appraisal of advertisement makers and...

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APPRAISAL OF ADVERTISEMENT MAKERS AND RETAIL OUTLETS ON CHILDREN PRODUCTS

The world of children has changed, to a great extent, over the last decade. The

variety and number of products targeted directly to the young people have developed

incredibly from toys and clothes to music, magazines, television channels and

entertainment. Hence, on the products of children group, the markets haves the

wholehearted attention in the recent past has turned to the spotlight now on the teens.

The retail outlets too have extremely impact in eliciting what the children desire at

what time in what quantity. An attempt is made on the buying behaviour of children

with regards to two important aspect which are:

The role of advertisement agencies

The market outlets

PART - I

ROLE OF ADVERTISEMENT AGENCIES

The advertising executives, marketers and researchers are trying to explore

and exploit the phenomenon of better sales of products which have enthralled the

urban elite. The children of today are different class from what the generations ago.

The marketers are making their pitches of their products making more and more to

younger audiences and trying to catch them at young. Therefore, the marketers to

understand the market of tomorrow in better way, making an effort to understand

children of today are more than essential. The children of today have an ever-growing

array of brands and products to choose from; but a very little information available

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from the products producing companies to help them make their decisions of

purchase. Thus, now more than ever, the companies are determining to communicate

effectively the critical differences in terms of quality, features, utility and price, etc.,

on the brands products and services.

The advertising message apparently has the strong gains of importance to

attract children for the products. The children are a large and the market is fast

growing towards products for the purpose of consumption. While it lies with the very

core of what advertisers do, the strategy is a difficult thing to pin down.

PROFIT EXPECTATION

The retailers of new generation do expect profit for conducting business. The

profit expectation of them has been on increasing and they do drive hard bargaining

for better margin with the products manufacturers. The manufacturers too are being

compelled to enhance the retailing margin as the retailers operational cost is growing.

Besides, the new generation of retailers are not content with the modest profit and

expect much profit unlike their earlier counterparts. Towards this at the retail place, a

number of factors do influence the behaviour of buyers.

The source of buying activity of consumers lies in their buying motives being

generated from the factors of social, individual and sources of information. Thus, all

these factors are cumulatively being observed by the retailer who is not a mere link in

the activity of marketing but he is a powerful and knowledgeable intermediary

network of local storeowner locally with knowledge.

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The children of today have more money, more choice, more knowledge and

know-how, than ever before. The identification of Indian child-consumers segment is

an innovation of the marketers. What the child says that hold well for many occasions

most prominently; who have freedom of decision-making unlike the previous brand of

children. But for this reason, the ever-dynamic nature of children market poses a great

challenge to the market retail outlets.

PESTER POWER

In every country, the peer group factor and mass media has huge impact on the

consumption pattern of children, choice of brand and on deciding what is hot and

what is not. Deriving the answers to these queries helps in drawing an effective

marketing strategy for products of children. The official of communication finds a

right mix of all of these in an advertisement message which has a desired effect on

this new consumer segment of children. The children’s queries are:

How important is pester power across the categories?

What stage of buying process do children influence most across the

categories?

If children are secondary target group, how to tackle them with implications

on media weights and costs, and creative strategy and execution?

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The collected data on the category of products and importance of pester poser

of children is presented in Table 5.1.

TABLE 5.1

CHILDREN PESTER POWER AND PRODUCTS

Category Pester power

Glucose Low

Tooth paste Medium

Breakfast chips Medium

Wafer/ chips Medium

Tomato ketchup Medium

Milk-food drinks High

Soaps Accept soaps like toy

Source: Field Survey

Table 5.1 shows the pester power of children for the desired products seen or

heard. The pester power of children is found high for products of milk-food drinks

while for glucose, pester power is low. The pester power of children is medium in

case of tooth paste, breakfast chips, wafers/chips and tomato ketchup food products.

The understanding of child-consumers buying behaviour is important to know the

stages of their pass on through while making the decision. The stages of buying-

decision process are considered in children somewhat resemble as:

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Trigger

Consider

Search

Buy

Post-buy

The response of child-respondents with regard to the stages of pester power of

children in marketing the products which is relevant and differ is presented in Table

5.2.

