Children and teenagers spend about $200 billion every year, while businesses spend nearly $17 billion per year marketing to them. Marketers are well aware that children have purchasing power, even if it is indirect. According to a YTV report, children have a 90% influence on purchases of food, clothing, entertainment, and other items.

Advertising reaches children and teenagers through television, radio, print media, the Internet, and mobile phones. Images, movies, and games that promote specific brands are all examples of advertising. However, as mobile media and Internet-connected gadgets (e.g., virtual assistants, Internet-connected toys) have grown in popularity, advertising has extended to incorporate a wider range of marketing methods.

Online Marketing for children

When it comes to the internet, marketers are personalized and customized depending on previous internet activity. Advertisements can be combined with other information on websites designed to keep children’s attention. Marketers might employ child psychology and market research to better understand the wants and motivations of young buyers. Marketers can use data on children’s behavior, desires, and physical development to create sophisticated messaging for them. Commercialization is also common in schools. According to Beder, marketers can involve schools in their approach in a variety of ways:

• Sponsored educational resources
• Providing technology to schools in exchange for brand awareness
• School districts might get special deals on fast food or soft drinks.
• Contests and reward schemes, such as Pizza Hut’s Book It! reading campaign or Campbell’s Labels for Education initiative
• Providing financial support for school programs and field trips

Advertisers, on the other hand, face challenges when trying to market to children. The competition is the first. Because campaigns must stand out in congested channels, “buzz marketing” is a method that uses patterns to elevate products and build buzz. This strategy is especially effective on the internet because young people use social media to keep up with the latest music, fashion, and other trends. Therefore, the internet is a popular tool for marketers because of its ties to youth culture.

Being Ethical and Empowering is the key to gain loyalty!

Children are easy to trick. You can persuade them that a ball has simply disappeared if you hide it behind your back. It’s a good rule of thumb not to deceive children into getting something they don’t want. Children should not be misled, lied to, distracted, or confused.

Marketing for children’s products carefully balances what the kids want and what their parents think is appropriate. Your small business will be more likely to succeed if you appeal to both and use creative innovation, regardless of what you sell.

A company that makes items for children that can keep the balance between the product user, the child, and the product purchaser, generally the parent, will have a more significant market presence than one that overlooks either side of the equation. You can improve your market position by addressing the weaker quotient.

Few Strategies

1. Communicate with parents

Make it simple for parents to access safety features and learn about their children’s activities. Transparency is essential.

2. Encourage kids to express themselves for the brand

Allow the kids to promote your brand. Customers that have children are extremely loyal. Allow them to participate in the creation of user-generated content. Kids desire to express themselves in various ways, from fan-hosted blogs to art and essay entries. Make use of it.

3. Produce original content

The children want to be a part of the process, and YouTube is a good option. Produce downloadable material, etc. Parents increasingly value STEM subjects, so find a way to incorporate science, technology, engineering, and math into your platform, whether through digital ebook downloads or in-game educational videos.

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