Nearly every week I am summoned to my children's playroom by my son to see an advertisement on the television. Now, you may think it would be the latest and greatest toy or kids cereal that is being marketed since this is being viewed on a children's cable cartoon channel, but it is not! The advertisements are usually for household products. First it was the Snuggie, then it was the Pancake Puff Pan, and more recently, the Topsy Turvy. My child is exposed to local marketing ideas everyday through local advertising in our environment, but nothing has had the impact of the product launch marketing he has encountered sandwiched between his epidsodes of the Snorks and Tom and Jerry.

This begs the question...does it work? I have to say 'Yes!'. My seven-year-old son is a solid influencer for household products. We now have two of the three aforementioned products in our home! Furthermore, it would not surprise me to be unwrapping my Mother's Day present this spring to find another fabulous invention that is going to improve the quality of my life and make me happier. Afterall, my son has already regurgitated the main selling points of the latest "craze" explaining to me that I will no longer have to endure the backaches that come with watering and picking your fresh tomatoes. Gone are the days that I will invest in gardening only to never reap the benefits or fruits because they are inconveniently located beyond your porch.

I am not sure I completely understand all the research behind this particular targeting effort, but I know it works. Until the next summoning, I will simply sit in my Snuggie, eating my pancake puffs, while I await my new Topsy Turvy.