marketing blog #2: marketing to kids (referring to Adfreak’s blog)

Did you know that an average child would have memorized between 300 and 400 brand names by the age of 10?

Shocking, right? I didn’t really believe it either but I was convinced after watching a video on Adfreak’s blog. In the video, a 5 year-old girl comments on the brand logos that are shown to her. It is really interesting to see how she interpret’s some of these logos – for example, she describes McDonald’s logo as an “M” made of fries. What is more shocking is that, she has probably never used some of these products before, yet she is still able to recognize the brands. I certainly agree with Adfreak on how early these brand identities can make an impression in people’s minds. Many marketers look at this as an opportunity to market to children, who have a strong influence on their parent’s buying decisions.

But is it ethical to market to kids? Some critics may argue that it is unethical to exploit the young minds of children. In my opinion, it is only unethical to market potentially harmful products to children. For children-friendly products that are healthy or educational, marketing efforts directed to children are essential. After all, these products are intended to create value for children (the final users). Sometimes parents might overlook these products, or they might fail to understand what their kids really need. Therefore, my conclusion is that marketing to children is not necessarily unethical, but marketers have to be careful of what impressions they are leaving in the minds of children, because these impressions enter their minds really early and once they’re there, they are very difficult to change – even after they grow up and become adults!