Help Kids Develop Brand Loyalty to Nature

In 2018, Apple spent spend $1.8 billion dollars marketing their products.  In a large country, with a large economy we throw around these large numbers so often that I never stop to think about them. 1.8 billion dollars.  $1,800,000,000. One million seconds is the same as 11.5 days. One billion seconds? That’s 31.5 YEARS. This is significant.

One of the primary purposes of any large corporation that is marketing their products at such an extraordinary level is to develop brand loyalty with children. There are strategies in place to capture the loyalty of a child beginning at age two.  Honestly, I am overwhelmed in these times we are living.  How do we even begin to protect, guide, and lead our children when they are being marketed to so aggressively?  The evidence is beginning to pile up about serious negative clinical and neurological effects on children exposed to excessive screen time.  It is such a problem that we’ve coined terms such as “virtual drug” and “electronic cocaine”. There was as study done in 1998 showing that video games increase dopamine as much as sex does, about 100 percent.  And that’s already over 20 years ago! Think of how extensively video games have changed since 1998.

So, what are we to do?  I suggest that we continue to vigorously show our children the things in life that are better than screens.  We can even employ some of the strategies these large companies are using. Taking from their play books, here are three ways to help your child develop brand loyalty to nature. 

Target your audience.

Marketing focuses on specific age groups for instance, ages 2-7.  We can absolutely do something similar. I am a big believer that nature immersion is enjoyable for every age from newborn to great-grandparent, but as our kids walk through different stages of life we can surely hone in on what will motivate them.  For ages 2 - 7 ,it will be as simple as sand and some sand toys but as our children grow older we can target them differently. There are all sorts of ideas: skateboarding, skiing, mountain biking, trail running, reading a good novel in a hammock, swimming, fishing, kayaking, camping, hiking with a friend, etc.  If children are used to being inside and/or spending a lot of time in front of screens, then there probably will be some major marketing involved. You may have to sell it. You may even have to sell it to yourself. But the thing about time in nature is that it always comes through and the more you spend time there the more it will grip you.

Use a think tank.

When marketing budgets reach these billion dollar levels you better believe there is some straight up genius behind those numbers.  We need to do our due diligence and dig deep for wisdom as well.  Now is the time to research, network, and search for answers. How are other families limiting screen time?  What strategies are working? Is there anything that works for teenagers? What is all the emerging research saying about the effects screens have on childhood development?  How do we maintain some sense of balance with all this? How can we band together with family friends and neighbors to develop similar standards that protect childhood? Where are engaging outdoor spaces in your area?  This is an ever evolving door and we need to be vigilant and stay on top of it.

Be pervasive.

Kids are being marketed to at a phenomenal rate and it’s coming in from all directions.  Let’s

do the same thing. We can take back those open spaces in the day for meaningful activity (which often is no activity at all, blessed downtime).  I’m talking about before and after school (and during school if you teach at home), on the weekends, after dinner, and during school vacations. We can, and should, consistently offer our children engaging activities (once again downtime fits here because imagination is captivating) that are developmentally appropriate and don’t involve screens.  How often are children being exposed to excessive tech use? Is it daily? Weekly? Whatever it is, we need to do the same. In the late 1800s educator Charlotte Mason taught that for optimal development children should spend 4 - 6 hours outside… every single day. Think about that. In a world with no screens at all this was part of her educational philosophy.  Most parents these days would look at her directive and scoff. Yet a study from 2015 put the average screen time for 8- to 12-year-olds at 4 hours and 36 minutes daily.  In looking at today’s research there is a lot of evidence pointing to just how right Charlotte Mason was.  Here are 100 benefits of getting your kids outside on a regular basis just to get you started.  

Every parent can help guide brand loyalty to real world experiences.  The best part is that the less screen time your child consumes the easier it will be for you to have and maintain your influence.