TABLE 5.2

STAGES OF PESTER POWER

Product Response

Glucose power Post-buy

Tooth paste Consider

Breakfast chips Trigger, consider/post-buy

Wafers/chips Trigger/buy/post-buy

Tomato ketchup Consider

Milk-food drinks Trigger/consider/post-buy

Soaps Trigger only for kids soap


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Table 5.2 discloses the stages of pester power of children which is relevant

and also differs with different product categories. The children pass through the

different stages in decision-making process according to the type of product and the

category of product. Hence, it is very important issue to assess the product type and

category with the relevant pester power of children on the respective products before

adapting to any kind of marketing strategy.

WELL PLANNED MARKETING

The well planned market and marketing research facilitates acquiring a vital

data to decide about the marketing activities. The availed market information

influences for making the right decisions on marketing. The media weights setting is

possible by the largest group. The perspective environment study helps in deciding

the approach of marketing. The television as the primary medium for the fast moving

commercial goods (FMCGs) offers limited scope to pinpoint the target group. The

relevant targeting scenario is as:

Primary Target Group Secondary Target group

!! !!

House wives Children

While Constructing a heavy weight plan, the children gross rating points are to

be adequate. It not, pump in child oriented channel will an answer. The computation

of costs of broadening target consumers-group helps to evaluate whether spending

is worth on it. A heavy weight plan may deliver sufficiently well to child-consumers.

Topping up or broad basing the target group incurs cost which may or may not be

worth. Often, the media of children plans however do deliver well with enough heavy

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weights. With this background, the marketer does get to know how important the

pester power is in a given category. They will know how to set-up the media weights

separately for children and housewives. This puts the marketer into challenges of how

to create an advertising message with appeals to child-consumers. The options in

creating fairness and fitting appeals for promoting sale of products could be

viewed as:

Create separate copies for housewives and children

Create advertising message appealing to both the target groups

The normally using commercially message makes children likeable. The

marketers would try children in natural element making to attract as well as

watchable. When the children use them in stereotype fashion, sometimes the

execution does come to rescue of the marketer, where the children are not the target

group. The children advertising has been a very smart strategy and often make high

emotional appeal showing children as the primary users or the beneficiaries of the

products. This is a fact that children help dramatise benefit better say for example

pepsodent; dishoom .... dishoom... The marketer of products thus takes steps on:

Assessing the pester power of child in his particular product category

Reflect that in definition of secondary target group and specification of

weights separately for primary and secondary target groups

If the idea is to create a great advertising for children better concentrating on

creating one

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Using children in their natural element in advertising whether communication

targeted at them or not

BRAND REACHING CHILDREN MARKET

The behaviour consumers draw its concept from several fields of study which

is useful to the marketing organization, consumer-groups and the authorities of

Government. The research in consumer behaviour has been done by the individuals

and the institutions which enormously contributed on various issues like the need for

information dissemination and interpersonal influence, learning theory, personality

and social character, perception preference mapping, reference groups, social class,

model of consumer behaviour and model of comprehensive consumer behaviour. The

model which is integrative is a significant development to resolve the contemporary

problems of consumer research. As there is no unified theory of consumer behaviour,

several theories function for single model which draw upon many theoretical areas

like social class, attitudes and perception. But, the consumer research should be

related to the problems which are relevant for the mangers and the findings must be

communicated adequately to the society. The brands of various products are trying to

reach the market segment of children with distinctive marketing strategy. Some

important models which are in practice right now with regard to the marketing

strategy of products of children are described below.

(1) McDonald: McDonald is the fast giant in today’s market which is slated to open

its ninth outlet in Mumbai by end of April 2009. The expansion drive is supported by

a series of promotions including announcement of two world-cup related contests at

its restaurants in Delhi and Mumbai. The lucky winner will get a free-trip to England

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to witness the match of World cup and the six-second prize winners will be taken to

see the Euro-Disney. McDonald has also tied-up with the TNT cartoon network to

sponsor a few programmes on the two channels. The company also arranges for

restaurant tours for school children in Mumbai to establish a strong brand recall.

