Enrichment Marketing: A New Approach To Childhood Obesity

In the past three decades, obesity has tripled among American children ages 6-11, according to the Robert Wood Foundation. The number of overweight American children has more than doubled in the past 20 years. In 1980 about 7% of kids were overweight; by 2002 that number had climbed to 16%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If trends continue, for the first time in history the youth of today will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents because of poor eating habits.

According to Robert Reiher, PhD, a developmental media psychologist and the creator of E-Smart Choice and Enrichment Marketing, "Today we are witnessing a synthesis of compelling media technology and compelling media techniques that immerse children in highly entertaining but often age inappropriate and unhealthy commercial messages. The power and impact of the irresponsible messages now being directed to children lies in the underlying and often insidious combinations of technology and techniques".

Is the technology that drives the changing entertainment landscape going to diminish? Of course not! In fact, just the opposite is occurring. The growth of entertainment technologies is continuing to explode. As these technologies and techniques continue to increase, marketing and advertising to immature and vulnerable children will increase along with them.

E-Smart Choice believes that technology and techniques can be used in a positive way to educate children and to help them learn beneficial and age appropriate information that can assist them in their growth and development. For combating childhood obesity, E-Smart Choice employs its Enrichment Marketing Method to assist organizations to promote good diet, nutrition and exercise habits using the following steps:

#1. Determine the product/program objective from an enrichment perspective and pinpoint this
objective to directly align with the developmental needs and wants of the intended audience.

#2. Determine the specific Mind Map of the intended audience including their age, stage, gender,
needs, wants, beliefs, lifestyle, values, information processing style and developmental issues.

#3. Determine and execute the correct age appropriate learning model to convey enriching
marketing messages in the most effective way.

#4. Determine the forms of communication media that have the most impact on different ages and
stages of children and how they can be used to communicate enriching marketing messages.

#5. Determine the leverage attributes of the intended product or program and how to maximize
these attributes to create powerful marketing messages.

#6. Develop an integrated and powerful visual and verbal messaging mix to maximize
communication to the intended audience.

#7. Develop a comprehensive marketing message, i.e., one that is attractive, credible and powerful,
for the intended audience, integrating the problem, solution. point of difference and audience
benefits.

Enrichment Marketing is a new science-based business paradigm for both commercial and social marketers that focuses on enriching today's children, youth and families.

For more information please visit the website at www.esmartchoice.com and contact Tony Wallace, Director of Communications and Marketing.

This release was published on openPR.