The Kids Market: Myths and Realities [Hardcover]

James U. McNeal (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A must read for anyone interested in the kid's market or in growing their business. Dr. McNeal's insights into the kid's market make this book both an edifying and enjoyable read. You won't want to put it down." -- Donna Sabino, Director of Strategic Planning and Research, Sports Illustrated for Kids

"Dr. McNeals timing is impeccable. Just as the business of marketing to kids has gotten more mature and complex, McNeal presents us with a resource which not only debunks the common myths of kid marketing, but also provides invaluable lessons and practical advice." -- Julie Halpin, CEO, The Geppetto Group

"Jim McNeal has always been the first and last word on marketing to kids. He is the source we all turn to first for the latest thinking in the field. This book provides a beautiful illustration why." -- George Carey, President, Just Kid Inc.

"Jim McNeal has taught marketers to listen to children. His research, where kids draw shopping, reveals the detailed knowledge children have about brands, merchandising, promotions, and customer relations. Success comes from listening to McNeal and the kids!" -- Cheri Sterman, Director of Child Development, Binney & Smith, Inc. (Crayola products

"My hat is off to Dr. McNeal. He's packed a lot of information into this book but still made it a quick read. It's relevant and fun." -- Colleen Fahey, Executive Vice President, Frankel

"The Kids Market is a remarkably fresh and insightful look at the myths and realities we face in the kids marketing business. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in breaking down the barriers we adults have to creating effectrive, honest and engaging work for children." -- Cheryl Berman, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett U.S.A. and KidLeo

"The best single source of marketing-to-kids tips I have ever read. McNeal's newest book not only opens our eyes as to how kids have become an even more important market for today's businesses to consider, but also provides invaluable tips to help minimize costly mistakes when marketing to this very savvy segment. My entire staff will read this book." -- Dave Siegel, President, WonderYears Kids Marketing and Advertising

"This is the kind of book that first makes you feel ignorant - then incredibly smart. It's full of clear-cut thinking, backed by the facts. The organization of information into myths and realities makes it easy to find the value that exists on every page. Jim McNeal's 35 years of experience and insight are wonderfully communicated." -- Jack Pierce, Principal Intersect Marketing

From the Publisher

When it comes to children's behavior as emerging consumers, no one speaks with more authority than James McNeal. As a professor of marketing at Texas A&M University, Professor McNeal has been studying and writing about children for more than 35 years. He knows how they perceive the marketplace, how they influence and are influenced by their parents, how much discretionary income they have and what they do with it. This, his eighth and most authoritative book on the topic of kids in the marketplace provides a world of insight into a most important group of consumers, worthy of your attention. He answers many questions, including:

Just how big is the kids market?
When do children become consumers?
What are children's four basic needs?
Do kids really save more than their parents?
How much money does the average kid have and where does it come from?
At what age and where do children make their first independent purchases?
Why are the numbers six and seven more effective at getting kid's attention than other numbers?
What do children say is their favorite fast-food?
Are children more responsive to brands or promotions?
Why do so many kid's products fail?
Why do so many succeed?
How do children in countries other than the U.S. spend discretionary income?

Find answers to these questions and discover other fascinating facts about the economy and psychology of the children's market. Drawing from a broad cross-section of industries, products, and services, this book examines issues of advertising, promotion, product design, and packaging. It also explores issues of social marketing such as selling children on good health practices, charitable giving, and the importance of voting. It focuses on children's perception of the marketplace beginning with their first trip to the grocery store at a median age of two months. It follows through a predictable process in which parents encourage children to ask for things they want and then gradually teach them the concept of exchanging money for goods and services - a process which sets the stage for a lifetime's worth of shopping.