(2) Ayur Tutti Frutti: The RDM Traders Ltd., markets the Ayur brand of herbal

beauty-care products. It has launched shampoo in June 1999 which is called Tutti

Fruitti with seven colours namely

Orange

Mango

Strawberry

Guava

Pineapple

Apple

Banana

This product of shampoo which costs about Rs.40 for 100 ml bottle is tearless

for children below the age of 14 years. This product combines both bubble bath and

conditioner with shampoo.

(3) Jam Marker: The Hindustan Lever Ltd. and the Marico Industries which have

Rs. 70 crore jam market is shared by them at 72 per cent and 12 per cent respectively

in the jam market while the remaining share of 16 per cent by others. The Hindustan

Lever Ltd., has prompted its product directly to the children by creating a character

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Jamy portrayed Rahul Dravid, a cricketer. The Marico Industries has distributed a kit

with erasers, pencils, rulers and labels to child-consumers along with its jam product.

(4) Parle-G’s Shaktiman: The biscuit manufacturer, Parle has sponsored Shaktiman,

a Hindi television serial. Shaktiman is the local version of superman. A mega carnival

at Chennai has launched a Tamil edition of Shaktiman comics by Shaktiman; the

event attracted children from all the levels of the society. The message is ‘children

come out in strength to meet Parle-G’s Shaktiman’.

(5) Lego Group: The Lego Group, one of the world’s largest toymakers has decided

to organise building up events in schools, amusement parks and other places since the

conventional advertising is ineffective. This will enable children get acquainted with

Lego bricks. Lego India’s turnover grew by 30 – 35 per cent in 2009-10. Lego play

sets are graded according to age. The Lego system also allows a child to play with the

same set of Lego bricks for years by simply adding to the original sets as it grows.

Lego plans to launch Lego mind storm sets which integrate robotics in the Lego

building system.

(6) Personalised Books for Kids: The Chennai branch of American marketing

Group has launched a range of personalized books for children who can use them to

have an adventure with their favourite characters and develop their own books. The

company has initially released four titles with cost of 10 per unit. The titles are:

Dalmatians

Minnie and me

Disney Babies and Snow White

Seven Dwarfs

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(7) Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation: The Gujarat Cooperative Milk

Marketing Federation launched in January 1997, a brand by name called Amul Ice

Cream in Mumbai to compete with Quality Walls brand of Hindustan Lever Ltd. It

has launched a new Amul brand called frosty priced at Rs. 15 and flavours like

ripples, cappuccino and shahi badam kulfi. Amul-ice cream is sold in over 3500 retail

outlets in Mumbai. Ice cream business accounts for 1.70 per cent of Hindustan Level

Ltd’s turnover.

The Hindustan Lever Ltd., has introduced a mixed-range of ice-creams and

tested marketing in Delhi and Mumbai. It also set up a plant at Pondicherry to cater to

South India. Today, it has mobile vending in bicycles fitted with the electric cabinets.

Both the Hindustan Level Ltd and the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing

Federation have appealed through message their ice-cream brands in television.

(8) Kellogg’s India: The Kellogg’s India has launched frosted flakes in the country

under the Tony, the tiger label. The company is currently putting together a media

plan for marketing both the products and the brand. The sugar coated flakes is known

as frosties and targeted at children and sold it as breakfast cereal. The television has

proved particularly a powerful way to capture young imaginations. A Lot of industry

growth can be attached to the power of kids attracted to television characters and

programmes.

The marketers, however, have not limited the scope of communications of this

frostier to kid only through the media of television. Once the schools used as place of

children learning and as such children are protected from the advertising and

consumer messages permeating their world but not anymore. The budget shortfalls are

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forcing school boards to allow corporations’ access to students in exchange for badly

needed cash, computers and educational materials. These corporations have realized

the power of school environment for promoting their name and products; exploiting

this medium in a number of ways including:

Sponsored educational materials

Supplying schools with technology in exchange for high company visibility

Exclusive deals with fast food or soft drink companies offer their product in

school

Advertising posted in classrooms, school buses, on computers, etc., in

exchange of funds

Contests and incentive programmes

Sponsoring school events

It is fact that the child’s world revolves around the academics and schools too.

The marketer adopts the programmes which blend education with entertainment.

