The Center for a New American Dream is a national non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness of the hidden costs of excessive consumption. The Center is a clearinghouse for over 500 national and regional organizations working on some aspect of redefining and implementing a new American dream, based not on material acquisition, but on quality of life and our ability to preserve and protect our natural environment for future generations. Over 50 of the organizations in our network focus all or a major portion of their energies on addressing issues related to commercialism, schools, and youth. One of our primary concerns, which will be the focus of an upcoming national campaign, is the increasing number of commercial messages targeting young people and the implications this has for the development of healthy values, personal identities, and responsible social and consumer behavior. The average American is bombarded by 3000 commercials a day, up from 1500 a day in the 1960s.
Kids are very sensitive to that.
If you tell them to buy something, they are resistant. But if you tell them they'll be a dork if they don't, you've got their attention. As markets for certain products become saturated, marketers are looking for new ways to increase consumption of their products, reach new consumers, and foster brand loyalty. Keeping up with the Joneses has a huge cost on our family lives and pocket books. In 1998 more than 1.4 million Americans filed for individual bankruptcy, almost three times more people than only 12 years ago.