Easter is finally near - although you'd be forgiven if you thought it was due in late February or early March, considering the bunnies and eggs were out three weeks before Valentine's day. As a new parent, this early jump on advertising makes me wonder about the impact on children and parents alike. As a kid, there was a real novelty in searching for candy-coated eggs and bunny-shaped chocolates on that special Sunday. But back then, Easter was advertised for probably little over a month. Now, with a quarter of a year dedicated to Easter adspend (and even longer in the UK, as there are reports of bunnies hopping on the shelves from Boxing Day), one has to wonder how many of the chocolates sold in the months before the holiday actually made it to the great hunt? How many kids are totally bored with marshmallow eggs by the time they fish a strip out of the lounge pot plant? But perhaps the retailers are doing us a favour and by the time it rolls around, we can concentrate on the real reason for the holiday...?

Shan Radcliffe, Retail editor
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