This week's Ypulse Guest Post is from Wynne Tyree, the founder and President of Smarty Pants — a youth-focused market research and strategic consulting firm. Wynne has extensive experience helping not-for-profit, government and corporate clients make a difference in the lives of young people by uncovering breakthrough consumer insights and helping to translate them into smarter products, programs and marketing. If you're interested in participating in the Ypulse Guest Post Program, just email me and tell me a bit about your youth media or marketing background and your idea for what you want to blog about.

The New American Dad: A Missed Opportunity?

Earlier this year, Smarty Pants fielded a national study of the New American Dad. The study confirmed a lot of the hypotheses we had generated after hundreds of hours of in-home observations and discussions with kids and families over the past few years. We presented some of the findings at this year's Youth Marketing Mega Event, and got a great response from marketers like Disney and Hasbro who recognize that we are collectively missing an opportunity to connect with an extremely influential member of the household — particularly when it comes to technology, media and entertainment. Yes, dads!

The fact is that dads are plugged in — to video games, to cell phones and PDAs, to online activities and to tech-centric toys and leisure activities. It's one of the ways that they connect with their children, yet we continue to ignore them as marketers. By and large, those who are marketing to kids and tweens are still using an antiquated, fictitious paradigm of kids/tweens and moms as the sole decision makers. This is still primarily true in some categories; but it's not the case when it comes to technology and entertainment decisions. Kids are conferring with dad on whether they should get Rock Band or Guitar Hero (because HE will care) and whether to go see "Transformers" or "Pirates of the Caribbean." And, no, it's not just a father-son thing. Interestingly, the data shows that dads' relationships are just as powerful with their daughters.

The topic begs for a more holistic understanding of the household, in my opinion. It suggests that we may need to re-think how we position dads in messages (some are already doing it!) and how we think about purchase influence and "purse strings." Thoughts?

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