BBC: "Is Mr Potato Head to blame for 'pester power' ads?"

(Click on image for BBC story)
 

Hammerson 2011 submission to Parliament:
"There is a danger that [regeneration] could be side-tracked by

agitators, and that NIMBYS will undermine the process. Therefore, 

it is key to have strong local leadership in the Local Authority

at Leader and Chief Executive level." [pictured above]

"It is 60 years since Mr Potato Head starred in the world's first television toy advert. Did the plastic spud unleash the era of pester power?

"It was an innovation that, by pitching directly to the product's juvenile target market, ushered in a post-war era in which children were specifically targeted as a consumer demographic.

"... In the UK, the Advertising Standards Authority, an independent body which oversees the industry, has strict rules on what can be shown in commercials. Under the Committee of Advertising Practice code, adverts must not "encourage [children] to ask their parents, guardians or other persons to buy or enquire about a product or service for them".

"Yet fears persist, leading Prime Minister David Cameron to propose an education programme to promote awareness of advertising techniques, as well as banning the use of under-16s as 'brand ambassadors' in peer-to-peer marketing campaigns'."