Marketers Aim To Skew Young. Very Young.

How far will marketers go to make a brand impression? Apparently, all the way to the crib.

I’d love to hear from the parents of toddlers, because this Adweek article about marketing to newborns and 2-3 year-olds sounds pretty sleazy:

Licensed characters, of course, have been plastered on packaged foods, toys, and every piece of clothing and accessory imaginable for decades—some reach back a century. But over the course of the past couple of years something has shifted. Now the strategy of marketing branded goods to tots has ramped up to the point that even high-end fashion brands are jumping in. Designers including Versace, Fendi, and Marc Jacobs have all recently released lines for kids barely walking, and Cynthia Rowley has even come out with designer diapers.

“It’s a segment where, particularly in the luxe category, it’s an attractive target,” says Marty Brochstein, senior vice president at the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association. “People like to dress up their kids and show off their kids. For that luxe brand itself…it’s beginning the relationship with the child.”

Clearly, it’s the label-conscious parents that are getting in on the act. But at what age does branding influence a child? I’d say it’s probably as soon as they’re born.