Overview of both commercial and social marketing techniques aimed at children

1. Why Market to Children?
• Marketers see children as a
current and future market
• Easy targets
• Children are seen to
influence parents spending
behaviours
• Especially influence food
and beverage purchases

2. Poulton (2008)
How much of an influence?
• Breakfast choices (97%
of the time)
• Lunch choices (95% of
the time)
• Where to go for casual
family meals (98% of the
time)
• Clothing purchases (95%
of the time)
• Software purchases
(76% of the time) and
computer purchases
(60% of the time)
• Family entertainment
choices (98% of the time)
and family trips and
excursions (94% of the
time)

3. Marketing Food to Children
• In the past advertising to
children was a 30sec TV ad.
• More people watching on
demand TV/online=skipping
ads
• Nowadays there are many
alternatives

4. What's the problem?
Is it effective?
• Children aged between 7-11 consumed 45% more food when
exposed to television content with food advertisements
Harris et al, 2009)

5. Children vs Adults QSR Ads
• Child script emphasised giveaways and movie tie in
• Adult script emphasised food taste, price and
portion size
• Top 25 QSR-70% of ads were McDonalds & 29%
were Burger King
• 79% of ads targeting children aired were on just 4
channels (Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Disney
XD and Nicktoons)

6. Marketing techniques
• Television ads
• Product placement
• Celebrity endorsements
• Advergames
• Cross-promotions
• Branded websites

7. Television ads
• Most common form
• Exposed to 25’000-40’000 ads/year
• Spend more time watching
television than any other form of
media
• See around 13 food and beverage
ads/day
• <50% of food and beverage ads
are fast food restaurants, candy,
and cereal ads

8. Product Placement
• When a company pays for their product to be in a movie
or TV show to gain exposure

9. Celebrity/Character Endorsements
• The appearance of a character with a product
can significantly alter a child's perception of the
product

10. Cross-Promotions
• When two or more companies work together to
reach multiple audiences with one ad
• Eg: free movie-character toys offered with
children’s meals
• Burger King has sold chicken nuggets shaped
like Teletubbies- a show aimed at children as
young as 1

11. Advergames
• Video games which contains an advert for a
product
• Do not really push the sale of the product

12. Branded Websites
• Companies create branded websites that include
content designed to attract children
• Promoted in television ads and on product
packaging
• Typically include games, contests, videos, and
downloadable branded products, links to social
media

13. Other techniques
False Advertising:
• Food is marketed as being
healthy
Contests:
• Collect points and tokens and
get rewarded
Kids Only:
• Exclusivity Trix “silly rabbit
they’re only for kids”
Food as Entertainment
• Kinder egg toy
Giveaways:
• Associate the brand with
happiness
Sponsor:
• Many sponsor big events like
the Olympics/World Cup
• Scholarships and charitable
donations

14. Techniques in practice
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk_hkdGf1
tc

15. Companies are ruthless
• Founder of McDonalds said when speaking
about Burger King “if they were drowning, I
would put a hose in their mouth”
• Seem like the have the peoples interests at heart
by creating a good brand image e.g. donations to
charities, entertaining our children

16. Pester Power
• https://youtu.be/E6Yc3hzVsBc
• Attention grab, impulse, ultimatum, threat +
body language, give in and extra rewards
• Funny Sketch – Powerful Message

17. Pester Power
• Tendency of children to
unrelentingly request
advertised items
• Negative connotations of
children's influence on parents
buying habits
• Shopping Trip 15 requests on
average with 40-80% success

18. Pester Power Value
• 0-14 years industry valued at $600bn a year
• $17bn spent researching needs and wants
• Estimated cost to parents €652 per child per
year
• Plays on parents fear

19. What the Companies Say
• “If you own the child at an early age, you can own this child for years
to come” Mike Searles, former President of Kids ‘R’ Us
• “Advertising at its best is making people feel that without their
product, you’re a loser. Children are very sensitive to this. You open
up emotional vulnerabilities, and its very easy to do with kids
because they’re the most emotionally vulnerable” Nancy Shalek,
former President of Shalek Advertising
• “Driving the kid nag factor with parents is crucial to the categories
success” Betty Crocker Website
• “All our advertising is targeted to kids. You want that nag factor so
that 7 year old Sarah is nagging Mom in the grocery store to buy
Funky Purple (ketchup). We’re not sure Mom would reach out for it
on her own” Kelly Stitt, Senior Brand Manager at Heinz

20. Mc Donalds – A Case Study
• Synonymous with Pester Power
• Happy Meal Toys change 14-16 times a year
• Pester Power makes up 20% of Mc Donalds business in
the US
• 50% increase on transactions involving a Happy Meal
• Introduced Mighty Kids Meal
• Toy display unit is at eye level

