“It is very important that marketers and advertisers understand the ethics when communicating and marketing to children and tweens,” Dr Daniel S Acuff, president of the Youth Market Systems (USA), told the 80 delegates who attended the conference.
“Irresponsible marketing has led to serious consequences on the mental and physical state of these children, and brought related issues such as loss of innocence, materialism, obesity, depression and suicide, bullying, desensitisation, age inappropriateness, and exploitation and manipulation,” Dr Acuff stressed.
He also lashed out at media organisations such as TV and radio broadcasters, Internet entities, print publishers and outdoor advertisers for their unethical methods, which damage children's emotions. “Marketing – especially to kids – is all about an emotional connection,” he said.
“It is also critical to understand the developmental shifts that occur at each age, therefore marketers' models for children must be carefully selected to provide positive identification and positive developmental learning.”
Andrea Kraushaar, of Youth Dynamix SA, echoed Acuff's sentiments. “The influence of media, advertising and technology has had a powerful influence on children, with dangerous outcomes such as child abuse, childhood obesity, violence and inappropriate behaviour,” she said.
“However, there is no need to panic and do not turn your back on children. We need to educate consumers on healthier aspects and provide children and parents with guidelines.”
But Liezl de Swardt, MD of Alchemy Publishing, fired a broadside at mothers who, despite being the world's most powerful consumers group, are sometimes making wrong decisions that negatively impact on the consumer behaviour of their children.
De Swardt said: “While mothers want reassurance, are proud to be mothers (super mum, good enough mum, yummy mummy and slummy mummy), and want recognition, the major problem might be that many parents are fast becoming aspirational consumers – people want a better life, are over-ambitious and want to move [fast] from one high LSM to another.”
Her advice to marketers is: “Get to know their realities and target the real task she undertakes, not the person we wish she was.”
It is estimated that SA parents spend more than R20 billion annually on their children, with more than R4 billion in the form of pocket money, Alda Heunis, managing and senior account director of Egg Marketing & Communications, told delegates.
“While kids are definitely a group to be respected for their spending power, their influence on trends, opinions and decisions, and consumer knowledge, there is a danger of becoming so infatuated with the kids market, overestimating their PP, and targeting them as an isolated market, which might bring up the ethical issues.
“Although there are three different markets (mums, kids and dads), we have to see them as part of one unit, as most buying decisions are made as a result of careful negotiation,” Heunis said.
As most marketers maximise their strategies and resources to reach mums and kids, whom they see as ‘lucrative markets', dads feel left out and are taking on new and more active roles, such as raising their children, Heunis said.
“They face a glass ceiling in their own environment and are held back as consumers by stereotyped products and services and a general misunderstanding.”
Heunis warned about the danger of overlooking the dad market, saying: “There is a long term opportunity in the dad market, and failure to meet these unique needs will leave this market untapped.”
Other speakers included Nelia Schutte (Keedo International), Anne Hartslief (Kauai Health Food & Juice Co.), Liesl Loubser (HDI Youth Marketers), Nelmarie du Toit (CAPFSA), and Carol Affleck of Youth Focus.
Following the success of this gathering, Maureen Joubert of Knowledge Resources told Bizcommunity.com that they intend to organise another kids' marketing conference next year.
