The Target Corporation is tossing more of their five-percent-of-revenues back to our community in the form of the Target Children’s Book Festival ”to help foster children’s love for reading as a fun and recreational activity.”

“Target understands the importance of cultivating a love of reading in children at an early age,” said Laysha Ward, president, community relations, Target. “By taking advantage of this free, local event, Twin Cities-area families will be able to share a fun and educational experience together.”

Target also understand the importance of using an “educational” event to encourage kids to watch more television. And to want more stuff. From Target.

At a glance, the September 12 event at Three Rivers Park District’s Hyland Lake Park Reserve appears to be a fun afternoon in the park, celebrating books and listenting to live kids’ music.

Upon closer inspection:

Two of the events feature Nickelodeon brands: Characters from Yo Gabba Gabba! and Jade-Lianna Peters, voice of Kai-lan on Ni Hao, Kai-lan. I can only guess that Peters must be a Hannah Montana in the making. There’s no other reason for her to be appearing at events except to promote future Nickelodeon brands. Nickelodeon means, of course, lots of associated brand toys and products — conveniently available at Target — and extensive branded websites for kids, complete with ads for other products and more shows with their own products.

Another event not even remotely connected to books is the title character from Disney Playhouse’s Choo-Choo Soul. Disney: The juggernaut of marketing to kids. Somehow, when I think of Disney, I don’t picture a parent and child quietly reading together.

Most questionable in the lineup may be Hip Hop Harry, a character from Discovery Kids network. If kids want to learn more about Harry online after the event, they’ll find his website features a banner ad with a bouncing pink-wrapped present and the words This mystery gift could be yours! Click here to see what it is! The click leads to an ad offering TWO FREE IPOD NANOS. (Note: Since writing the draft of this post, this banner ad has changed. So you’ll have to take my word for it.)

I know that criticizing a corporation that funds community programs — especially Target — is looking a gifthorse in the mouth.

But if Target wants us to take their community outreach seriously, they probably shouldn’t be encouraging children to watch television at an event meant to get kids to read. Because children who watch more television have lower reading comprehension scores over time than those who watch less. (Source).

An alternative for September 12: Play in a local park. Sing. Go to the library. And read to your kids.

Photo courtesy echoforsberg.

From MediaPost’s Around the Net in Brand Marketing:

Kids start talking about what they like at age 3 and that’s when you should start marketing to them, Lisa Mancuso, Fisher-Price’s SVP of marketing, tells Vivienne Manning-Schaffel. That’s not to say that mom is out of the equation — of course not, she controls the purse stings — but she doesn’t have a lot of extraneous time or money in this day and age. It’s more efficient to consult with the child and let them make the buying decision in categories that are appropriate, points out Dave Siegel, president of Wonder Group and co-author of Marketing to the New Super Consumer Mom & Kid.

From Amy Jussel’s interview with Jean Kilboune, as they discuss Miley Cyrus’ pole dance at the Teen Choice Awards:

First of all, sexual images aren’t meant to sell our children (or us!) on sex, they’re intended to sell us on shopping. . . . marketing insecurities for profit is nothing new, marketing provocative sayings on childrens’ clothes, skimpy thongs, padded pushup bras, Barbie bustiers and Bratz dolls with cocktails and hot tubs for pre-pubescent kids IS new.

And a Wal-Mart ad, via Claire Mysko: 

Girl version with Mom voiceover: “I can’t go to school with her. I can’t introduce her to new friends.” Cut to girl nervously asking “Can I sit here?” to a group of girls sitting together at lunch. “Sure, I like your top!” one of them answers. “Or tell everyone how amazing she is. But I can give her what she needs to feel good about herself without breaking my budget. All she has to do is be herself.” Cut to smiling girls walking arm-in-arm down the hallway.

Back. To. School. Time to be inundated with messages on what kids must buy to be cool this fall.

Summer’s just about over — time to get ready for a new school term! Back-to-school fashions for your kids are lots more exciting than they used to be.

Exciting? Really? A friend extols this writing rule: If you have to say it’s exciting, IT PROBABLY ISN’T.

Granted, parents this year are being more careful with their spending.

One mother, Clarissa Nassar, signed up for alerts about sales on a Web site called Shop It To Me. When she saw that her daughter’s favorite brand, Baby Phat, was on sale at Macy’s, she promptly drove to the department store to shop for school clothes.

“I got an alert for the cutest tie-dye pink top,” said Ms. Nassar, a mother of two, Mikayla, 7, and Joseph, 3, in Johnstown, N.Y. “Originally it was $36 and I got it for $9.75.”

Your 7-year-old has a favorite clothing brand? How? HOW?

For some perspective (and dare I say balance?) during the back-to-school shopping frenzy, read Kelsey Timmerman’s (@KelseyTimmerman) blog, Adventures of an Engaged Consumer.

Another gem: Why Parents Should Reject Back-to-School Ads in August by Luann Bradley (@inthegreenlane).

My goal this fall to to buy nothing new. Clothing from the thrift stores, supplies from the unused stash we’ve accumulated over the years. More ideas at The Not Quite Crunchy Parent.