subject: How To Market To Children [print this page] Marketing to children is fraught with ethical concerns. The major source of these concerns is the limited ability of younger children to process information and to make informed purchase decisions. There are also concerns that marketing activities, particularly advertising, produce undesirable values in children, result in inappropriate diets, and cause unhealthy levels of family conflict. Like what Savage Garden used to say in their lyrics, magazines promote low self-esteem.
Although marketers need to be very sensitive to the limited information processing skills of younger consumers, ethical and effective marketing campaigns can be designed to meet the needs of children and their parents. Some companies link to some organizations to help children especially those that are poor or have no shelter to go home to by fundraising calendars campaign. They sell fundraising calendars in stores to support the cause. This is another marketing strategy that will give a good reputation to your business.
All aspects of the marketing mix must consider the capabilities of the child. The most obvious is product safety. Young children put things in their mouths and can choke on a wide variety of materials. Packaging should be safe when the product is removed. Advertisements should promote positive values such as sharing and good nutrition, as well as the product. Like the fundraising calendars that support a cause, your products must also concerned on the health benefits of your customers especially the children.
Reaching children used to mean advertising on Saturday morning cartoons. Now there are many more options, even for the very young. Barbie, Outside Kids, and Sports Illustrated for Kids are just some of the examples that have wide circulation among children who can read. CD-ROMs with interactive capabilities and titles such as "The Magic School Bus" are becoming big sellers. They provide the opportunity to offer entertainment, education, and commercial messages to children and their parents. Online firms provide services for children as young as three. For example, Prodigy has "Sesame Street" online. It uses a graphic interface that attracts kids between the ages of three and six.
Direct mail can also be an effective means to reach even very young children. Many firms target children or families with young children by forming "kid's clubs". Unfortunately, many of these clubs engage in sales techniques that are controversial if not clearly unethical. However, if done properly, they can be fun and educational for the children while delivering responsible commercial messages. If the content is sound and the ads are constructed in a manner appropriate for the age groups, this program appears to be one that children would benefit from and enjoy.
The changing capabilities of children to learn as they age represent challenges to parents who are attempting to teach their children appropriate consumption behaviors. It posses ethical and practical issues for marketers like you, too. This limited learning capacity is the basis for substantial regulation of advertising to children.
Nevertheless, the very difficult ones to please are actually the children. That is why entrepreneurs have different surveys made on how to attract them. Aside from that, they are also the largest market and the most with potential to buy, especially when your business is toys, foods and childrens wear. Advertisements for children therefore should not be concerned on the quality of your product but also must show some good values for them to become a better individual as they grow older. Advertisements play a great part on the childrens behavior that is why you must be concerned with this as a responsible entrepreneur.
by: Colleen Davis
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