My sons asked me why television ads make toys look so much more interesting than they really are in “real life.” It took me a minute to consolidate my thoughts on marketing, consumer psychology and how the two collide in advertising, but in the end I think they developed a better understanding of how businesses interact with consumers in today’s market economy.
I told a friend about this and she reminded me of a PSA she was shown (twice!) in elementary school in the late 70s. If you are old enough to remember this 1976 classic, called “Sooper Goop”, you’re likely to be amazed as I am at how much the world has changed in the last four decades. The obvious surface changes – the hair styles, fashions, interior decoration, etc. – are dramatic, but more significant from my standpoint is the shift in the way children are prepared to interact with the world around them.
Watch this and you’ll see what I mean…
Gregory Hake 
I think the most dramatic change has been since introducing children to technology. Television was certainly the Trojan horse of the fifties but there was still usually only one in each house and the majority had an adult that controlled it. Saturday morning cartoons became the perfect delivery system of sugar and plastic. Today with most children having access to their own smart phone, computer etc. there’s not the adult discretion and millions of options are now available to them. Are we really surprised aggressive behavior seems to come earlier or that ideas we never would have contemplated are in their daily lexicon. Thanks for the memories but now I’m going to see if I can find a hula hoop commercial!
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