How important is it to market to the young?

I was reading some posts at ManageSmarter.com and found an article from a couple of weeks ago about Customer Loyalty. They state the following in their opening paragraph:

Do you remember the brands you had when you were a kid? Probably. And chances are it's because you still purchase these brands' products today—such as General Mills, Milton-Bradley and Hershey. Research shows a consumers' strongest brand loyalties are developed in their youth. That means its important for you as a marketer to get your messages heard by your customers as early as possible.

Okay, so this means that the reason I eat Skippy Super Chunk or Neste Quik is because I was marketed to when I was little? I don't remember having the money to do the grocery shopping for my family when I was six or nine or twelve. I love Skippy Super Chuck (the only PB as far as I am concerned). I can't do without my glass of chocolate milk (pretty boring, huh?). I don't buy them today because of some stupid marketing campaign. I buy them today because I developed a taste for them when I was young. I developed that tasted because that was what I had in my house growing up. Here is the key to remember about marketing. Marketing doesn't bring people back over and over again for your product. Sure, marketing can remind people, but if people don't like your product, no amount of marketing can save it. You will soon run out of clients that care. Don't think that because you tell people to buy your peanut butter when they are young that they will magically like your peanut butter when they are old. Putting your logo on a toy car (just like your competition does) isn't going to make customers for life if your product stinks. 20 years from now, you may not even be in business, so worry about the short term and the long term will take care of itself.

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Corey Smith is the Vice President of Innovation at Fisher’s Document Systems.