Questions

1. when it comes to cell phones for kids, who is the customer? discuss the dynamics of the decision to buy a cell phone for young child.

2. How do current trends in the family life cycle affect the marketing of cell phones to children?

398 SECTION 3 Consumers as Decision Makers Case Study CHILDREN: THE FINAL FRONTIER... more grown-up. In fact, many tweens reject the kiddie ve FOR CELL PHONES sions and demand real adult-style cell phones. According to spokesman for Verizon Wireless, kids don't want what we With the adult and even teen markets for cell phones quickly Fisher Price phones. They want the real deal with the came becoming saturated (more than 65 percent of U.S. teens have and the QWERTY keyboard for text messaging." Coolness an them now), the industry looks to other segments. The growth prestige alone are usually not good enough for parents to go market for the cell phone industry in the near future is children in and buy one of the gadgets for their kids. However, maris aged 8 to 12-or even younger. Many in the industry see grade ers position the phones to Mom and Dad on a different base school children as the final frontier if phone manufacturers are The phones provide an extra layer of security to anxious parem to continue to grow. Already, parents give children as young as who want to be able to locate their kids at all times. Many of the 5 years old their own cell phones. children's phones offer GPS tracking as well as all the pares A host of companies make phones for the younger mar- tal control features. When parents are convinced that the ket. Disney, Hasbro, Mattel, and Firefly Mobile offer models in creased ability to stay connected with their children enhance bright colors that feature graphics of favorite characters such safety, the purchase decision is simple. Whether due to sai as SpongeBob SquarePants and Barbie. They designed these concerns or simply because parents give in to their kids.com phones for smaller hands, and many lack traditional keypads. mands, the efforts of cell phone marketers appear to be pas Parents can program what the phones do, control incoming off. Already, 55 percent of children ages 9 to 11 and 35 perces and outgoing calls, and prepay minutes. of children ages 7 years and younger carry their own mobil But does such a young child really need a cell phone? If companies can get younger children in the habit of us There are many child advocates, including Ralph Nader, phones, the kids will probably be consumers for life. Canadian kids' entertainer Raffi, and various politicians, who say that they do not. Some critics claim that cell phone makers have declared "open season" on children with their aggressive DISCUSSION QUESTIONS marketing tactics. In addition, there is some evidence (mixed, 1 When it comes to cell phones for kids, who is the customer so far) that cell phone usage can be carcinogenic and may be Discuss the dynamics of the decision to buy a cellph especially risky for young children. for a young child. The cell phone companies defend their actions. Many have 2 How do current trends in the family life cycle affect released statements saying that they don't market their products marketing of cell phones to children? (even the kid-friendly ones) to children, but rather to their parents. Disney said it developed Disney Mobile as a service to address the needs of a family audience, and that its products and services are Sources: Jaclyn Bruntfield, "What Risks Are Posed by Kids' Cell available to all members of the family, including adults. Market- Use?," Green Parenting (June 6, 2011). http://harrison.patch.com/ what-risks are posed-by-kids-cell-phone-use, accessed June 16 ers claim that they simply answer the demands of consumers for Madhusmita Bora, "Must-Have for Tweens: Cell Phone, St. Peter services such as the five-key, parent-programmable Firefly. Times (August 26, 2007): 1A; Allison Ross, "Fast Texting-Tween Pumps Cellphone Sales, McClatchy Tribune Business News (December Of course, children want the phones because they're cool, 2008): Louise Lee, "Mom, Let's Talk: A Brand New Batch of Cell because their friends have them, and because they want to be Takes Aim at Kids as Young as 5. Business Week (August 13, 2007) NOTES 1. www.epicurious.com, accessed June 4, 2011; www.marthastewart.com, accessed June 4, 2011 2. Fred E. Webster and Yoram Wind Organizational Buying Behavior (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1972). 3. See). Joseph Cronin, Ir., and Michael H. Morris, "Satisfying Customer Expectations: The Effect on Conflict and Repurchase Intentions in Indus trial Marketing Channels." Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 17(Winter 1989): 41-49: Thomas W. Leigh and Patrick F. McGraw, "Map- ping the Procedural Knowledge of Industrial Sales Personnel: A Script Theoretic Investigation. Journal of Marketing 53 (January 1989): 16-34; William J. Qualls and Christopher P. Puto, "Organizational Climate and Decision Framing: An Integrated Approach to Analyzing Industrial Buy ing." Journal of Marketing Research 26 (May 1989): 179-92 4. James M. Sinkula, "Market Information Processing and Organizational Learning Journal of Marketing 58 (January 1994): 35-45. 5. Allen M. Weiss and Jan B. Helde, "The Nature of Organizational High Technology Markets." Journal of Marketing Research 30 M 220-33; Jennifer K. Glazing and Paul N. Bloom, "Buying Group tion Source Reliance." Proceedings of the American Marketing A Educators' Conference (Summer 1994): 454 6. B. Charles Ames and James D. Hlaracek, Managerial Market Industrial Firms (New York: Random House Business Division Edward F. Fem and James R. Brown, "The Industrial/Consumer ing Dichotomy: A Case of Insufficient Justification." Journal of 48 (Spring 1964):68-77 7. Jaakko Aspara. "Aesthetics of Stock Investments," Consumption Culture 12 (June 2009):99-131. 8. Daniel H. McQuiston, "Novelty, Complexity, and Importance Determinants of Industrial Buyer Behavior," Journal of Manila (April 1989): 66-79