Kids marketing: How Marketers Target Kids | mediasmarts-9

Marketing to Children: Strategies & Their Effects

Students who are enrolled in master’s of communication degree programs may choose to follow the health and social change track when it comes time to select a concentration in the field. Although this graduate degree can provide a well-rounded communication education, it may be especially helpful for individuals who plan to work in the public policy or nonprofit sector in particular. Students in the process of earning a communications degree on this track who wish to learn about marketing in the media and how it affects children will find resources on these topics in this section.

Campaigns that target children

Many different organizations, ranging from governmental health agencies to cigarette companies, develop specific campaigns that are designed to appeal to children. These advertisements may target youths’ interests and attention in many ways, such as through the use of cartoon figures or the promise of maturity. For individuals who are pursuing communication degrees, learning how different marketing campaigns have designed initiatives to appeal to children may help them understand the different theories and approaches behind advertising and further prepare them for a future career.

Social marketing campaigns and children’s media use: This article from the Future of Children discusses the success that health officials have had promoting positive messages about food via social media. In addition, it argues that this is the best medium possible to run this type of marketing campaign.

Children and Internet marketing campaigns: The Bureau of Consumer Protection outlines the specific regulations that advertisers must follow when using the Internet as a marketing platform. It also lists guidelines for marketing to children, as laid out by the Federal Trade Commission.

The promotion and marketing of toys: The Future of Play Theory studies advertising campaigns marketed to children by toy companies, analyzing their techniques and the effect they have had on socialization.

An analysis of supermarket messages: A professor from an Ottawa-based university studies how advertising campaigns in the supermarket may have a larger impact on children’s consumer behavior than those seen on television. It also discusses how advertisements take advantage of the store setting to market their products.

Food and beverage marketing in school: This article traces how advertising campaigns first came to be accepted in schools and how the effect of marketing in this sphere has changed the way children eat and behave.

A social marketing campaign to promote low-fat milk: The Department of Health Education at a New York-based college studies the effect that the Washington Heights-Inwood Health Heart Program’s low-fat milk marketing campaign had on inner-city Latinos.

The effect of marketing campaigns on children

As some marketing campaigns have been specifically designed to target and appeal to children, these advertisements may affect the way that young individuals think or alter their perception of what they want. While some marketing strategies, such as the ones an individual may learn about in a health and social change communication program, push positive agendas, others encourage detrimental behavior in children. In this section, interested parties should find information on the different ways kids have been affected by marketing in the media.

Media and childhood obesity: The Federal Communications Commission has put out a report on childhood exposure to television and its relationship to obesity. While a direct link has not yet been established, the agency reports that children are highly receptive to messages in advertising, both good and bad.

Marketing and advertising is harmful to children’s health: The Lancet discusses how children have been exploited by the marketing industry and the negative repercussions that have come as a result. In addition, it examines the connection between the increased incidents of children developing type 2 diabetes and the food advertising industry.

Tobacco marketing and adolescent smoking: This study from the American Journal of Public Health examines the effect that marketing campaigns launched by tobacco companies have had on the propensity of young people to smoke.

Tobacco marketing through film: The Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine conducted a study on how exposure to tobacco marketing on television and in movies affects how adolescents perceive smoking.

How to Advertise for Kids From 8 to 10 | Small Business

By Amber Keefer

With more businesses catering to children as their niche market, the messages advertisements send need to consider the ages of the kids they target. Kids actually take in more than adults from the advertising they see, says Millward Brown, a market research group. Children — even those 8 to 10 — recall more details and are able to remember what they see in an ad for a longer period of time.

Kid Appeal

1. If you are in the business of selling to kids, get to know what kids want. Kids between ages 8 and 10 look for entertainment and are attracted to things that offer fun. One way to market to children is to use characters popular among that age group to promote your products. Kids also want to be accepted by their peers. Get children interested with ads that show children interacting with other children.

Get Their Attention

1. Market in places where kids go. Distribute advertising posters in toy stores, bicycle shops, bookstores, community recreation centers and other locations that children frequent. Running video spot ads in local movie theaters is another way to reach out to kids. Product packaging also helps sell to kids. Bright colors and unusual designs catch a child’s attention. Develop brand awareness among kids by including slogans, catchy tunes and popular songs with lyrics written for children as part of an ad. Children also like ads that use cartoon characters to communicate a message.

