Quick Tip: Avoid Marketing to Children

For marketers renting files with a preponderance of minors’ names, such as children’s magazines “Highlights for Children” and “Ladybug,” here’s a quick tip: Chop off the first name, and add the word “Family” to the surname.

Why? Many times, says Don Buck, president of Milwaukee-based direct marketing consultancy Buck Marketing, parents will have the subscription sent to the child in the child’s name.

So to stay away from the potentially embarrassing situation of having to defend yourself against parental claims of marketing to their children, Buck says, simply adding the word “family” will eradicate the problem. “It depends on your offer,” Buck warns. But it can work well in a continuity club offer such as a book of the month or a fruit of the month club.