From Consumers to Customers: Modern Toys, Industrialism, and the Marketplace
19
From Consumers to Customers Modern Toys, Industrialism, and the Marketplace By April Porter & Christine Spitler AMS 310A Tuesday, March 11, 2014
-
Upload
christine-spitler -
Category
Marketing
-
view
183 -
download
2
description
This presentation discusses trends in the toy industry and the shift in the market from treating children as consumers to now customers with actual buying power. (This presentation was originally presented for an American Studies: "Toys & Modern American Society" class) with my partner, April Porter.
Transcript of From Consumers to Customers: Modern Toys, Industrialism, and the Marketplace
From Consumers to CustomersModern Toys, Industrialism, and the Marketplace
By April Porter & Christine SpitlerAMS 310A Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Can you recall any ads that you saw as a child that had a significant impact on you?
What most influenced your Christmas, Birthday, Holiday…Wish List? How did you decide what you wanted?
The Points of Influence
Consumers Customers
Consumerism Switch
Children as Consumers
“Passive Dictation”
Expression of Love & Affection
Educational-Value Focus
“Treat” Mentality
Crowd-Sourced “Fads”
Children as Customers
“Pester Power”
Increased Brand Loyalty
Value of Materialism
Kids spending own $
“Wish List”
Guilt Purchases
Multiple Advertising Touch-Points
The Channels of Communication
• TV
• Internet
• Movie
• Packaging
• Corporate Sponsorships in Schools
• Premiums
• Radio
• Celebrity Endorsements
TV Commercials
1995 Fisher-Price Dream Dollhouse 2008 Barbie Dream House
Television: The Toy Sellers’ Bonanza
• 2/3 of children in the US have TV sets in their bedrooms
• Children watch 28 hours/week
• Children see 16,000 30 sec. commercials in a year
• Targeting kids in developmental stage
• Toy licensing
• Stealth Marketing
• Peer pressure- Emotional vulnerabilities
Internet Sites
DisneyChannel.com CartoonNetwork.com Nickelodeon.com
Go to Site | Play a Game | Look-Out for Communicated Messages/Advertisements
+ Look through Magazine.+ Who is the target audience?+ Where do you see marketing messages? (Advertisements, Games, Promoted Stories, etc.?)
Final Thoughts
Regulation
Is their any Government Regulation on Advertising to Children?
In some countries, there is government mandated regulation, particularly in the EU. For that reason, there are stricter rules on international advertising.
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC):
All forms of marketing communications worldwide must conform to the ICC Consolidated Code on Advertising and Marketing. The code includes a specific section, detailing the special care needed when communicating with children.
Regulation
What About the United States of America?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has investigated taking action, but has discontinued many of their case studies.
Why?
Because many of these studies that would prove causation (not just correlation) between advertising directed at children and unhealthful practices (i.e.- obesity resulting from McDonald’s ads for Happy Meals) would require unethical study procedures.
Regulation
The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) is a U.S. self-regulatory organization that was established in 1974 by the National Advertising Review Council (NARC). It is an independent self-regulatory agency for the promotion of responsible advertising to children under the age of 12 in all media. CARU reviews and evaluates advertising for truth, accuracy, appropriateness and sensitivity to children’s still developing cognitive abilities in accordance with its Self-Regulatory Program for Children's Advertising (the Guidelines) and relevant laws.
There Is Regulation:• by Industry• by Company• by 3rd Party Organizations
Children as a Target Market
What do you call a consumer who wants to buy everything you have, doesn’t care what it costs, and is less than five feet tall?
• Children’s ability to pioneer new technology
• Children have influence over family purchasing habits
• Legislation and education have made childhood an experience of consumption
• Consumption based of brand loyalty and buzz marketing
• Increasing marketing adult entertainment to kids
These adorable children?
…Oh that’s us, your presenters.
Sources Used:
CARU website: http://www.asrcreviews.org/category/caru/
Skenazy, Lenore. "Keep targeting kids and the parents will start targeting you." Advertising Age 19 May 2008: 20. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Mar. 2014.
http://www.adweek.com/video/advertising-branding/6-toy-ads-transformed-toys-forever-video-155775
http://consumerismdisney.webs.com/hercules1997.htm
Parents Television Council: http://w2.parentstv.org/main/Research/Facts.aspx
Magdalena S. CHILDREN AS TARGET MARKET. Studies In Business & Economics [serial online]. August 2012;7(2):172-183. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed March 9, 2014.