Perhaps the book's finest and most unique feature is the information conveyed in dozens of actual drawings done by children of varying ages from the U.S. and abroad. It's amazing how much you can learn from these illustrations when you have a seasoned expert to point out their most interesting elements and share his wisdom on the topics at hand.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Paramount Market Publishing; 1 edition (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967143918
• ISBN-13: 978-0967143910
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #919,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beware the 'WIWAKs' and the 'MARENTS', January 5, 2001

By 

Judith A. Jewer (Pickering, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kids Market: Myths and Realities (Hardcover)

I've been re-reading the book - The Kids Market: Myths and Realities, and once again I'm struck by the insight, and the thoroughness of the research. Dr. James U. McNeal has put together a book that truly is a must have for us in the business of marketing to kids.

I would like to talk a little about chapter 9 - 'Barriers to Understanding the Kids Market'. Dr. McNeal points out two caricatures of marketers targeting kids : The "WIWAKs" and the "Marents". The "WIWAKs" exemplify the "When I Was A Kid" approach to kids market strategy. Marents - on the other hand - base their kids market strategy on the fact that they are both marketers and parents. This supposedly gives them a special insight into the kids market.

Dr. McNeal then goes on to give a real gem of a formula: "C=f(P,E); that is, Children = function of (Parents, Environment). In long form, what children are, how they think and act ,are a function of both parental and environmental forces constantly at work, even before they were born." (pg. 111)

This is why the "Marent" approach to marketing is so potentially misleading. A marketers children are often more likely to reflect their parents' values than a true sense of the kids market.

This formula also points out the implicit need for accurate research and product testing to avoid basic marketing blunders such as: "Targeting all kids aged 2 - 12 with one ad message on one TV program, packaging salty snacks for kids in packages that don't cater to their limited dexterity, concept testing a product only among parents, offering premiums whose use requires adult supervision, and displaying product for kids in stores well above their eye level." (pg. 111)

In conclusion 'The Kids Market: Myths and Realities' is a must read for anyone interested in reaching the kids market. You can test your own knowledge by comparing your understanding of the kids market to the 27 myths and realities as presented by Dr. McNeal in this well researched and wonderfully presented book.

You also get lots of pie chart type marketing data research and charming drawing by children about their perceptions of the shopping experience. Dr. James U McNeal is a Professor of Marketing at Texas A&M University where he teaches courses in marketing and consumer behavior. He is also the author of 'Children as Consumers' and 'Kids as Customers'.

Marketers to the Kids Marketplace will find this book invaluable.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have, Judith Judith A. Jewer - KidsMarketing.com

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and well-organized, disturbing in places, May 19, 2008

By 

Darkfrog "DRF" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kids Market: Myths and Realities (Hardcover)

Dr. McNeal is one of those rare professionals who both knows his material and knows how to write about it (or if he had a ghost writer, it was a darn good one). Kids Market is intelligent, easy to read and exceedingly well-laid-out. McNeal organizes his book around a long list of myths about children's marketing, which he debunks one by one in a catchy question-and-answer format. (QUESTION: The milk industry has spent millions marketing milk to kids, so why haven't they made it their favorite snack beverage? ANSWER: Because kids can't snack out of a three-gallon jug. Change the packaging, guys!) On top of that, one really gets the feeling that McNeal likes kids and respects them as customers and as people.

However, I found his chapter on ethics somewhat disturbing. He asks and answers several surface questions about what he considers to be unethical practices in children's advertising--such as showing toys in settings that make them look bigger and better than they are or showing snack foods giving kids superpowers--but the question, "Is it wrong to convince kids to buy things that they don't need?" is conspicuously absent.

There was one other lapse: When asked the question, "Are kids the object of too much advertising?" he answers, "Well, there isn't as much advertising as there seems to be," and defends his opinion well, but he does not actually answer the question of whether or not it is too much.

My reservations are more about marketing in general than about Dr. McNeal, and this is an excellent and entertaining book.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Information Based on Solid Empirical Research, May 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Kids Market: Myths and Realities (Hardcover)

This is a very informative book about the buying behavior of children around the world. This book has given me much insight into this topic. I have also read "Creating Ever Cool." They are two complementary tools for marketers.