newswire: 8/8/2020
- The children’s magazine Highlights just launched its first promotional campaign ever, which targets Millennial parents with an optimistic message. The 74-year-old brand wants to reach kids growing up in the “age of anxiety” and, in a new ad, encourages them to “try something new.” (Advertising Age)
- NH: Highlights launched in 1946 to around 20,000 readers. By the 1980s, it was the most popular children’s magazine in America, with circulation topping 2 million. The vast majority of subscriptions (95%) were mailed to homes. Circulation continued growing up until the mid-‘90s and peaked at around 2.8 million, but has seen a steady decline over the past few years. Nowadays, Millennial parents and Homelander kids are probably most familiar with Highlights as a staple of their doctors’ and dentists’ waiting rooms.
- The promo campaign marks a departure for the magazine, which historically has spent very little on advertising. The goal is to reach parents “who are bringing children up in a time of increased childhood anxiety, growing competition among peers, and a fixation on accomplishments." (Needless to say, it’s also a time when more media than ever are competing for kids’ attention.)
- Basically, the message is to let kids explore and have fun. Mistakes are OK; they’re just part of learning. This theme may seem trite, but it speaks to a real shift in attitude that we’re just beginning to see among young parents. The overprotected kids of the ‘90s and the early ‘00s are becoming parents themselves. In keeping with historical patterns, this generation is going to begin to parent their own kids differently than how they themselves were raised. This trend will increase over the next couple of decades, especially among late-wave Millennials. Their own parenting will be more relaxed and indulgent, eventually giving rise to the “prophet archetype.”
- Ironically, because of how they were raised, it’s the parents who probably need to hear this ad’s message even more than their kids. Young adults are extremely hard on themselves (see “Millennials’ Mental Health Struggles Go Beyond Finances”) and need someone to tell them they’re doing just fine.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Error 404: Political Views Not Found. According to a new poll from the Cato Institute, nearly two-thirds (62%) of Americans feel like they cannot express all of their political views because others might find them offensive. This is up from 58% in 2017. More than three-quarters of Republicans (77%) agree, along with majorities of Democrats (52%) and independents (59%). Along partisan lines, strong liberals are the only group in which most people feel like they can express their opinions, though they also report rising pressures to self-censor. Meanwhile, 32% of employed Americans say they’re afraid of losing their jobs or missing job opportunities because of their political opinions. Young people are more worried than older Americans: 37% of those under age 30 feel this way, which drops to 30% among 30- to 54-year-olds and 24% among 55- to 64-year-olds. The fear is particularly strong among young Republicans: 51% of Republicans under 30 worry that their views could harm their careers, versus 33% of Democrats under 30.
