Are you sitting comfortably?
You are not a child. If someone were to read you a bedtime story, we suspect you would prefer something more grown-up than Mother Goose.
Perhaps a little pillow book, the uses and putative benefits of which are obvious.
What is not so obvious, at least to the majority of British parents, is the value of reading to their children at bedtime.
Once upon a time', said The Mirror, 'a bedtime story was an essential nightly ritual for children. But now, six out of ten miss out on that magic moment with mum or dad before they fall asleep.'
'Once upon a crime', The Mail insisted. Because 'abandoning "one-to-one" contact with children at the end of the day can leave mental scars which may lead to poor performance at school and even delinquency.'
The decline in bedtime storytelling', thundered The Times, 'could have deeply negative effects on an entire generation of children.'
The Guardian went further. The decline of the bedtime story', wrote its parents editor. 'may be read apocalyptically as yet another sign of the dumbwards drift of civilisation.'
All these newspapers, plus four other nationals and 39 regionals, seven national and 15 regional radio stations, ITV's Lunchtime News and nine other TV programmes including the BBC's Question Time, got their facts from the same source: a study by psychologist Dr Aric Sian.
Dr Sigman was commissioned by Lexis Public Relations, in response to a brief from our client Powergen, to raise awareness of its services. Customer Service staff had reported an increase in calls from worried parents asking advice on lighting and temperature for children's bedrooms at night.
After much thought, we devised the bedtime reading campaign which positioned Powergen -a basic utility supplier at the heart of the family, and associated it with warmth and family life.
The media campaign was backed by sponsorship of Classic FM's Classic Tales, whose listenership increased by 10% over the period. The campaign also won the 1PR's (Institute of Public Relations) Best Consumer Relationship Award 2001.
Lexis has made a reputation for incisive, intelligent creative ideas that get noticed, get beneath the skin and always, always capture the imagination. We work for an impressive list of clients. Why not you?
To see our presentation and discuss what we could do for your brand or company, please call Claire Crutchley on 020 7908 6528 or visit us at www.lexispncom.
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