Children Are the Future... of
Advertising
Having a face to identify products
with is an important facet of American advertising, that much is plain to see
based on the variety of corporate logos that overwhelm shoppers whenever they
visit the grocery store or turn on the television. Heck, the main reason thousands (if not
millions) watch the Super Bowl these days isn't for the game itself, but for
the advertising that takes place during the match. What caused the advertising industry to grow
into the mass media juggernaut that it is today is the culmination of over a
century of shrewd business decisions and careful trend monitoring. Whether that monitoring comes from viewership
numbers, sales, or word of mouth passed around the internet, it still has a
major effect upon future adverts.
One of the observations that
interested me the most in the Blaszczyk reading for this week actually
concerned advertising towards children.
As opposed to the adult (who was far more likely to think about the long
term when it came to consuming), "advertisers began to imagine the child
as a consumer with more immediate
desires, as a customer in the short term" (Blaszczyk, 129). This of course explains the nature of many
children's commercials: flashy, catchy wording/music, cute (for girls)/cool
(for boys) product, and repeated incentives to beg parents for said item. It's a small wonder that children always seem
so greedy at times, they've been practically addicted to the rush that comes
from obtaining the latest and greatest toy... until next month's model comes
out.
This in turn helps explain the
reason why certain kids' TV shows remain in syndication. Shows stay on the air based upon their
viewing numbers, which is why shows such as SpongeBob
Squarepants have been around for over a decade in some cases: kids love
them. The parent companies for these
shows in turn make a killing off of licensed merchandise that they advertise to
children during the commercial breaks for these same shows. It's an interesting example of a symbiotic
relationship based on positive reinforcement: popular show gets toys that sell
in large numbers which encourages the company to keep the show running in order
to sell more toys.
Source:
Blaszczyk, Regina. American Consumer
Society, 1865-2005: From Hearth to HDTV. Wheeling: Harlan Davidson Inc.,
2009. Print.
By: Andrew
Sullivan
I 100% agree with that phenomenon. Having a child of my own now makes it much easier to see, but prior to that I was a kid myself and I very much remember wanting anything and everything right now.
ReplyDeleteKids are an easy target for the advertisers. They see it at the store, "I want that", they see it on TV, "I want that". Most toys that my son has are because he has either seen them in the store or has seen them on TV and asked for them. Of course, he did not get them right away. They were put on a wish list for birthday or Christmas, but between my wife and I, and our family that likes to spoil all the young ones he basically got anything that he wanted from the list anyway.
As for the shows that are long running on TV, all we do as consumers is help them along for buying all kinds of merchandise and watch it all the time. Not saying that it is a bad thing, but without us those shows and movies would be nothing.
I actually did a research paper for another class that centered around advertising of fast food companies towards children. There was a time in the mid 90s, when most of us were growing up, that McDonald's put 70% of its advertising power into ads that specifically targeted children (if I can find the source I will post a link to it). This trend led to a huge spike in childhood obesity nationwide. And the answer why? It is exactly what you said, it is the need for immediate satisfaction. When kids see an ad for something they want, they will bug their parents endlessly in an attempt to acquire whatever item it is that they desire.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I have often wondered is why certain kids shows are more successful than others. I have 5 younger siblings, and I know that to them a cartoon is a cartoon and they could really care less which one. I haven't seen any literature that goes in depth about it, but I would be intrigued to look into just how hand in hand advertising companies are with the television networks. Shows with a good amount of marketability probably do get the nod for the best and most expensive commercial slots.
It's interesting to see how much advertising influences consumerism. Obviously it's a great way to show off products to everyone and make it well known. But considering advertisements are something people try to ignore (leaving your t.v. during commercials, skipping ads on YouTube) plenty of money is being made off of them.
ReplyDeleteTake YouTube for instance. Ads are played on plenty of videos and the highly viewed video creators for this website can actually make a living off of this because of the amount of views they get, which increases their traffic and brings more people. Then they receive money based on the ads being clicked.
Children are a great target for advertisements because they see things they want in many commercials that are played on the t.v. even if it's unrelated to the show they're watching. They can ask their parents for it, who will sometimes give in, or wait and try to get it for Christmas.
I agree that it is very interesting how much money and advertising has been devoted to children over the years. I think a major reason for this is because kids are still forming their opinions on brands and products. Adults, for the most part, know what they want and often do not stray from companies they can trust. Kids, therefore, are much more influenced by advertisements, in my opinion. That is why kids shows have become such a targeted area for companies. When a child sees an ad with a product they find intriguing, they do not care who makes it or what materials it is made of. Their only concern is the entertainment value.
ReplyDeleteI cannot agree with this enough, however, you almost didn’t go deep enough into the idea. Beyond popular children’s shows being kept alive for commercial air time, is the idea of marketing the show itself with collectables. Heavily pioneering into a brave new world in the late 90’s, the show Pokémon was so successful at gearing kids to catch’em’all (collect’them’all), that even popular shows like South Park made fun of its business model. The idea of building a show around a product to sell it has changed the way that merchandising is today. Even pop-culture movies like Iron Man 3 can’t escape this, as hero Tony Stark designed inexplicably 42 designs for his suits (previously 7). Designing an entertainment program around selling a product is arguably even more potent than just plain commercials, at least coming from the experience of being in the Pokémon generation.
ReplyDeleteI agree. When I was little the new Barbie or Bratz doll would come out and I would have to have it. I would watch cartoons all day long and they would have more than enough commercials that would tell me how awesome this Barbie was oppose to the other one. It is crazy how they grab children's attention.
ReplyDelete