Keep Your Name Out There

1. Create a business logo with which kids can identify. Kids generally respond well to visual images and can often recognize hundreds of brand logos by the time they reach school age. Advertise your business by donating new items to a school fundraising event. If you own a sporting good store, offer children’s sports gear to be raffled off at a school carnival. Co-sponsor a school track and field day. Have your logo printed on colorful sports bottles that you hand out to children who participate in the event. You can usually purchase these and other promotional products for less than $1 each when you buy in bulk. Promotional products help get your business name out there and promote your image.

Television Advertising

1. Small businesses sometimes use local or cable television advertising to reach their target market. Data collected by the Kaiser Family Foundation show that children ages 8 to 12 watch the most television and are exposed to more minutes of advertising. Advertising on local television stations costs about half of what it would to advertise nationally, according to Entrepreneur. com. The airtime rates of local affiliates vary, but you can usually purchase a multiple-week package at an affordable rate. The best time of the year to negotiate with a sales representative for a discount is the first quarter.

References

• Business.com: Expand Your Audience by Marketing to Kids
• Evan Carmichael: 7 Ways to Market Your Business and Attract Potential Customers Without Spending a Fortune
• Entrepreneur: Television Advertising
• Inc.: How to Buy TV Advertising On a Budget
• Kaiser Family Foundation: Food for Thought –- Television Food Advertising to Children in the United States

Writer Bio

Amber Keefer has more than 25 years of experience working in the fields of human services and health care administration. Writing professionally since 1997, she has written articles covering business and finance, health, fitness, parenting and senior living issues for both print and online publications. Keefer holds a B.A. from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. in health care management from Baker College.

“The best for children” and other triggers: how marketers “force” parents to buy extra

What is the difference between “adult” and “children’s” marketing

The main difference between the “children’s” market is that here work is carried out on two segments of the target audience: parents – those who pay, and children – those who want and consume. Therefore, marketers use an integrated approach.

“There is a strong influence on the sphere of media trends: animated series, fairy tale characters, bloggers. The child is sold, first of all, not products, but impressions and a sense of belonging. In pursuit of them, a small consumer forces parents to follow the lead of marketers. Brands use two paths – follow trends or create them. For example, the Lego company chose the second option: today it is a whole universe – toys of different levels of complexity, for all ages, games and TV shows about the world from a multi-colored constructor,” explained Anna Kovtun, an expert in doing business on marketplaces.

Peculiarities of “children’s” advertising

According to lawyer Petr Gusyatnikov, the children’s niche of goods is strictly regulated by several laws, in particular “On Advertising” and “On Protection of Children”. For example, you cannot:

– discredit adults in advertising;

– make outcasts of children whose parents did not buy a product from an advertisement;

show children in dangerous situations. Yes, minors are very fond of superheroes, and a lot of spectacular videos could be made here. But manufacturers don’t risk walking on thin ice;

– create the illusion that a product or service is available to families of any income level;

– include in the advertisement an appeal to convince parents that they are obliged to buy goods for their children.

Therefore, niche marketers have much less room to maneuver. But advertising for children’s goods is the most positive and life-affirming.

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“The best for children” and other triggers

As entrepreneur and marketer Margarita Bylinina told Gazeta. Ru, the main trump card of marketing is the use of psychological techniques that motivate a purchase:

“The statement “The best is for children” is firmly planted in the minds of the Russian consumer. But with the growth of awareness of parents, it should be noted that now it really should be the best. Like clothes, toys and household goods.

The expert clarified that specialists use different triggers for each group of goods. So, products for newborns are chosen and evaluated only by adults. And here comfort, safety, quality, guarantees come to the fore. Many phrases that are unlikely to work in other segments become keywords. For example: “Recommended by the Association of Pediatricians.” For comparison, when choosing toothpaste, the minimum percentage of consumers pay attention to the fact that the dentist recommends the product.

According to marketer Bylinina, children’s brands actively use visual triggers as well. Moreover, they are different for parents and for children. In the first case, it can be a chubby baby who smiles happily, or a baby sleeping sweetly with outstretched arms. The picture here is aimed at evoking tenderness and drawing parallels with your life.

“The calculation of specialists is simple – most often goods for children are bought by women, and for newborns – by women with “raging” hormones, and the intensity of their emotions is as high as possible,” the expert noted.

If the product belongs to a group in the selection and purchase of which children are directly involved, then the “series effect” usually works here: simple plots of commercials, a hint of a secret, a discovery, something unknown.

