As an educator and literacy advocate, I have to give Ralph Lauren an 'F' for his book, The RL Gang: A Fantastically Amazing School Adventure, which was part of his back-to-school campaign.
What better way to sell designer children's clothes than to create a children's book filled with cute, ethnically diverse, affluent and, of course, well-dressed kids. The pearl and bow tie wearing characters have trendy and corny names like Jasper, Willow, Hudson and River. The book, narrated by Harry Connick Jr., tells a story of these eight stylish children whose teacher, "a very well-dressed man," sends them on an adventure. The adventure? They save a drooping apple tree by having River run towards a gurgling stream (I was hoping it was a brook instead) to fetch water for the tree. Children are able to click on the video during the story and checkout the outfits our characters are wearing.
If they miss the opportunity to browse and shop during the story, readers can explore the children's closets and purchase an assortment of clothing, from an academy wool pea coat for $195 to a Fair Isle dress for $185. My biggest objection to this campaign is that it encourages adults to spend $18.95 to purchase the book that was created by TikaTok, a Barnes and Noble company. However, in a philanthropic move, 15 percent of the book sales go to a charity. One would think the charity would be book or literacy related. That is not the case; the funds are going to the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music in New Orleans that is part of the New Orleans Habitat Musicians' Village. I wondered why Harry Connick Jr. was involved with selling clothes for kids. He didn't even sing the book -- he read the book.
Trust me, I have nothing against the NOLA music project and I encourage donations to it. Matter of fact, why don't you consider sending $20 directly to the project or a literacy charity rather than buying this ad campaign?
Parents should take a pass on this sham. Pick up The Hundred Dresses, by Eleanor Estes, about a poor girl who is bullied about what she wears. It will be a more valuable lesson for children than online shopping.