Kidnapped: How Irresponsible Marketers Are Stealing the Minds of Your Children [Paperback]

Daniel S. Acuff (Author), Robert H. Reiher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 1419505033 | ISBN-13: 978-1419505034

"I’ve been waiting a long time for someone inside youth marketing to expose the industry for its unethical and manipulative practices. Kidnapped does that and more: The scope of the ground it covers is encyclopedic; it captures the vulnerabilities of each stage of development; and, most important, it empowers parents by offering as many do’s as don’ts. This book is terrific!”

--Barbara F. Meltz, Parenting Columnist, The Boston Globe

Children Are Sitting Ducks in Today’s High-Powered World of Commercialization

According to the American Psychological Association, in 2004 alone young people were targeted with over $12 billion of advertising. Childhood obesity rates are skyrocketing, and children watch close to 1,000 hours of television every year, nearly 70 percent of which has some sort of sexual content. Almost 80 percent of the video games children play promote violence as a form of casual entertainment.

America’s children are under assault, according to Kidnapped: How Irresponsible Marketers Are Stealing the Minds of Your Children, by youth marketing pioneers Daniel S. Acuff, PhD, and Robert H. Reiher, PhD. Readers will learn insights on:

· 12 brain-based learning principles that guide child development

· 15 developmental “blind spots” that make children sitting ducks for advertisers and marketers

· The impact of repeated images of violence, sexuality, and substance abuse

In Kidnapped, parents and educators discover how to recognize and combat unethical practices, while retailers and marketers learn how to provide healthier and more positive products and programs for our nation’s youth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A very informative and helpful book that would be a worthwhile read for all parents." -- Book Review Cafe

"There’s a lot more to help a parent who wants to protect their child. "This book will show you how." -- -Bookviews.com

Product Details

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• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419505033
• ISBN-13: 978-1419505034
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,768,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Help for Parents, September 27, 2005

By 

David Walsh "Psychologist and Author" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kidnapped: How Irresponsible Marketers Are Stealing the Minds of Your Children (Paperback)

Someone asked the bank robber, Willie Sutton, why he kept robbing banks. His famous reply was "because that's where the money is." In recent decades marketers have discovered that there is a tremendous amount of money in the child and youth market. Consequently the intensity and sophistication of marketing strategies targeting youth are growing all the time. Dan Acuff and Robert Reiher have amazing insights into this because it is the world they have lived in for many years. They combine expertise in developmental psychology with years of experience advising the top companies in the world to pull back the curtain and expose how irresponsible marketers manipulate kids to buy, buy, buy. But they don't just describe the problem. They provide solutions for parents and guidelines for responsible marketers.

The result is a book that is an enjoyable read and loaded with great "insider" information. I would encourage all parents to read the book and would hope that some marketers would take the advice to heart.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dealing with unethical marketing to your children, September 16, 2005

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kidnapped: How Irresponsible Marketers Are Stealing the Minds of Your Children (Paperback)

There is no shortage of marketers using irresponsible and unethical techniques to make a buck off our children. These people and companies take advantage of the child's age and innocence to mold their minds. The problem is not only that this is unethical but that over time it creates permanent changes in the child and alters their personality as well as their health. The bottom line here is that marketers will always target our children as yet another tool to be used to sell product. As such it is the responsibility of the parents to control the factors that influence their children for good and bad. The authors separate the sections of the book to include what is appropriate for birth to age three, three to seven, eight to twelve, thirteen to fifteen, and sixteen to nineteen. For each of these age groups they cover developmental issues, areas to watch and areas where you can expand their exposure to the world and difficult issues. You may disagree, as I did, with some of the detail but overall it is an insightful and interesting read. Even if you don't agree with all of it you are sure to find the greatest part of Kidnapped highly informative and helpful for raising children. As such it is a recommended read.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ANSWERS AT LAST!, June 28, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Kidnapped: How Irresponsible Marketers Are Stealing the Minds of Your Children (Paperback)

Is it possible we can rescue our children from mental and emotional corruption, as well as physical addiction and illness created by ignorant, profit-driven marketing? With KIDNAPPED, the answer is a resounding YES! In user-friendly style, Drs. Acuff and Reiher identify key threats to today's young people. More importantly, they provide pricelessly innovative solutions every parent and marketer can employ.

Thankfully, there actually are ways marketers can make handsome profit while at the same time contributing to nurturing our children's mental and physical welfare. It's up to each of us to make sure this happens. Our future and the future of our children make KIDNAPPED a must read for everyone!

Rama Fox, M.A.