Blog #8: Marketing to kids- the good and the bad

The digital world is no longer just for adults. According to an article in AdAge, 42% of children under the age of 8 have their own devices and their mobile usage is up almost 1,000 percent in the past several years. Despite its growth, the kids market presents new challenges for marketers. The article highlights the consumer groups that have been working to get rid of Facebook's Messenger Kids (a messaging app for kids as young as 6) and criticizing YouTube for having excessive advertising on its Kids app. There are different rules for marketing to kids. Although adults have become immune to ads, parents are more concerned with not only the content of kids advertisements, but also the content.

So what lessons can marketers learn from this article?

• Treat the children's market with sensitivity - Consumer groups and parents are very protective of children and there is a high risk that they may find an advertisement or campaign offensive or bad for their children  
• There is a lot of competition - The kids market is highly valuable. The potential of getting a child to become a loyal customer allows companies to capture higher customer lifetime value therefore there are a lot of other players in the market trying to target kids as well
• Parents should be seen as allies, not enemies- Although parents can be harsh, successful companies view parents as partners while engaging kids. Giving parents options such as parental controls is important to build the trust required to gain and maintain access to the kids market

Source: http://adage.com/article/digital/makes-app-great-kids-surprise/312687/