Various marketers have built their own communication programmes around the

schools and encouraged by success. The television channels have realized that these

programmes reinforce the decision of advertisers to advertise on the channel. To

popularize the Discovery Channel show in association with Nestle Milo launched an

adventure camp programme selecting 30 children from 900 entries across the country

through the school contact programme. The Nestle Milo tied up with ESPN STAR

sports to launch the ESPN school quiz 2002 in which around 108 schools participated

from places liked Dehra Dun to Siliguri to Ooty. The programme achieved a

phenomenal success.

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(9) Maggi: The brand success is built on high appeal to children for driving pester

power, a strong fit with the lunch box occasion and offering convenience to parents. A

line, “Mummy Bhookh Lagi Hai /do minute” is part of life of a lot of kids across

India. Magi has successfully used kids to get their mothers and now Maggi is eaten

across the age segments though, it is still firmly positioned as a kid’s product.

(10) Boomer: Boomer was launched in India in 1955 commands. Today, it is a

whopping 55 per cent share of bubble gums segment. The brand is synonymous with

its super hero Boomer Man, who with his dynamic looks and fantasy powers is a

proven winner with kids. Despite the lesser media weight than competitors, it is still

the popular brand around for kids and gets a very high spontaneous recall. This

market leadership is due to its focussed advertising and innovative consumer

promotion.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES OF AD MAKERS

In the modern era, the role of advertising agencies has increased in the present

marketing scenario as pressure mounted on them to deliver advertising messages

which has become all about making the brand work for their owners. The clients are

looking for accountability of the amount they spent while striving to manage the

products brands better and also offering additional value to their clients. In the present

days, the advertising agencies are working more closely with their accounts in

providing comprehensive strategic planning function and redefining their role in the

changing circumstances. The growing trend has compelled the advertisement planners

to take up much of the responsibilities of the marketing managers. This new role is

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identified more as the brand custodian than just as provider of persuasive

communication.

Communication strategy is distinct from marketing communication.

Maintaining the core competence, the advertisement planners have to decide about the

boundary of their operations in serving their clients. Really, the marketing

communication begins with identifying and approaching the target audience which

will be the focus of the advertiser’s promotional efforts. Unlike the personal or face-

to-face communication, mass communication does not offer the marketer an

opportunity to explain or clarify the message to make it more effective. The essence

of effective communication programme lies in understanding the response process of

the receiver.

In serving the clients for children products, the advertiser aims at his

promotional efforts which must be influencing the young consumers by creating

awareness about the products and brand name which triggers their interest in the

products. His consistent effort is to bring in consumer knowledge and change in the

attitude of young minds towards the brand and ultimately to change their behaviour. It

is a key challenging job to make an advertisement which would be convincing and

acceptable to the younger lot; as the target segment is highly dynamic and possesses

quite unpredictable characteristics. The interaction of the author with various

advertisement agencies discloses a lot of insight about the role of advertisement in the

marketing activity.

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BASIS OF CHIDREN ADVERTISEMENT

The discussion with the advertisement agencies disclosed that the

advertisement is made because children are not different from those targeting adults.

Still, the creative treatment of children advertisement is different. Theme in children

advertisement is greatly importance. Themes mainly comprises of the stories as

children enjoy magical and imaginary concepts. The advertisements of children have

less technical appeal and slice of life experiences; the reason being they do not

fascinate them much. But, the advertisement theme is more emotional appeal and

mainly with the concept of hero-worshipping. Further, the children like more of action

stories such as Spiderman like characters. Data on the type of theme that

advertisement agencies adopted is presented in Table 5.3.

TABLE 5.3

BASIS OF MAKING CHILDREN ADVERTISMENTS

Basis of AD No. of AD Agencies Percentage

Appeals 1 11.11

Stories 4 44.44

Slice of life 2 22.22

Fantasies 2 22.22

Total 9 100.00


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Table 5.3 shows a major feeling among the advertisement agencies for the

themes in children advertisement appeals which are of great importance. The themes

mainly comprise of the appeals, stories, slice of life and fantasies which accounted for

1, 4, 2 and 2 which in terms accounted for 11.11 per cent 44.44 per cent, 22.22 per

cent and 22.22 per cent respectively. The child-respondents like the television

advertisements and enjoy stories containing the magical and imaginary perception.

