The ethics of pester power
Posted on December 8, 2011 by Charlotte
Is it irresponsible to play up pester power in the current economic climate? Nir was asked to give his thoughts on the subject to The Marketing Society, published in Marketing Magazine today. See his response here, and the full article after the jump.
"In the midst of the economic crisis, it is irresponsible for the politically correct army to suggest that there is anything wrong with retailers who stock children's toys, not to mention criticising those outlets that dare to market to their end user.
Don't they want to keep the economy alive by encouraging trade, which is so important to the retail industry, even during more optimistic financial times?
Littlewoods' 'Christmas gift ideas' is set to become the most-complained-about campaign of 2011. Beyond being a particularly bad ad, it is not really selling any of the products featured. It is an ad for credit, and children are not the target audience for finance.
A quick look at the complaints posted about the campaign told another, different story. Most viewers were concerned that Littlewoods has effectively 'killed' Santa by suggesting that mum buys the Christmas presents, unnecessarily shattering a magical illusion for many children.
Of course, the irony is that Santa was the inventor of pester power."
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