How Marketers Target Kids
ByQaisar Wahab AimalUmair ZamanAbd-ur-RaheemHasan Javed
BBA (Hons.) Group-BBatch 2005
Marketer’s opportunity
Kids represent an important demographic to marketers because they have their own purchasing power, they influence their parents' buying decisions and they're the adult consumers of the future.Guilt can play a role in spending decisions as time-stressed parents substitute material goods for time spent with their kids.
Single minded Competitiveness
Corporations are racing to stake their claim on the consumer group formerly known as children.Brandishing advertising jargon like “Cradle-to-grave brand loyalty“
The Issues
Advertising, its everywhere
Studies show, that on average we see 3,000 ads per day. At the gas pumps, in educational institutes, during sporting events—advertising is impossible to avoid.Billboards, clothing with prominent corporate logos, endorsements by famous actors, product placement within films and television programs, etc.
Some ways of Targeting
Ambient advertisingStealth-endorsersTargeted advertisingProduct placementDigital or “Virtual” advertising
How do they target kids
Pester Power
Children's ability to nag their parents into purchasing items they may not otherwise buyMarketing to children is all about creating pester power, because advertisers know what a powerful force it can be
Kids’ Psychology and Marketing
With the help of well-paid researchers and psychologists, advertisers now have access to in-depth knowledge about children's developmental, emotional and social needs at different ages
Building brand name loyalty
Marketers plant the seeds of brand recognition in very young children, in the hopes that the seeds will grow into lifetime relationshipsBrand loyalties can be established as early as age two, and by the time children head off to school most can recognize hundreds of brand logos
Commercialization in education
Budget shortfalls are forcing institutions to allow corporations access to students in exchange for badly needed cash, computers and educational materialsExclusive deals with fast food or soft drink companies to offer their products in a school or districtSponsoring school events
The Internet
Part of youth cultureParents generally do not understand the extent to which kids are being marketed to onlineKids are often online alone, without parental supervisionUnlike broadcasting media, the Internet is unregulated
Marketing adult entertainment to kids
Children are often aware of and want to see entertainment meant for older audiences because it is actively marketed to them70% video game companies regularly marketed Mature rated games (for 17+ years) to childrenMature and Teen rated video games are advertised in youth magazines; and toys based on Restricted movies and M-rated video games are marketed to children as young as four
Effects of Excessive Marketing
Developmental concerns
Young children have difficulty distinguishing between advertising and reality in ads, and ads can distort their view of the worldYoung children are especially vulnerable to misleading advertising and don't begin to understand that advertisements are not always true until they're eight
Effects of Materialism
Children's identities shouldn't be defined by their consumer habits; yet that is the way they see themselves reflected in the media—as consumers, and advertisers are targeting younger and younger children with this messageA healthy society raises children to be responsible citizens rather than just consumers. Creating healthy, happy families means spending time together rather than spending money.
Young consumers as Collectors
Kids love to collect thingsCollections used to consist of marbles, stamps or coinsBut now, thanks to our consumer culture, kids amass huge collection of store-bought items such as action figuresBecause most collecting crazes are short-lived fads, the trend quickly fades, and kids move on—leaving behind boxes of discarded toys
Dealing with Marketing:What Parents Can Do
Educate your kids about advertising and how marketers target young peopleEncourage your kids to challenge advertisers' claims about their productsYoung children should watch mostly non-commercial television
Contd.
Explain that shopping should not be viewed as a hobby or pastime. It's something we do when we need to buy something and then we come homeGet your kids involved in other activities, so they have less time to hang around the mall
Examples in our Society
Ding dong, Captain Safeguard
Conclusion
Children's immersion in the commercial culture has implications that go far beyond what they buy or don't buy. The very traits that today's advertising encourages--brand loyalty, impulse buying, and cynicism--are antithetical to the qualities necessary in a healthy democratic citizenry
Questions & Queries