“Marketing specialists do not bypass fathers either. They have their own triggers “stored” for them: facts, figures and notes of nostalgia – the fulfillment of a childhood dream that did not come true many years ago. Typically, this approach is used for expensive and complex goods, for example, large construction kits, models of equipment, railways,” said Margarita Bylinina.

A relatively new trigger for baby products is sustainability. Parents are now studying the composition of products, the origin of the fabric, the components of paints have become important to them. Hence the trend for wooden toys. Therefore, marketers are now actively emphasizing the eco-orientation of their products.

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Colored price tags and other marketing tricks

Margarita Bylinina listed the most popular tools.

In offline stores, in fitting rooms, sellers often leave other things on purpose – this stimulates additional purchases. Special layouts of departments have also been developed – basic items, for example, diapers and baby food, are specially located at the very end, behind rows with clothes, accessories and toys. The calculation is simple – most often women buy, and it is difficult for them not to linger at the counter with elegant overalls or educational rattles.

Of great importance in the formation of desire to buy are the design of racks and packaging of goods. But here, marketers mainly influence the direct consumer – the child. They put the life-size figures of popular cartoon characters, put their image on the stand, make “Try me” buttons on the packaging so that the child clicks on it and gets involved in the game process. A common trick is to use photos of other children on the package. The main trick here is that they often depict older children, this is done on purpose: a small consumer immediately wants what the “big ones” play with.

“Influencers are actively used. For adults, these are celebrities, for children, bloggers and cartoon characters. Such advertising automatically inspires confidence among the majority of consumers. Plus, the child is more likely to choose a package with a familiar hero than with someone he has never seen.

That’s why the rights to use famous characters are so expensive – a child’s acquaintance with them is directly converted into cash. Sometimes brands create their own hero, and often it is associated with the direct realization of needs. A vivid example is the characters on the boxes of ready-made breakfasts – a rabbit, a bear-cosmonaut, a bear “Barney”, Margarita Bylinina explained.

Colored price tags are also popular. Marketers have taught customers that a red and yellow price tag automatically means a good discount. Therefore, consumers put such a product in the basket without even studying all the details. And at the checkout, an unpleasant surprise may await them – in order to receive a discount, they will need to purchase a store card or buy a few more products.

“Gamification is a fresh tool. Now many manufacturers of children’s goods are launching their games, in which a promotional code is issued as a reward. This technique stimulates both audiences to buy – children want to receive a reward, parents rejoice at the benefits. Also, QR codes are placed on the packages, which lead to a virtual space, where various digital gifts are also issued, calls to collect collections of virtual heroes. The collectible trigger is a very effective hook for increasing sales,” Anna Kovtun noted.

According to experts, the omnichannel approach is also gaining popularity, that is, a symbiosis of online and offline impact on the consumer. For example, Kinder Surprise made an application in which toys come to life in augmented reality. Using it, the child will constantly ask his parents to buy another chocolate egg in order to “settle” the houses of new heroes.

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How to protect yourself and your child from unreasonable purchases

According to Margarita Bylinina, the main thing here is to be able to talk to a child correctly. On the one hand, it is important to form in children the idea of ​​​​the boundaries and that not all of their desires will be fulfilled. On the other hand, do not go too far. “I don’t have money”, “We can’t afford it”, “This is some kind of horror” are unacceptable phrases, they traumatize children, distort their perception and form blocking beliefs.

“The easiest way to avoid unnecessary purchases is not to take your child to the store, make a list in advance and go shopping in a good mood and on a full stomach: then you won’t want to get positive emotions with the help of shopping,” the expert advised.

If you are traveling with a child, the best option in case of a dispute is to divert his attention. Switch to another toy, or a pleasant thing – for example, going to the playground. After all, as already mentioned, children do not want a purchase, but an emotion. With teenagers, it is best to find a compromise.

Margarita Bylinina noted that it is definitely worth using parental control of Internet resources. The less the child watches the unboxing video, the higher the chance that he will not ask to buy another “wonder product”.

Internet impact statistics for children

Widespread access to the Internet has inexorably created a new group of target audience for business – children. Yes, perhaps not all adults are aware of how much time a child can spend online, but experienced marketers are well aware of this. They are not only aware of the peculiarities of the behavior of the young generation in the network, but also know how to use it in the development of commercial projects.

