By Katherine Williams
Advertising to kids can seem tricky at first. How do you know what they like? Or what kinds of advertising they will respond to? Or even if it’s worth advertising to kids at all? In reality, kids have a lot of influence on the purchasing decisions of their parents, and even have enormous power in making their own decisions. From food to clothing to entertainment, kids control nearly $18 billion in spending power, primarily in the form of families’ purchases of consumer goods for their children. Clearly, kids have immense market potential, a great opportunity for advertising in order to grow your business among kids and parents alike. But advertising to kids is different from traditional marketing aimed at adults. Kids’ advertising requires a fun and unique marketing strategy, so here are a few insights to help you better advertise to kids and young teens.
First, let’s start with the basics. Kids today are often referred to as Gen Alpha, the generation born between 2010 and 2024. Fully immersed in personal technological devices and constant streaming content, Gen Alpha is even more digitally savvy than Gen Z, with a fleeting attention span that requires never-ending entertainment and engagement. Advertising to this generation of kids means finding new ways to keep them interested.
Interactive technology is essential for kids’ advertising. Kids today have grown up with devices like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, offering them the opportunity to interact with technology and use it for playing their favorite songs or watching their favorite movie. Kids want to feel excited by these kids of products and aren’t as focused on practicality. They’re still just kids, after all, and they want to have fun with the things they like.
Kids also enjoy games, with popular ones right now being Animal Crossing and Among Us, so designing your advertisements in the form of games will help engage young Gen-Alpha consumers. Fun interactivity is key to connecting with kids, especially in their digital-first world.
Most importantly, kids’ advertising should reflect the diverse reality we live in. Gen Alpha is the most diverse generation yet, and kids want to see themselves and their peers in the media, toys, and games they enjoy. Advertising aimed at young kids should include a diverse range of races, genders, sexualities, and abilities in order to not only create a positive advertising environment but also connect with today’s youngest consumers.
Adolescent Content, a global marketing agency run by Gen Z for Gen Z, can help tailor your marketing strategies to attract your target consumers.
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