Sunday, May 28, 2006

Effective Marketing

My son watched 30 minutes of CBS' Nick Jr. this morning while his dad packed lunch for the pool. This is the only commercial television he's watched in a month. (Well, not counting PBS, but don't even get me started about their deceptive "commercial free" self-promotion...)

ON THE WAY TO THE POOL:
4-year-old: Can you turn my music a little louder? You know, Mom and Dad, if we had a Kia Sedona, I could use the little control center that flips down from the ceiling. I could reach it myself.
Mom: What? Where did you hear of a Kia Sedona?
Kid: (Adopts a worldly tone and shrugs.) On TV. Anyway, it's so cool. The seats even flip up and down in different configurations, Dad, with little storage areas for all our stuff. The car would look much cleaner if we had a Kia Sedona.
Dad: Yes, those are pretty cool.
Kid: And they have these balloon things that come out of the steering wheel if you have a wreck. Mom, you wouldn't worry so much about being getting crashed on the road if we had a Kia Sedona.
Mom: Andrew, our cars already have airbags.
Dad: Boy, when Kia can sell a van like that for less than Chrysler, and boast all the 5 star safety ratings, that's pretty big. I was just thinking when I installed the second car seats how a family of three really needs a van. Dave Ramsey is always saying, yes, three kids can fit in the back of a normal car...but most people his age are thinking of the good old days before booster seat regulations.
Mom: We are NOT getting a van. We are NOT getting a van. We are NOT getting a van.
(I should note that I don't have anything against the Kia Sedona or vans in general. I'm only shocked that a 4-year-old watching a single commercial can have our whole family discussing a five-figure vehicle purchase!)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

When we had two in carseats, a regular car was just fine. When we got the third carseat, the van became an almost necessity. We have in a pinch fit three carseats in my husband's Volvo wagon, but it becomes almost impossible to buckle everyone in and you have to go shopping for extra thin carseats to make it happen. The Britax Husky would be impossible to fit in a regular car with two other seats.

Anonymous said...

And now you know why the marketers are pushing to reach even-younger kids ;)

Roberta said...

LOL! He sounds so official using words like "configurations".

Shannon said...

We have three carseats squeezed into the back of a camry. It is tight but do-able. Hubby says we may have to stack themif another little comes along anytime soon:)

Anonymous said...

This is the prime reason why I hate marketing to kids (Virgin limit age at 12 when targetting kids for cell phones comes to mind). They are the best viral marketing, they know you, they play off your own needs and theirs, and they dont stop just once. :)

Robin said...

My four year old has a mental wish list. So when she asks for something, I just say put it on your wish list. She's forgotten them all by the next holiday! It will be fabulous until she figures it out!

Grace Whisperer said...

Oh boy, did this hit a nerve!! Not only the nerve about marketing to kids, but the van issue as well. My husband is 6'4" and we can't fit a carseat behind him in our Breeze or our Cutlass Ciera. Now we're expecting in November and my hubby is convinced we need a van. Groan!! I can't think of a bigger waste of money and gas, but I'm kind of over a barrel. :( At least I feel like I'm not alone in this stand against vans! I'm with you, sister!! :)