Archive for October 12th, 2008

Have I mentioned that I have a 10-year-old daughter? She’s a really cool kid – really 10-going-on-30. In some ways, she’s remarkably mature. In other ways…lemme just say that when she’s excited about something, she’s got a squeal that can melt earwax. And she knows how to use it. 

This evening, I saw a commercial for yet again another website targeting her demographic.

When I was a kid, 10-year-olds didn’t HAVE a demographic. The demographic was “kids.” Nobody marketed specifically to “tweens” – children beTWEEN the ages of 9 and 12. Psychologists would have us believe that this is an “awkward age” in the no-mans-land betwixt being a child and a teenager. Back in the day, marketers simply marketed to kids, and left the appropriateness of the pitch up to the individual kids or parents. Read the rest of this entry »