TARGET AUDIENCE

The market segmentation of children is identified mainly on the age criterion.

The gender follows as the second important aspect, their economic background and

geographical regions form the next important aspects of action. The preference of

children is considered less important as children have less span of attention. Though,

the children are the target audience, even the parents share the importance, as they

are final buyers of many products.

Increasing the nuclear family structure has created a situation of multiple

decision-makers within the family. The children are often the centre- stage holders in

deciding about the products of many. The product is targeted according to its

importance to the target audience. If the product is associated with the nutritional or

educational value, the mother also is involved in decision-making process. If the

product is of low price and there is not much of complication involved in processing

the information, then the child is the primary target. Either way, children are there in

all these advertisements. May be for the children’s product, mother is the prime target

say mother is the decider and buyer if the product is Horlicks, and child is the

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secondary target. When child is the prime target say ice-cream, he is the decider and

may be the buyer as well, then mother is the secondary target.

The target of products at the children covers all the types of categories from

candies to cars. In an urban nuclear family, the child exercises enough influence on

the parents towards any purchase decision. Moreover, Indian families are driven by

the value of emotions and family system. The emphasis is always on the family and

not on the individual. In a majority of given occasions, Indians live their lives through

their children. Hence, using the child in advertisements is a clever play. The children

bring in warmth and feeling into a brand. They break down defences and let a brand

establish a connection with the consumers. Therefore, there are children even in

advertisements for automobiles.

Brand Sensitivity: With the number of channels on the rise, children in India are

becoming more and more brand conscious. They are very clear about the brand they

want to wear, what they want to drink, watch on television, where they want to eat,

etc. The children definitely play an important role in the repeat purchases of a product

as their feedback about that particular product to patents is treated with high

involvement and importance. Moreover, the positioning of brand is always backed

with sound research and evaluation. The children identify the emotional messages, so

powerful brand equity helps in ensuring takeoff.

For New Generation Kids: The advertisement can engage children for the entire

advertisement i.e. full humour, entertainment, simple and uncomplicated. The stories

and jingles hold a special place of liking for children. Creating advertisements with

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full of life, enthusiasm and excitement is reflection of children life in a rollercoaster

of growing, developing and having fun.

PART – II

ROLE OF MARKET OUTLETS BUYING BEHAVIOUR OF CHILDREN

The individual retailer, in business, is the focal point of making the efforts of

modern marketing successfully. In other words, he is interface and his effective

interaction with consumers gives rise to sale and speaks about the marketing

achievement of the firm as well. He is not mere an outlet but plays a role of catalyst in

the activities of marketing. Simply stated that he does not only know the needs of

customers but is in a position to provide the required services and also influence the

decisions of buyers. It is with his efforts that a firm gets a continuous stream of new

customers progressively resulting in less unit cost. In view of all these, the retail

outlets are very essential in delivering the product utilities to the needy customers and

connect the point of production with the point of consumption. The retailers come

across with various types of consumers while dealing with different kinds of products

and merchandise to different type of consumers.

MOTIVE

The source of consumer buying of products lies in the motives of retailer.

Motive is thus defined as: “All the impulses, desires and considerations which induces

buyer to purchase a given product.”1 Buying motive is of product motive and

patronage motive. The productive motive refers to those impulses, desires, and

considerations which make people buy a given product while the patronage motive

refer to the influence explaining why to buy from a particular firm/shop.

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The retailer who is shop owner plays a very important role in creating a patronage

motive in making the buyer to have favourable attitude towards his shop and products

therein. The efficient delivery of utilities can hold the customers’ loyalty towards his

retail outlet shop. Whoever visits his shop, he is supposed to satisfy them. The

modern day market is ever-dynamic and it poses a challenge due to varied consumer

background which puts the marketer and the market outlet together in a competitive

atmosphere. The marketing outlets have responsibilities with marketer in catering to

the emerging market requirement.

CHILDREN AS CONSUMERS

The children of today are having more money, more choice, more knowledge

and know-how than ever before. The purchase decision is such a freedom that

children enjoy unlike the previous band of kids, the identification of child-consumers

is an innovative aspect of the marketers. The opinion on various issues about children

by the outlets throws light on the role of children as consumers. The point-of-purchase

is the most immediate medium in purchase decision-making, an excellent impulse

driver which can be used across a bundle of different needs. This can be used for

creation of awareness to build up an interest in products. Data on the outlet retailer

opinion on the issues pertaining to the child is shown in the table 5.4.

