1. Jennifer Martin Article Review The Influence Behind the Shopping: The ones marketers are throwing their money at.

2. Santa’s New List Toy ad Influences  The young ones whine  Children will influence $160 billion for November and December  Sliding Sales  In 2005, sales fell 2%  Here comes advertising  $1.4 billion per month spent on marketing to children, up %15 from 2004

3. Wish lists and Cartoons  Wal-mart’s interactive wish list for kids  How it works  “Helps create a culture of nagging”  Ads on children’s networks  Kid’s watch 20 hours of TV weekly  Creates “brand awareness”

4. Books and Movies  Books and toys go hand in hand  “If you just have Shakespeare in there, kids won’t participate”  Using movies to market toys  Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest  Marketing towards 7-12 year olds  Movie is PG-13

5. Shortages and The Old Yellow Bus  Shortages: Record Sales or marketing ploy?  250,000 Elmos sold out in one day  Critics say toy industries plan these shortages to increase urgency and demand  The wheels of the bus go round with ads  800 buses in 12 cities play Bus Radio  8 minutes every hour devoted to commercials targeted at students

6. Gen Y – Influential Shoppers  Those born from 1982 to 2000  82 million people  Influence family purchases  81% of apparel purchases  52% of automobile purchases

7. Removing the Middle Man  Generation Y goes for either cheap or high-end. “The moderate segment is getting more squeezed.”  Name brands  Looking for “something special”  Powerful young adults  Gen Y parents are less authoritative and “value their friendships with the kids”

8. Demanding instant gratification  Generation Y is Impatient and Opinionated  You have three seconds  No forgiveness  Don’t try to sell me

9. Conclusion  Strong marketing trends toward younger generations  Children and young adults have a huge influence on the spending of families and marketing is geared to this influence  Its important for marketing to focus on both the placement and content of ads as well as the process of purchasing to be successful

10. Questions and References  O’Donnell, Jayne. “Gen Y Sits on Top of the Consumer Food Chain: They’re Savvy Shoppers with Money and Influence.” USA Today 11 Oct. 2006: 3B  Horovitz, Bruce. “6 Strategies Marketers Use to Get Kids to Want Stuff Bad.” USA Today 22 Nov. 2006: 1B-2B