Television has long been the predominant medium that advertisers have chosen for marketing products to children. It is estimated that the average child sees more than 40,000 television commercials a year, most of which are 15 to 30 seconds in length (Kunkel, 2001). According to another estimate, children aged 14 years and under make $24 billion in direct purchases and influence $190 billion in family purchases, underscoring the high stakes involved (McNeal, 1998). In addition, companies now recognise that brand loyalty built at an early age may reap economic rewards over a child's lifetime (McNeal, 1987).
In decades past, television programming targeted at children was limited and relegated to time slots unpopular with their parents, such as Saturday mornings (Turow, 1981).
Approximately 80% of all advertising targeted at children falls within four product categories: toys, cereal or candies, and fast-food restaurants (Kunkel, 1992). Commercials are highly effective at employing specific features designed to attract children's attention. For example, they use the strategy of introducing unique sound effects and rapidly moving images (Greer et al, 1982). The other most common persuasive strategy employed in advertising to children is to associate the product with playfulness and happiness, rather than to provide any actual product-related information (Kunkel, 1992).
Fewer than one in four kindergarten through second grade children could grasp the meaning of 'some assembly required' in a commercial. In contrast, the use of child-friendly language such as 'you have to put it together' more than doubled the proportion of children who understood the qualifying message (Liebert, 1977).
Questions
1. Ads often aim to teach children that a brand is fun rather than telling them about what is being sold.
2. Originally, children's programmes were only broadcast when adults rarely watched TV.
3. Children have a significant impact on what adults buy.
4. Tests showed that children can follow information if simple words are used.