Marketing Cars to Kids: What Do You Think?

While I was home for Thanksgiving holiday, I happened to come across a Wall Street Journal article by Jennifer Saranow  on automakers' efforts to market their cars to children reprinted in my parents' Bloomington Pantagraph. Here's a link to the Yahoo reprint of this article, since the WSJ site requires a log-in.

Of all the examples sited in the article, I think Scion's presence on Whyville.net seems the most insidious: Whyville members save up clams to buy a Scion xB, but if kids don't make their payments, the car can be repossessed. It's pretty clear Scion wants to make sure its future customers are on board with the financing process once they reach legal driving age...

HUMMERkids.com doesn't get quite that deep into grim reality, but before you play any of the games on the site, you're given the opportunity to accessorize a Hummer.

Snippet: As for cars, about 62% of parents now say their children "actively participate" in car-buying decisions, according to a study by J.D. Power & Associates for the Nickelodeon network. A study done this year for Disney ABC Kids Networks by Strottman International found that 28% of moms of 6-year-olds to 14-year-olds say they listen to their children's wishes regarding vehicle purchases.

Posted by

Erin Riches December 1, 2006, 7:50 PM

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