Brand Child: Remarkable Insights into the Minds of Today's Global Kids & Their Relationships with Brands (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Unless there are issues, parents usually stop reading parenting books long before their children hit the middle-single digits. The desire wanes with confidence - or they're just too worn out. But "Brandchild" (Kogan Page Ltd., London, 316 pages, $39.95) isn't for parents. Martin Lindstrom's book, which he wrote with Patricia B. Seybold, is for companies targeting tweens. As I read it, I realized it held my interest because I'm a parent of a tween. The 8-to-14 generation, which the author says is the richest in history, gets to choose from "an endless variety of disposable goods and leisure products designed specifically for them."

Review

"Unless there are issues, parents usually stop reading parenting books long before their children hit the middle-single digits. The desire wanes with confidence - or they're just too worn out. But "Brandchild" (Kogan Page Ltd., London, 316 pages, $39.95) isn't for parents. Martin Lindstrom's book, which he wrote with Patricia B. Seybold, is for companies targeting tweens. As I read it, I realized it held my interest because I'm a parent of a tween. The 8-to-14 generation, which the author says is the richest in history, gets to choose from "an endless variety of disposable goods and leisure products designed specifically for them."

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Kogan Page; Revised edition (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0749442840
• ISBN-13: 978-0749442842
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #528,479 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling, Fascinating information from solid research, May 9, 2006

By	Louise McCauley (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

Written from the results of a year-long global research study conducted by the brand research firm Milward Brown, this book is rich with information about how children perceive brands, react to marketing, and decide to spend their considerable financial buying power. The study targeted "tweens", children in the 8-14 age group, who have become a global consumer group, through the internet and other technologies.

This book is a must read for anyone marketing to children and it will be as fascinating for parents as for marketers. Much of the information here will be slightly disturbing for adults, and the cold clarity of the author's advice on marketing to tweens will strike some as nothing less than Machiavellian. Consider, for instance, the proven strategy of creating a false website for a `friendly' kid where the marketers feed positive information about their brands to other children. However, marketers would be foolish not to understand that tweens are likely the most marketing and media savvy consumer group on the planet (exposed to 40,000 commercials per year)...and mastering peer-to-peer marketing is not only the most effective, but probably the ONLY effective way to reach them.

The information here about the psychology of tweens relative to brands is just as fascinating. Half of them have experienced the divorce of their parents, or watched their parents face corporate downsizing and uncertainty. They are a hardened group that craves stability and love and above all, control. The uncertainties of their lives makes fear the primary motivator in purchasing decisions.