Product Marketing

I'm a sucker for a good commercial.  Show me a commercial for a DQ blizzard at 8pm and I'm thinking about it all night.  I know that advertisements have a huge impact on what we want, especially kids.  Which is why I'm very thankful that my kids aren't exposed to all that.  We never purposefully intended to shield them from commercials, but we don't have cable or satellite TV, so they never see commercials.  We primarily chose not to have regular TV because of the cost.

We can't get cable at our new house, so satellite was really our only option.  Since we would have internet service, Nick and I decided we could watch our favorite shows online (a day late) and the kids would just have DVD's.  We also got Netflix Instant Streaming so we have access to lots of TV shows and movies without any advertisements.  This arrangement has worked perfectly for us and while it started as a money saver, we're so glad our kids aren't exposed to all those commercials.  It also means they spend less time watching TV.  Nick and I also spend less time watching TV.  At our old house, we had cable and I realized one day that the TV was on pretty much all day long.  I know that's not good for their little brains and I can't imagine it's all that good for mine either.

Anyhow, this all brings me to my next point, the power of marketing.  I like to try new products and I get intrigued by what I see or hear in an ad.  I got a coupon from Target to try some new cereal bars from Gerber.  They are made specifically for preschoolers and their nutritional needs.  They have whole grains, they are made with real fruit and "are a good source of 9 vitamins and minerals".  Now I don't know specific details about how many grams of this and that a preschooler should have each day.  My goal is to get fruits and veggies into Mackenzie each day.  So when I see this box that is supposedly just what she needs and is another way to get fruit into her, I figure it's a jackpot.  And bonus....she likes them!  But then today I decided to compare them with the Market Pantry cereal bars (Target brand - just like Nutri-Grain).  The MP bars are twice the size, but have more than double most of the vitamins and minerals.  They also have more than double the amount of whole grains, fiber, and protein.  What they don't have is double the fat, the calories, the sodium, the sugars, and the carbs.  So basically, giving Mackenzie half of a MP cereal bar is way better for her than a Gerber bar.

Maybe I'm just naive, but I was shocked.  I figured a trusted company like Gerber would have their shit together and actually make something that was healthier for a child.  Surely I'm not the only parent who checks labels and can figure this out?  I fed my kids lots of Gerber baby foods when they were little, now I'm wondering if that was a bad choice.  Guess I'll be a bit more skeptical next time.  And I'm really glad my kids don't see commercials so they can't beg me for all the crap that's out there!