To what Extent Does Gender Marketing Influence the Parental Purchase Decisions of Children’s Products, and how would these Customers React in a Genderless Informational World?

This research study explores the extent to which parents rely on gender marketing when purchasing products for their children, and how these consumers would react in a genderless informational world. The project presents theories found in consumer behavior and child psychology, including Scott Wards Theory of Consumer Socialization, Judith Butler’s views of sex, gender, and gender identity, and the idea of Unconscious Branding by professor Douglas Van Praet. The methodology used for the completion of this research can be subdivided into two forms of primary research: an open questionnaire and an online survey. The study uses APA formatting to structure the above-mentioned section, and alters it to include both a discussion and a methodology evaluation subsection. The project gives examples of gender marketing and its uses for the past decade, it shows how parents aim to control the practice, and it identifies the existence of three types of parent buyers: The Id-Mom, Ego-Dad and Super-Ego-Parents. Gender marketing does, to different degrees, influence parent-buying behavior both consciously and unconsciously. The extent to which these forces impact each parent is directly correlated to the level of critical thought and social desirability bias they find within. These three categories define parents that would react independently from one another when faced with a genderless informational world. Future directions of research suggest an extension of the research study to include a longitudinal design that will allow for the tracking of the respondents’ actions and opinions over time.