Brand vs. Parental Influence!

I never realized how many brands are around us each and every day. According to Noel C. Paul, the author of Branded For Life?, most US children are aware of some 200 logos by the time they hit first grade. This is a statistic that I never would have guessed would be so high because brands aren’t necessarily what comes to mind when I am making a living from day-to-day. Companies are now putting more emphasis on marketing to children in order to develop life loyal customers, but I believe that children learn their branding habits from their parental figures. Personally, I have always been a bargain shopper, which is how I was raised by my parents. Now that I am older, I have found myself to buy the brands that I was once grown up with. When I was younger, I never asked my parents if we could buy one brand over another. Some companies, such as Heinz, renovate existing products to appeal to a younger audience. They created green and purple ketchup, which is not an item I would buy as a parent for my children. Companies need to also consider that the parents are making the final purchasing choice. When I am older and raising a family, I believe that my main concern will be cost over brand. I will also consider the quality of the item I am purchasing compared to the brand I am purchasing. I believe that finding items that are affordable with a good quality is more important than a certain brand, which is an outlook I hope to influence within my children.