CHILDHOOD’S END? MARKETING ACTIONS AND THE “PREMATURE ADULTHOOD” OF THE CHILD CONSUMER

Authors

  • Carla Freitas Silveira Netto Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
  • Vinícius Andrade Brei Universidade de Brasília
  • Maria Tereza Flores-Pereira Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul

Keywords:

Childhood, “Premature adulthood”, Critical discourse analysis, Communication, Marketing.

Abstract

The main purpose of this paper is to critically analyze childhood representations that appear in a children clothes company's marketing actions, to reach an understanding of this actions' contribution to the "premature adulthood" of the child consumer. We analyze two communication campaigns (Autumn/Winter 2008 and Spring/Summer 2008/2009) of Lilica Ripilica, a well-known brand in the Brazilian children market. To do this we use the method of critical discourse analysis (FAIRCLOUGH, 2001), in three stages: textual analysis (a "discription" of the texts); processual analysis (analyzing texts and the discourse practice); and social analysis (understanding the social and cultural effects of the discourse practice). As a result, our analyzes reveal that the brand's discourse aims to "teach" children beauty standards and behaviours that are related to the adult world, something which reinforces the indissociation between child/adult. A similar reality was indentified in the Middle Age literature (ARIÈS, 1981). This paper's contribution involves the observation of this same indissociation, but in a different perspective: the "premature adulthood" of children as a way of socialization in the consumer market. The research shows that a new model of miniature adult seems to be constructed by the actions of marketing.

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Author Biographies

Carla Freitas Silveira Netto, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul

Mestre em Administração pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul.

 

Atua no Atendimento e Planejamento em Marketing e Comunicação da COMUNICATIVE - Gestão de Posicionamento e Comunicação Ltda.

 

Vinícius Andrade Brei, Universidade de Brasília

Doutor em Sciences de Géstion pela École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) - Paris – França.

 

Professor do Departamento de Ciências da Administração da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina.

 

Maria Tereza Flores-Pereira, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul

Doutora em Administração pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.Professora do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Administração da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul.

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Published

2010-05-14

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 5 (2010)

Section

Resources and Entrepreneurial Development

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