calls a “sexier” and “more provocative” update on the popular series from the nineties. [1] A trailer for the show on the BusRadio website teases several sex scenes, while a banner ad featuring the stars of the show in sexualized poses links to the show’s website.[2] The show is exploiting preteens “currently smitten with Hannah Montana and the Jonas Bros” through merchandise such as backpacks, school supplies, and clothing.[3] Media reports also suggest the show will feature a significant amount of product placement.[4]

BusRadio sells itself to school districts as an age-appropriate alternative to FM radio, but the company’s definition of “age-appropriate” frequently differs from that of parents. Seminole County, Florida recently terminated their relationship with BusRadio when the company refused to stop playing songs from albums with parental warnings for explicit lyrics and content. Advertisers on BusRadio’s elementary school broadcasts include the highly sexualized Bratz brand. Another elementary school advertiser, Answers.com, tells students to do their homework by looking up their answers on the Internet and mocks a student for carrying around books. BusRadio broadcasts encourage young students to visit its BusRadio.com website where inappropriate media, including Mature-rated video games and now 90120, are promoted.

We believe no child should be held captive by BusRadio and we will continue to organize parents and educators around the country to keep advertising off of school buses. But we also think it is important to protect those students who are unfortunate enough to ride buses with BusRadio from this kind of sexualized advertising.

Please visit http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/621/t/6914/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=25409 to tell BusRadio to stop advertising 90210 to young children.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
www.commercialfreechildhood.org

Disney

No one can forget the poignant moment in Peter Pan when the impish character urges rapt audience members to clap their hands to bring life back to his favorite fairy, Tinker Bell.

Now Disney is hoping that Tinker Bell–along with a collection of pirates and other Disney characters–can help breath life back into its mobile phone services for kids. Beginning in September, Disney plans to roll out a grab bag of goodies for young cell phone users, including a mobile storefront, instant-messaging chat system and virtual world widgets.

The mobile market for children and ‘tweens looks like pure gold to the likes of Disney. For uber-connected 9- to 14-year-olds, who can’t yet drive and might not have their own computers, cell phones are a lifeline to their best friends, favorite music and videos and chosen brands. Market researcher MultiMedia Intelligence says the U.S. had more than 16 million teen mobile subscribers in 2007, up 12% from 2006.

Disney is hardly new to the tricky mobile market for kids. In June 2006, the company became a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, by leasing airwaves from Sprint. The company sells games and ringtones in more than 70 countries, mostly through partnerships with mobile carriers.

Disney is reaching out and you should be aware. Think deeply. ,=

A mobile widget called “Fairy Friend” puts an animated butterfly fairy on users’ phones.. Players will have to feed and care for the fairy on their phones. A mobile game connected to Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean Online virtual world is planned for September or October. Players will engage in short “battles” and earn virtual coins that they can spend online at Disney.com.

Clap your hands–and open your wallets—or make a comment

The madness of Wall Street and Madison Avenue in sexualizing children has reached critical proportions and is creating un uproar in Europe and the USA . Oddly Canada is largely passive.

The sexualization of girls in fashion advertising is not a recent phenomenon. Who in the industry can forget that twenty years ago, Calvin Klein – known for his controversial advertising – had 15-year-old Brooke Shields saying in one of his adverts “Nothing comes between me and my Calvins.”

Today the sexualization of children is way over the top. Witness some contemporary children’s clothing by Beyounce which one commentator called “where the playground and the prostitute meet”. Its racy stuff. But there is more who can forget that in April, ‘Vanity Fair’ a featured 15 year-old Miley Cyrus — daughter and ‘the pride’ of singer Billy-Ray Cyrus — in a topless photo-shoot. What were they thinking she is only 15. Clearly they were not thinking but Vanity Fair did achieve what marketing wanted which was to drive sales. Just check the stats of Vanity Fairs sales for that edition. The June issue as reported by ABC Rapid Report sold 435,000 newsstand copies.

It seems there is no end to how far marketing will go and how unthinking they will be  if not monitored. 

What are we marketers thinking when they release T-shirts for girls with the slogans such as ‘so many boys, so little time’”., thong panties, padded bras, and risqué Halloween costumes. And what are marketers thinking when they release T-shirts that boast “Chick Magnet” for toddler boys.

The problem of exploitation of children is pervasive and something has to be done. But that is another story which I will write about in the next few weeks. In the interim do have a look at websites such as the Campaign For A Commercial Free Childhood.

And read up and get a copy of So Sexy So Soon which is an invaluable and practical guide for parents who are fed up, confused, and even scared by what their kids–or their kids’ friends–do and say. The book is very readable and authored by Diane E. Levin, Ph.D., and Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D., both internationally recognized experts in early childhood development and the impact of the media on children and teens, They offer parents essential, age-appropriate strategies to counter the assault. For instance:

• Help your children expand their imaginations by suggesting new ways for them to play with toys–for example, instead of “playing house” with dolls, they might send their toys on a backyard archeological adventure.
• Counteract the narrow gender stereotypes in today’s media: ask your son to help you cook; get your daughter outside to play ball.
• Share your values and concerns with other adults–relatives, parents of your children’s friends–and agree on how you’ll deal with TV and other media when your children are at one another’s houses.

Filled with savvy suggestions, helpful sample dialogues, and poignant true stories from families dealing with these issues, So Sexy So Soon provides parents with the information, skills, and confidence they need to discuss sensitive topics openly and effectively so their kids can just be kids

Read about the book So Sexy So Soon

Website of So Sexy So Soon

View an NBC interview with the Authors

Kids Food

The number in the headline is obscene and morally repulsive. Big industries have truly lost their heads.

I will comment on this in the next few days.  Until then thanks to the website Daily Kos the story is out there and well told.   Michele Simon has written an excellent article “It’s Official: Big Food Targets Kids”

“It’s a rare day when I think the Federal Trade Commission has actually performed a valuable public service and lived up to its motto, “For the Consumer.” But last week, the agency charged with protecting us from unscrupulous marketers (among other corporate aggression) released a landmark report on food marketing to children. At the request of Congress, FTC subpoenaed 44 food and beverage companies to find out just how much money is spent targeting youth with food marketing. While the recommendations are worthless (more on that later), the data is priceless.”

Its an essential read READ MORE

Sunday is for reflection and today I came across a gem of technology trivia.

Cache which we know is temporary storage entered English in the 17th century from highly volatile but very proud crews of Canadian French and Indian adventurers called Voyageurs. The Voyageurs piloted huge canoes deep into the Canadian north. Those trips were long and required a lot of energy so the Voyagers placed along the way secret “cachers” of food. And thats how cache- as a on demand reserve entered our technology vocabulary – riding on a canoe.

Who would have guessed?