Opinion. Diana Paula Stoian (Centro di Terapia Strategica): Who dictates in the purchasing decision process: the kid or the parent?

The architects of the consumerist culture – those who manufacture, commercialize and promote products – have discovered the huge potential that kids may have. They became the channel between consumption and family, the bond between advertising and the parents’ wallet. This is the reason why the so called “commercialized childhood” became a phenomenon because, while parents are flooded with information distributed on media or social channels, he or she asks how the room of their children will look like, what car will they use to transport them, what accessories should they buy for their baby or kid. And this is happening because it is very difficult to stay away from the “working and spending” lifestyle.

Anda Sebesi

Since 1920, advertisers have made use of their alliance with mothers, convincing them that their products are good for their kids (“gatekeeper model”). This is happening today too, especially when it comes to products for newborns or kids up to two years. However, this model became almost obsolete in an age where advertising has direct access to children because they spend a lot of time at the TV, on the internet or are involved in the shopping sessions together with their parents. In this situation, the consequence is that both the power of acquisition and the influence of the children have exploded, with marketing and advertising bringing their contribution to their transformation in autonomous, determined and decided consumers!

Companies make advertisements especially for children because they buy. For example, at international level, every half a second, a Barbie doll is sold. As early as 2003, it was noticed that 80 percent of the global brands adopted a strategy that targeted children aged between 9-13 (“tween strategy”) for food, music, fashion, culture and even for more expensive products designed for adults like electronic devices, cars and hotels. So it is no wonder that in the US alone, at least 62 percent of the acquisitions of SUVs and minivans are influenced directly by youngsters or by advertisements that present happy kids in such cars. Plus, since 2004 in the “influence market” industry kids aged between 4 and 12 determined adults to make purchases worth USD 330 billion and influenced expenses of another USD 340 billion.

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TYPES OF FAMILIES:

Hyper-protective family: they focus on health, food, look, scholar activity and how their kid socializes. It makes all the efforts to buy clothes of the latest fashion, have extra-curricular activities and the latest gadgets.

Democrat permissive family: all the members of the family have the same rights. The kid becomes in time “the small tyrant” that gets everything he or she wants from their parents, as a result of the debates in the family where “democracy is the most valuable thing”.

Family that makes sacrifices: they focus on the opportunity of the kid to get affirmation. Through their kid, parents satisfy their need to exceed their emotional, professional and social status. All the resources of the family are at his or her disposal.

Discontinuous model. In their day-to-day interactions, parents can pass from a firm attitude to a flexible one or from valorizing the kid to criticizing them. In their need to valorize their children, they will put all the material privilege at their disposal.

Family that delegates. Children will capitalize their relationship they have with their grandparents and parents so that they will get as much as possible, especially making use of the emotional squeeze.

The authoritarian family. They focus on respecting some very rigid rules and on obedience of the kid. They put pressure on scholarly, sporting and social performances. The financial resources are allotted strictly in direct correlation with his or her achievements.