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TABLE 5.4

CHALLENGES OF OUTLETS IN DEALING WITH CHILD-CONSUMERS

Challenge Market outlets opinion

Yes % No % Total

A changing tend in children’s aspiration 18 9 2 1 20

Adopted new method to face emerging

New child consumer

18 9 2 1 20

Children buy products independently 18 9 4 2 20

Children influence parents strongly 18 9 2 1 20

Parents yield to children demands 19 10 1 1 20

Point of purchase attracts children 19 10 1 1 20

Today’s children informed well 20 10 0 0 20

Ads mould children behaviour 20 10 0 0 20

Ads cause for children to buy products 20 9 0 0 20

Children market changing and potential 20 10 0 0 20

Total 190 95 10 5 200


Table 5.4 discloses an overwhelming response of the retailer outlets with

regard to the behaviour of child-consumers. Almost all the retail outlets expressed

their opinion that the understanding of child-consumers is necessary to sell the

products more effectively. One thing to be undubiously acknowledged is that the

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changing trends in the market of children products and the marketing activities

accordingly need to be enhanced. An inference that could be drawn is that it is full

acceptance of the view about growing market of children.

CATCH INNOVATIVELY

To face the changing trend in the behaviour of child-consumers, the retailer

has adapted various innovative methods which trigger the desire for the needs. The

intension of creative display by the outlets arouses interest in children towards the

products. Attention attracted is like product ‘half’ sold. The outlets take the

responsibility to provide a strategic place for the intended products so that it never

misses the attention of the target consumers. The changing methods adapted by the

retail outlets are identified and are presented in Table 5.5.

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TABLE 5.5

RETAILER ADOPTED NEW METHODS IN SELLING CHILDREN PRODUCTS

Response Outlets opinion

Yes % No % Total

Ice-creams 1 5 1 5 2

Toys & Games 2 10 0 0 2

Dept. Store 2 10 0 0 2

G. Stores 2 10 0 0 2

Super market 2 10 0 0 2

Sports 19 10 1 1 20

Clothes &dresses 2 10 0 0 2

Bakery 2 10 0 0 2

Janatha Bazaar 2 10 0 0 2

Total 18 90 2 10 20


Table 5.5 shows that 90 per cent outlets express that they have adapted

changed methods to reach to the young customers successfully. Only 10 per cent

comprised of super bazaar and ice cream parlours expressed that they do not need to

change the method to satisfy the young consumers. The children buy ice cream even

if no incentive is offered. The product is such that the outlets do not worry much other

than an eye-catching display of their colourful varieties of ice creams. The super

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bazaar also felt that there is no special trend followed as the very method they follow

is shoppers’ friendly display within the visible distance.

CHILD AS INDPENDENT AND INFLUENCER

In the last let of marketing of products, the owners of retail outlets are one-

model placed to witness the purchase behaviour of children. The street corner shops

and kirana stores are much familiar shopping spots for children for their buying

products of even small size. They found an excellent opportunity either to buy

products for them or to influence the parents to buy certain goods which are often

used by the family as well including children. The children come along with the

parents with premonition of advertisement message and fall prey to the selling tactics

of the retailer. Data pertaining to independent nature and influencer of children in

purchasing products is collected from the retail outlets and is presented in Table 5.6.

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TABLE 5.6

CHILDREN MAKING PURHASES INDEPENDENTLY AND PESTERING

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Outlet opinion Independent purchase Pestering

----------------------- --------------- Yes No Yes No ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ice cream 1 1 1 1

Toys & Games 2 0 2 0

Dept. store 1 0 2 0

Stationary 2 1 2 0

G. stores 2 0 2 0

Supermarket 2 0 2 0

Sports 1 1 2 0

Clothes/dresses 1 1 2 0

Bakery 2 0 2 0

Janatha Bazaar 1 1 2 0

--------------------------------------------------------------

Total 15 5 19 1

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table 5.6 shows the view of outlets on the extent of independent child-

consumer and also influencing behaviour. That 15 outlets or 75 per cent of sample

outlets in the study area is accepted that the children make purchase decision

independently while 5 outlets or 25 per cent comprised of the responses not agreeing

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thereto, are ice creams, stationary, sports, clothes/dresses and janatha bazaar outlets.

