For years, retailers have been targeting kids in the stores by putting cereal, toys, candy, and other items at eye level – the kids’ eye level. Items and packaging that an adult may never look twice at can be designed to appeal to these little shoppers. Before you know it, the kids are influencing the adults as to how to spend dollars.

Targeting kids for marketing efforts can be accomplished through means other than merchandising efforts – shelf and product placement within the store. Think in terms of print, web, and even TV ads. All of these mediums are incredibly powerful and have been proven to reach kids.  

Targeting kids with print ads

Kids relate to kids, so any time you can show a child with your product or use children in any printed brochures or posters, you dramatically increase the odds of a kid helping an adult notice your ad. Don’t underestimate the power of this influence. I once had my one year old drag a phone book over to me to show me the picture of the child on the back cover. The pizza ad to which he was pointing worked and I had my pepperoni pizza in hand 30 minutes later.  

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Targeting kids with web ads

More and more children are on the internet for lots of reasons ranging from education to gaming to watching television shows. Banner ads and inner-programming ads can go a long way to promoting your brand. Because of the inherent dangers of the internet, any web ads targeting children should bring them to a page that is kid-friendly and possibly even offer a new game to play or show to watch.  

Targeting kids with TV ads

Television has long been a primary method of connecting with kids. Saturday morning cartoons are as popular as ever. More kids are watching prime time television shows with their parents these days, so don’t neglect this channel. Parents like watching commercials that entertain them as well, so look to balance both marketing a product to kids as well as entertaining their parents – this goes a long way to encouraging the parent to be willing to pay for the product eventually.  

Final thoughts

Marketing to kids can be extremely lucrative since kids can be such a powerful influence on adults. Print, web, and TV ads are all excellent ways to connect with kids, so pick a medium that works for your products and target. Be careful that any marketing directed at kids meets rigorous ethical considerations. Use the Golden Rule when it comes to ethics: if you wouldn’t want your kids exposed to your ads then don’t even think about running the ad.  

For further reading, check out Paco Underhill’s “Why We Buy” for an excellent source for research on the science of shopping and the influence of kids.