Did you know that kids under age 12 influence the spending of 700 billion dollars per year? The documentary "Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood" explores how marketers work their magic with children. They did a wonderful job pulling together data showing the negative impact it has on kids. You can watch a preview version of the entire film on the Media Education Foundation's site.
I enjoyed watching this movie and hearing from various experts regarding how marketing has changed. I didn't realize that researchers actually watch kids take baths to figure out how they interact with things like soap. The extent of their research is a bit disconcerting!