The children visits the retail outlet shops with the parents and fall prey to neatly and

willingly arranged array of goods. Outlets of 19 or 95 per cent felt that children bring

in influence on the purchase habits of adults. The retail outlets felt that the children

need not put any influence or pressure for eating ice creams.

PART III: IMPACT OF CHILDREN’S BUYING BEHAVIOUR

The television advertisements have a direct bearing on the socio-cultural,

academic and psychological framework of the children. The constant watching of

television programmes and commercials will certainly affect the children’s social

behaviour. Behavioural impact affects not only the child but the family and the

neighbour-hood friends in terms of shocks experienced by them. The responses of

parents give a true picture of children actual behaviour. Hence, the parents of child-

respondents form a focal point in this part of study.

TIME LOSS

The children cluster around television engaged in a fiercely competitive game

of ‘Guess- the- Next Ad”. The whole family involves in it while watching television

programmes and the curiosity of children is aroused. Table 5.7 explains the amount of

time loss in a week by children watching television.

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TABLE 5.7

NO. OF HOURS CHILDREN SPEND DAILY IN WATCHING TELEVISION

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Age group Response of Parents

------------------------------------------------------------------- Mean Boys Girls Total -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6 - 8 45 70 66 136

8 - 10 60 74 86 160

10 - 12 75 76 68 144 -------------------------------------------------------------------

Total 44 220 22 440

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table 5.7 clearly shows that on average, per child-consumer spent a time of 44

minutes per day. The age-wise data shows that 70 boys and 66 girls did spend time in

the age group of 6 – 8 years, the corresponding figure in the case of 8 – 10 years of

age group are 74 and 86 while in case of the 10-12 years age group are 76 and 68

respectively. The precious time lost merely watching television in the children’s life.

The children watch television for more than 188 hours, 1120 hours and 1250

hours per week in the age of 6-8 years, 8 – 10 years and 10-12 years groups

respectively. Until the age of six to eight years, children have difficulty in

distinguishing advertisement from reality and may not understand that advertisement

are there to sell something. In fact children watching television often find the

commercials more engaging than the programmes. Taking to children about

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advertising form an early age encourages them to become active but not passive

consumers of commercial messages.

EMOTION OF CHILDREN

Since children watch the advertisements, they are very emotional and cannot

suppress their feelings but pester their parents to get the products. The collected data

on the emotional outburst of children as post-advertisements consequences are

presented in Table 5.8.

TABLE 5.8

CHILDREN BEHAVIOURIAL IMPACT

Age Demanding Crying Pestering Total

6 – 8 71 61 4 136

8 – 10 32 48 80 160

10 12 39 57 48 144

Total 142 166 132 440


Table 5.8 discloses that the advertisements disturb the mental peace of

children; they pester their parents for their things they see in the advertisement. In

case parents do not agree, they behave very disturbed and become more demanding,

crying for things and pester their parents until the parents yield to their requests. To

avoid unpleasant atmosphere in the house parents succumb and yield to their

demands. The younger age group of children are not pestering their parents. It is

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deduced that the Young children in age with have displayed matured behaviour

compared to the older children and children pestering their parents keep on nagging

until the parents yield to their requests. This implies establishing an understanding

between the parents and the children.

BUILD UP CREATIVITY

The colourful presentation of advertisements creates curiosity in the minds

young children. The children go through new experience in terms of sophisticated

technology, interesting storyboard and creative presentation. The opinion of parents

on the cognitive development of children through advertisements is presented in

Table 5.9.

TABLE 5.9

AD HELP COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN (%)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Age Opinion of Parents

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Full Large Some Lesser Nil Total Extent extent extent extent -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6 – 8 6 8 15 6 10 45

8 – 10 2 3 10 4 6 25

10 – 12 3 6 14 2 5 30

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Total 11 17 39 12 21 100

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


177

Table 5.9 reveals the parents response on advertisements helping in increasing

the cognitive level of children. Negative feeling expressed by 21 per cent and the

majority of them felt that the advertisements some times and to an extent help in

children creative thinking.

