I have never wanted my daughters to be brand-aware or to snub non-brand-named items. I have tried to prevent my children from ‘being billboards’ from the start. When we went to Disney Paris we enjoyed the full experience, but did not buy the T-shirts. We watched Dora the Explorer faithfully, but did not own a Dora backpack. I never saw my girls, or myself for that matter, as a promotional tool for a much larger enterprise. We were fans, but not free marketing campaigns for One Direction!
It was only recently that I realized this is a battle I have not won. My pre-teens are becoming extremely marque-conscious. A recent trip to the new Sugar Factory in Dubai proved that handily. The American Brasserie-Styled Sugar Factory is promoted as the café of the stars, with photos of the “in-crowd” of teen pop culture adorning the walls. Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry and Jason Derulo are all there. My girls were like giddy goof balls as we entered. They saw a photo of Rupert Grint (aka Ron Weasley of Harry Potter fame) and spent at least ten minutes giggling together, trying to figure out which of the café’s bubbling, smoking drinks (made with dry ice) he was enjoying in the photo. “That’s the one I want, Mommy,” said Lolita. “I want the one Kylie Jenner had,” said Jania. At first I was in shock. My goodness, where did this come from?
Well, yes, I can blame the friends, Snapchat, Instagram and every other social media my kids are exposed to. I can whine about the gross injustice of marketing to under-aged children. But, as always, the blame probably lies closer to home. Or, really, at home. When I look around at the items surrounding me as I write, I see the full range of Apple products, German cars, Japanese food, and Swiss watches. The reality is that while we do not wear Mickey Mouse on our chest, we select a polo player without hesitation. I know I am not alone in this. Look at the huge market for fake goods. It is never a generic copy being sold, but rather the top French and Italian names people crave.
Is it harmful? Yes, if our life’s pursuit is only about materialism. We risk never experiencing true happiness if we are always reaching for the Next Big Thing. But, as I watched the happiness on my daughters’ faces when Rupert and Kylie’s favorite drinks arrived, and listened as they read the Tweets from stars who had visited the café in other cities, I realized the happiness was a lovely by-product of the experience. Maybe they are talking about something high-profile like Kyshadow (you are so out of the loop if you have not heard about this, jeesh), but any time my two daughters are talking, even laughing together, rather than screaming at each other, it goes in the “win” column. And, mixed in with their collection of designer stuff, they have plenty of no name items that get used and worn regularly. I use this to convince myself that their brand-admiration is thus far kept in check.
