The Advertising Techniques Used to Target Children

Children are one of the most influential groups of consumption. Although they are not an income group, they have power to move a large amount of money. Many advertisers try to make advertisements attracting children's attention, and persuading their desire. In order to accomplish these purposes of advertising, four main techniques are used to generate effective advertisements.

The first technique is the use of cartoon characters. The term 'cartoon characters' means interesting characters children have known. Well-known characters, such as heroes of animation movies, comics and novels, are often used to attract children's attention. For instance, Batman is a popular hero in animation movies and comics of the same name.

Another technique employed in advertising is the use of free offers or 'giveaways'. A small gift provided with the product when it is sold is known as a free offer. An illustration of this technique is a baseball card contained in a packet of chewing gum, or a movie magazine presenting movie posters when it is subscribed.

The use of sound effects is one very marketable technique used by advertisers. Sound effects have variety of sounds encouraging the sense of hearing and it is easy to remember. These sounds, such as jingle, background music and real sound, are inserted, so that children can easily connect them to the products. For example, McDonald's jingle pops into children's mind, whether they feel hungry or not.

Finally, testimonials are also a very marketable technique. The term 'testimonials' refers to advertisements showing a person endorsing a product. Famous people, such as heroes of kids' television serial dramas, athletes, actors and actresses, are often used to provide testimonials. An example of this is the famous actor, Brandon Routh, who is a hero of the movie, 'Superman returns', advertising Kellogg's products.