To summarize....

After a semesters worth of blogging on marketing to children, I have discovered many trends and tactics in reaching younger target markets. Currently, one of the growing mediums for reaching children is through the Internet website, especially through virtual worlds. Along with any emerging mediums for reaching target audiences comes controversy. During the time period for which I maintained this blog there were developments in regulating advertising to children. Other countries have expressed their concern about the detrimental effects of marketing to children and have begun to regulate advertisements directed at children in their own country. Despite attempts to protect children against the effects of advertising, it seems that the only new news I have seen during the semester as I have continued my blog have been negative. Most of the news within my category was filled with companies who have contributed to the negative effects of marketing to children. As each individual company has been publicly shamed for their advertising to children, a trend in self-regulation has seemingly emerged as positive public relations for the company.

There is no doubt that if you are a marketer attempting to reach children you are considering creating a virtual world. The success of virtual worlds directed at children has created virtual worlds to become a vital part in any advertising campaign directed at children. One company that has had the most success with this alternative medium is Webkinz. Anywhere store that sells toys is considering a Webkinz an essential product to be stocked in their store during the holiday season. Webkinz products have been successful because they incorporate what children love the most a toy and an Internet outlet. Webkinz products are stuffed animals that are sold with an ID card that gives a child access to a Webkinz virtual world. As the success of Webkinz grows, the trend in marketing to children has become mimicking Webkinz. Barbie, Disney, and many larger toy companies have followed suit and created their own virtual worlds for children.

As companies are beginning to find more ways of reaching their target audience of children, many countries have developed a growing concern for the effects of these advertisements. In European countries such as Britain the government has already added regulations on advertising to children into their legal system. Presently, one of the headline stores in marketing to children was Australia’s effort to begin to regulate the advertising of junk food to children. As Australia began its journey to regulate marketing to children news broke that Britain’s regulations were failing. This was not good news for Australia since the plan was to adopt Britain’s current regulations. In recent news Australia has considered regulations such as a 9pm restriction. This will not allow companies to market junk food, which falls under a certain category, on channels that children watch before 9pm. As the idea of regulating advertising gains momentum, it seems there are many flaws that must be worked out. Countries are waiting to see how other countries regulations fair before adopting their own.

Finally, many companies have been in the media lately due to their unethical marketing efforts towards children. Despite the bad press some companies are receiving, many are turning this negative image into a positive public relations effort. In order to maintain their current consumers, many companies that have been shamed by their unethical marketing efforts have now vowed to self regulate. One company in particular that was getting their brand into the news was Kellogg. Kellogg had received a lot of bad press based on their marketing for some of their cereals that contain high amounts of sugar. To counteract the bad press, Kellogg decided to include facts about the sugar, calories, fat, and sodium on the front of their cereal boxes. Kellogg also promised to no longer use licensed characters on their cereal products that would fall into the junk food category. Many other companies have followed the lead of Kellogg to avoid lawsuits that each company was threatened with. These other companies include McDonald’s and General Mills.

Throughout the time period that I maintained my blog I began to notice all of the advertising to children around me. Through articles and the children I work with at a local elementary school I was able to see the actual influences advertising can have on children. Along with myself, many others including parents and teachers have growing concern for the effects advertisements have on children. In an attempt to halt advertising aimed at children advocacy groups attempted to bring lawsuits against major companies. As a result of their threats main of these major companies are beginning to self-regulate their advertising to children. Along with the idea of self-regulation, countries are making their own attempt to stop marketing to children. Currently Australia is attempting to regulate junk food advertising on children’s television programs, modeled after the regulations Britain already has in practice. Despite efforts to stop marketing to children on television other emerging mediums seem to be reversing these efforts. One of the most popular new mediums for reaching children is creating virtual worlds.

Politically correct marketing to children

With all of the negative press companies who market to children are currently receiving, ideas of using advertising positively have begun to emerge. One idea for using advertising to influence children in a positive way comes from Jane Lane an advocate for racial equality. The idea is to use advertising to influence children in broader ways. The advocate suggests that companies currently use advertising to convince children to want their product, why can't these same principles be used to open up conversation about social issues. The idea is that by creating advertising that center around these issues such as race that they will no longer be taboo subjects to our children. Using advertising that focuses on different social issues will allow children to be more open about the topics and thus more educated.

Lane points out that from a young age children are taught different colors. Therefore they recognize and identify these objects by their color. It is contradictory to ask a child to identify the color of a car, but then tell them to refer to different people by their color is improper.

Not only will this help to break down barriers in discussions on these topics, but Lane argues that the openness will allow children to feel better about who they are as a person. It is hard to identify how children learn about race since the topic is currently treated as something that is inappropriate to discuss. Because children are not allowed to discuss this openly they create in opinions about the topic. The goal of creating advertising surrounding these topics will allow for a more comfortable open discussion about this topic.

I feel that this idea may be a good idea in theory, however I don't believe advertising the topics to children is the proper medium. I think that this might be successful if these discussions were brought up in the classroom instead of on the television screen. I also don't know how these advertisements would be created. It is a hard message to get across without being confusing.

Information for this post provided by Children need to know that skin colour is not a taboo subject

The Year of the Wii.

This years most popular present for the holiday season, no surprise here, is the Nintendo Wii. If parents did not plan ahead and purchase this gaming console in October the chances of finding one now is nearly impossible. This is just another year where the toy of the holiday season has left parents scrambling to find the one toy their child can't live without.

Nintendo has said to have been producing approximately 1.8 million Wii consoles per month. This has seemingly come nowhere close to the actually demand for the product. Parents in last attempt efforts have resorted to make daily calls to local gaming stores, waiting in line anytime there is a hint of a shipment, and searching Ebay for a seller asking a reasonable price for the gaming system.

Although the hype is currently surrounding the Nintendo Wii, this year is no different then another. It seems every year the kids across the United States decide on one particular toy that they NEED for Christmas and challenge their parents to find one. Every year there seems to be one toy with an extremely high demand and a low supply available.

The idea has turned itself into almost a comedy. One movie that captures this concept of a parent attempting to hunt down the present that their child just can't live without is called Jingle All the Way. Arnold Schwarzenegger joins hundreds of other parents as they attempt to be one of the lucky parents to find the Turbo Man doll.

Every year there is the one toy that every child needs. Other toys like the Nintendo Wi that have created as much buzz around the holiday season include the Tickle Me Elmo, Furbies, Cabbage Patch dolls, etc. This is just another holiday season where parents are turned into maniacs in an attempt to make their children happy when on Christmas morning.

Inspiration for this post provided by All Wii want for Christmas