Brief statistics on children online

According to the theory of generations, the youngest segment of people on the planet are those born after the 2000s. This period will last until 2020-2022, and then experts will be able to announce the birth of a new generation of young people. Therefore, we will talk about young users who are currently no more than 18 years old.

Children’s lifestyle includes many activities through mobile devices and traditional PCs. Someone does their homework, learns new skills, gets useful information. Others spend hours playing games and having fun online. Take a look at the statistics and most parents will be confused.

According to US statistics from SellCell, based on a survey of 1135 parents in the US with children aged 4-14, we get the following theses: children).

If we talk about the daily online activities of children, we will get the following figures: 22.5% spend less than an hour, 35.6% about 1-2 hours, 26. 9% about 3-4 hours and 15.1 % – more than 4 hours a day.

It is difficult to draw conclusions from these statistics because they do not show exactly what young users are doing. But the following data will balance the report and are guaranteed to surprise twice

– 12% of children start using different gadgets at an extremely early age (at 1-2 years).

The age of the average user is actively decreasing. Every year he gets younger and younger, demonstrating that today children can use smartphones before they start talking and walking.

At this pace of device development, 65% of young users already own their own phone by the age of 13 (as of July 2019). This figure will increase even more in the coming years.

– 57% of children use their mobile phones for games and entertainment applications.

This huge figure shows that due to their age and interests, children tend to waste time. After playing games, young users have the following priorities for using the Internet: watching videos, taking photos and videos, chatting with family and friends, listening to music, using social networks and doing homework.

Unfortunately, education is at the bottom of the list of children’s priorities. According to the same study, only 18% of children learn and do their homework through the use of smartphones and tablets.

– 40% of parents admit that they allow their child to use gadgets only to be alone for a while.

One of the saddest aspects of the study. Yes, 68% of parents say they see mobile device use as a positive impact on their child’s development. But to be honest, many of them get tired or do not want to work with children, so they shift this responsibility to the Internet and mobile gadgets.

Therefore, the cost of parents for a smartphone for a child can also surprise. A quarter of Americans spend up to $250 on a new device, and 4% are willing to spend $850 or more. Such data indicates an increase in the availability of mobile devices, which also has a positive effect on the mobile advertising market.

How marketers nurture young target audience

Marketers and advertisers know how to identify the interests of the younger generation as accurately as they can identify adult market participants. They work with them in such a way that the brand’s image and features can grow with their consumer. To nurture a young audience, they use a multi-stage system of influence:

Stage 1. Parents + own observations

Children go to supermarkets and shops together with mom and dad, who lay down basic behavior patterns. In salesrooms and on television, they see a variety of products, and how parents interact with these products. Before the child learns to make his own decisions, he will observe the behavior of his parents.

Step 2 Parents + Expression of Interest

Children start asking mom and dad about the goods and services they see. They are attracted by colorful ads, captivating content, funny slogans and product descriptions. This is how primary interest is formed.

Stage 3. Parents + purchase of their choice with permission

After forming their own preferences and with the permission of their parents, they make their first purchases. At this stage, children already know how to distinguish between brands and choose their favorite ones.

Stage 4. Parents + attempts to make independent decisions

Past experience (own and parental), as well as a little pocket money, opens the child to the world of shopping. Now he can be active almost on the same level as adult buyers. The influence of advertising is further enhanced.

Stage 4. independent shopping

At each stage, the influence of adults remains enormous, but its character changes: gradually the child is listened to. And only at the last stage does he become a full-fledged buyer who is able to manage personal funds.

Thus, children’s marketing involves the use of almost any form of content marketing. You can use banner ads, useful texts, social networks, and so on.

Children’s Marketing and Social Responsibility

Today, the question often arises of how children are able to understand the impact of advertising on themselves and isolate themselves from manipulation. Experts assure that the child does not distinguish between a selling text and an informational one, therefore it is very easy to be influenced (both positive and negative). For marketers, this is a plus, but not for worried parents.

Speaking of young consumers, we cannot rely entirely on the principles of modern marketing. Agree, each of our actions has a significant impact on the formation of children’s horizons and perception of the world as a whole. Moreover, online and offline advertising can directly or indirectly influence the education of an entire generation, and often not in a positive way.

Those who only yesterday learned to read and write today use the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet with might and main. Thus, the idea of ​​the social responsibility of business prevails. After all, information on the network and numerous brands cannot pursue only selfish goals.

Personalization and focus on the interests of the client taught businesses to be more loyal, to strive to help the buyer and provide him with the necessary content.