MARKETING TO CHILDREN

MARKETING TO CHILDREN: AN INVESTIGATION OF CONFLICTING VALUES

An exploratory investigation was conducted to assess several issues associated with the targeting by marketing organizations of the children's market segment. A small (20 subjects) convenience sample of parents of children from six-to-16 years old were administered a survey questionnaire to develop the data required to investigate the following research question: "What approaches and practices can be implemented by marketing organizations in successfully targeting the children's market segment that likely will generate the lowest levels of opposition from parents? The general findings of the investigation of the research question were that (1) a majority of parents do not in principle object to advertising and promotion that targets the children's market segment, but (2) do have strong objections to advertising and promotion that targets the children's market segment in such a way that children may be misled or unfairly influenced in any way. The implication of the research findings for marketing managers was that marketing organizations in the targeting of the children's marketing segment should avoid all advertising and promotion that may give an appearance of either impinging upon parental prerogatives or of attempting to deceive unsuspecting children. It was recommended that marketing managers use the findings of this exploratory research as a starting point for the design of more extensive studie

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children as young as four (Brookman, 1998). Once again, however, this opposition has not been sufficiently strong to cause marketing organizations to rethink their strategies. Even the luxury versions of nursery rhyme-themed Carter's Classics collection has drawn little ire�possibly because in this instance the rarefied marketing has not come to the attention of mainline consumers ("Rashti & Rashti," 1998). While most of the marketing directed toward the children's market segment appears to be evolutionary as opposed to revolutionary, such is not always the case. It is these exceptions to the more general practices that tends to generate the strongest opposition to the targeting of children by marketing organizations. Exclusive supplier contracts with schools that allow marketers unfettered access to student to delivery their product messages draw especially vehement opposition from a wide spectrum of society ("Captive Kids," 1995). Similarly, many of the tactics used by marketers on the World Wide Web are prohibited by law on television. These efforts to target the children's marketing segment have drawn strong fire because of the perceived ease of influencing children through the Internet (Center for Media Education, 1996

Category: Business - M