21. Parent – Child Relationship
• Industry say its parents job to say “No”
• Parents authority undermined
• Can lead to confrontation
• Reverse Socialisation
• https://youtu.be/pqNO5ve5uaY

22. Effects on Kids
• Prone to impulse buying
• Less educated purchase decisions
• Materialism
• Obesity and Malnutrition
• Little/No respect for value of money

23. Broadcasting Authority of Ireland
Children's Commercial Code
• Protection of children from harmful
communications
• Acknowledge susceptibility of children
• Ensure advertisements are fair
• Unambiguous guidelines

24. Advertising a Product to Children
• https://youtu.be/aCUbvOwwfWM?list=PLPySrp
k-4TiL2pcMWuoebs3HxF2Twa3l4
• Price in €
• Price must not be dependent on another
purchase
• Number of Products
• Free Gifts – Qualifying Terms and Conditions
• Price in audio for U15s
• Toys over €30 must state cost

25. Undue Pressure
• Should not encourage children to ask adults to
buy them products
• Should not imply the product makes them
superior
▫ Nor that they’ll be ridiculed if they don’t have a
given product
• Self Image

26. Diet and Nutrition
• Should not encourage unhealthy lifestyle
• Depicted in framework of a balanced diet
• Product not a substitute for Fruit and Veg
• High Fat, Sugar and Salt (HFSS)
▫ Not permitted in Children’s programmes
▫ No Licensed Characters
▫ No Health and Nutrition claims
▫ No Promotional Offers

27. What is Social Marketing?
• The Application of Commercial Marketing
Processes with the aim of Promoting
Beneficial Social Change Rather than
Increasing Sales
• Brands are Developed around the basis of
healthy behaviours and lifestyles as Opposed
to Simply around products and Services.

28. Who’s in Charge?
• Governmental organisations
▫ The Department of the Environment
▫ The Department of Health
• Charitable Organisations
▫ Self-funded NGO’s
▫ Commercially Funded Organisations (CSR)

29. Why Target Children?
• Social marketing messages can help prevent unhealthy
behaviour through education or the promotion of
behavioural alternatives.
• By targeting young children it is possible to;
▫ Circumvent the formation of unhealthy attitudes towards
food and physical activity.
▫ Instil a sense of pride in their environment.

30. Challenges
• Competition with Commercial Marketers
▫ compete for children’s and adolescents’ time,
attention, and behavioural choices
• Budget
▫ Limited Budget in Comparison to many
Commercial Advertisers.
▫ Must Optimise Funding Allocation
• Parental Engagement
▫ Parents are a Vital Resource in Maximising
Campaign Message Lifespan

31. Vital Aspects
• Use of Conventional Marketing Techniques
▫ Segmentation
▫ Prior Research
▫ 4 P’s
• Maintain Focus on Behavioural Change
• Uniformity of approach
• Continuously Reinforce Benefits
• Provide Necessary Post Campaign Follow Up

32. Let’s Move
• ‘Let's Move! is about putting children on the path to a
healthy future during their earliest months and years. ‘
• Government Backed Programme Focused on
Improving Children's Diets and Approach to Exercise
• Giving parents helpful information and fostering
environments that support healthy choices.
• Providing healthier foods in schools

33. Positives
 Wide Base of Inclusion
 ‘Simple’ Changes
 Children are Targeted both at
Home and in School
 Inclusion of Parents helps
Reinforce the Programmes’
Ethos

34. Negatives
• The Lack of Uniformity of standards in the
Programmes School Lunches has Bred Ill
Will Towards ‘Let’s Move

35. School Dinners
• Began in 2005 in Greenwich London
▫ working class backgrounds, 21% employed in
low earner jobs
• Aimed to Improve Diets Through Healthier
School Dinners

36. School Dinners
• Jamie Oliver – Unrelatable Celebrity Image
▫ “I admit I haven’t succeeded, mainly because I haven’t
single-mindedly gone for it.
▫ “In Britain, eating well and feeding your kid right and
being aware about food is all considered very posh and
middle class
• No Contact with Parents
 Only targeted one aspect of the childrens life (school dinner),
family values and eating habits were not affected.

37. • Perfect Example of how to run a Social Marketing
Campaign.
• Launched in 2002 aiming to increase activity of
9-13 year olds
• Utilised a Large Amount of Prior Research Data
• Engaged with Youth Directed Advertisers to
Create Brand Image
• Exhibited Message of Social Inclusion

38. • The VERB Brand
▫ Based on healthy behaviour, marketed
using socially appealing images
▫ Portrayed healthy lifestyles as preferable to
junk food or fast food
▫ Portrayed Sedentary Behaviour, such as
watching television—as socially
undesirable, dull, and boring