POCKET MONEY FREEDOM

A change in lifestyle and parental concern towards keeping their children

happy has provided much financial freedom for today’s child-consumers. Many

families cultivated habit of giving pocket money has leaded the children to expect and

demand for it. The pocked money is meant for disposal amount comprising frequently

and it ranges ten to more than two hundred rupees a month. This provides freedom to

buy the product of their choice including eatable food items. Data given in Table 5.10

explains that the not all the children demand for pocket money. A good number of

42.00 per cent do not get the pocked money. Majority of the children in 10-12 years

age group get more pocket money compared to the other two age groups.

TABLE 5.10

POCKET MONEY DEMAND (%)

Age Yes No Total

6 - 8 10 25 35

8 10 16 11 27

10 12 32 6 38

Total 58 42 100


178

Data on extent of pocket demand of child-respondents collected and is

presented in Table 5.10

TABLE 5.10

POCKET MONEY DEMAND

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boost self-image Age in years

--------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 - 8 8 -10 10 -12 Total ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Full extent 1 1 7 9

Large extent 2 2 12 16

Some extent 10 9 14 33

Least extent 16 10 9 35

Not at all 1 4 2 7

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total 30 26 44 100

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table 5.10 discloses the effect of advertisements in boosting the self-

confidence of children. Toward some extent, the majority of parents expressed that

advertisements help in building the self-esteem of the children. Many are of the

opinion that the advertisements full effect on self-image is to least extent. The

significant number of parents felt positive that the advertisements aid in building self-

confidence of the children.

179

ETHICS IN ADVERTISEMENGTS

The marketer has started to commercialize the children community. Not that he

simply would place the products of children in front of them having realized the

potentiality of pesters power, he would rather try to sell everything under the world.

While making an effort to achieve his objective, he treats children as another consume

segment rather a young child. The techniques followed by the marketer are more

similar to that followed for adult consumers. The parents views on this issue is

discussed in Table 5.12.

TABLE 5.11

AD MADE STRONG ETHICS (%) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Age Response of children ------------------------------------------------------------------ Healthy Somewhat Not Total Ethical Ethical Ethical ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6 - 8 14 20 8 42

8 - 10 10 12 6 28

10 - 12 11 10 9 30

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Total 35 42 23 100

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Table 5.12 discloses the ethical level, to which children are exposed to

throughout their television time. The majority of parents somewhat feel that

advertisement brings in the ethical issues subtly. A number 35 per cent of parents of

180

respondents seem agreeing that the advertisements are healthy ethical. Not at all the

advertisements exposed ethical issues in their appeal is being expressed by 23 per cent

of total parents.

HUMAN VALUES INCULCATION

Today’s children exposure to different cultural habits, languages, regions and

religions, lifestyles, social circumstance has given wider horizon to be become

tolerant towards the other human being. Get emotions, love service, patriotism,

moralistic and family bondage oriented appeals in the advertisement instigates the

human values in building interpersonal relationship. Data on advertisement creation

healthy and respectable human values in children is presented in table 5.13.

TABLE 5.12

AD CREATE HEALTHY AND RESPECTALE HUMAN VALUE

Value 6-8 years 8-10 years 10-12 years Total

Emotional 12 7 8 27

Love affection 6 6 11 23

Human bondage 10 6 3 19

Respect others 3 5 3 12

Sense of responsibility 4 6 9 19

Total 41 25 34 100


181

Table 5.13 shows the full acceptance of parents that the advertisements help in

building relationship among people. The majority of parents said that the

advertisements trigger emotional attachment among the children. Also the parents felt

that the advertisements create love and affections to one another, equal number of

parent felt that advertisement develop human bondage and they felt that the

advertisements demonstrate respect to the people. It was also felt that the

advertisement inculcate the habit of taking upon responsibilities.

REFERENCES

1.GeorgeE. Belch and Michael A. Belch, Consumer Buying and Ever-Expecting

Retailer, New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Book Compnay Limited, 2003, p.106

appraisal of advertisement makers and...

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