Crocs (the Footwear, Not the Animal) Raise Questions in My Mind
Just a few moments ago, my co-worker Robin got a text from a friend stating "2-year olds in Crocs make me laugh." This made Jenn, Robin and I all giggle for a bit and opened a brief discussion on how silly or awesome we think the trendy rubber clogs look. Just then, Jenn mentioned an article she had read about a toddler who's foot got stuck in an escalator while wearing the holey footwear. We started searching the Net for the article, digested it and then moved on to the Croc Web site. In one of the product testimonials, Jenn noticed there was an endorsement written by a child:
''I am 5 years old and I have been wearing Crocs for one year now. It is the only shoe my mom can get me to wear. Everyone asks me all the time "where did you get your shoes?" I have red and navy blue, the red is my favorite. I am looking forward to getting more colors of crocs."
Photo Source: http://www.hegemonyrules.net
We've got nothing against the Crocs company, but this testimonial started to raise questions in my head related to child exploitation:
1) How far is too far when using minors to pitch a product?
2) Is this instance OK, or just a precursor to more marketing by the youngest marketing segment, to the youngest marketing segment?
3) Several iterations and evolutions later, does this turn into things much, much worse -- like child labor?
Share your thoughts in the comments section below, or in a discussion board.
It's an interesting question you pose. It's kind of like that book "the tipping point." It makes you wonder about cause and effect later on down the line.
It makes a person think about the lengths companies will go to market. As much as I love my squishy pair of rubbery crocs myself after reading that child testimonials I am officially convinced our country has reached a new low.
Get real - my 5 year old actually does have some preferences and is quite vocal about them. Child labor?? That's just a stupidly unrealistic connection you're making. Kids are used in ads for hundreds of products - and nobody suggests that they are at risk of being forced to actually manufacture things as a result...
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