Pottery Barn Kids

By Alicia Orr Suman As the mother of a 5-week-old infant, I am a prime prospect for all kinds of offers—-from car seats and crib bedding (Pottery Barn Kids loves me) … to diapers and formula. With a newborn in the household, I've had no choice but to purchase many of these things. The question isn't will I buy, but what brands will I buy? With this scenario in mind, maybe it's time for another look at sampling. Stan Rapp and Thomas Collins wrote in "The New MaxiMarketing": "That old marketing standby, sampling, when done properly, can still be very effective. It's surprising

By Alicia Orr Suman Try it, you'll like it. As the mother of a 5-week-old infant, I am a prime prospect for all kinds of offers—-from car seats and crib bedding (Pottery Barn Kids loves me) … to diapers and formula. With a newborn in the household, I've had no choice but to purchase many of these things. The question isn't will I buy, but what brands will I buy? With this scenario in mind, maybe it's time for another look at sampling. Stan Rapp and Thomas Collins wrote in "The New MaxiMarketing": "That old marketing standby, sampling,

By Alicia Orr Suman Young children, ages 5 to 9, numbered more than 20 million in 2000. Add in their slightly older siblings, and you have a market of more than 41 million children age 14 and younger, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It's a lucrative market, too. Moderate income families spend $160,600 on average, raising a child from birth through age 17, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports. A good portion of that expenditure happens during the elementary school years—a time of rapid physical and emotional growth for young children. Just think of all the toys, books and clothing kids consume