Giving and Sacrifice

November 30, 2008

I was being interviewed for an article on marketing to kids when the reporter asked me about the fairness of parents having to sacrifice in order to give their children toys during the holidays. He was citing the urging of some organizations for the toy industry to cease advertising to children until the economic downturn ended. They feel that it puts to much pressure on parents already under pressure.

My response was that this outlook saw gift giving as a purely economic exchange in which someone sacrificed money in order to give someone else joy. My outlook, and the outlook of most people, is that there is much joy (maybe more) in giving than receiving. That moment on Christmas morning when a child opens a present deeply desired is a moment that both parent and child will long remember. Yes, there is economic sacrifice but there is great emotional gain.

The notion is best summed up in O’Henry’s wonderful and very short story, “The Gift of the Magi.” We don’t hear as much about O’Henry as we used to, but he was a wonderful story teller who lived in the late 19^th century. His stories were known for their wit, their warmth and their trick endings.

In this particular story, a young couple has no money so each has to sacrifice their most precious possession to buy the other a gift. She sells her hair in order to give him a fob for his pocket watch and he sells his pocket watch to buy her combs for her hair. Their gifts were truly a testament to their love for each other.

The story ends with the following words:

And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest.

Posted by Richard Gottlieb on November 30, 2008 | Comments (2)

December 1, 2008

In response to: Giving and Sacrifice
Anthony commented:

When I see a BMW commercial I'm not going out and buy something that is outside of my means. I realize that my income dictates the more modest and affordable brands. I believe foundation on our childrens expectations lie with us as parents. If ypu are overweight do you blame fast food for advertising? Look we live in a society of different levels of means ans whether poor, middle class, rich or wealthy it is up to you to set the limits. My children have had all types of christmas, from lavish where a few thousand was spent, as well as sparring where we were only able to spend a couple of hundred on all three kids. Advertising does not dictate what I am going to buy and it also helps teach a basic learning experience my children will need to be able to survive not only christmas, but life in general. That lesson is "

November 30, 2008

In response to: Giving and Sacrifice
Tiggy commented:

“My response was that this outlook saw gift giving as a purely economic exchange…” How so? The response to the reporter’s query is incongruous. To be fair to the reporter I would ask that the man and woman in O.Henry’s tale both be underage gift givers and then we would have to insert a second pair of people who would be directly responsible for the delivery of the watch fob and the hair comb. And then we would have to place this new pair under a special kind of duress. The kind of duress that is only known by parents who are trying to meet the practical needs of their children and finding it difficult to do so. And under these conditions just what sort of advertiser’s belly kick could be administered (an outside party not represented in O.Henry’s tale) before decent people cry foul. As previous blog posts suggest Mr. Gottlieb has an interest in seeing the toy industry make money. Possibly this is skewing his views of what is healthy and appropriate for children and families. I read more Dickens here than O.Henry, for Mr. Gottlieb wants to get gold out of Mr. Cratchet’s pockets even if it means targeting Tiny Tim to do so!