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Psychological Warfare?
"It isn't enough to just advertise on television.... You've got to reach kids throughout their day–in school, as they're shopping in the mall ... or at the movies. You've got to become part of the fabric of their lives." –Carol Herman, Senior Vice President, Grey Advertising
Think you've got enough worries with advertisers trying to reach into every nook and cranny of your children's and students' lives? Then hold on to your remotes: The latest news in intrusive advertising is that ad agencies are using psychologists to learn how kids think, what they fear, what they like–so they can create more effective ads.
Well, if advertisers can play psychologist, then you and your children can fight back by playing private investigator. So get out your P.I. hat and get ready to investigate some ads with your kids!
1. If your kids or students buy a particular toy, ask them to describe whether the toy measures up to the claims they saw in advertising.
2. Ask kids to bring in an advertisement from a magazine. Ask them: Is this a good or a bad ad? Why? What kind of people is the ad trying to sell to? How can you tell? Do you think the product advertised here is better than other, similar products?
3. Try a taste test between a national and a generic brand of cereal. Ask: Can you tell the difference? Which one do you like better? Kids can play P.I. by finding out whether the brand name and generic cereals are manufactured and packaged in the same place. If they are manufactured in the same place, why is the brand name cereal more expensive?
4. All kids have probably seen anti-smoking ads from tobacco company Philip Morris. Ask: Are the ads effective? Why or why not? Do you think Philip Morris is trying create effective anti-smoking ads?
5. Chevron, an oil company, runs ads on how it helps protect wildlife. Ask: Why does Chevron run these ads? How much money does the company spend on the ads? How much does it spend to protect wildlife? Kids could don their investigative hats to find out.
6. Ask kids to count the number of ads they see or hear in one day–including billboards, TV ads, radio commercials, banner ads, magazine and newspaper ads, etc. Are they surprised at the number they came up with? Why or why not?
7. Ask: Is a shirt with a Nike swoosh or Tommy Hilfiger's logo better than one without? Do you think these shirts are made differently? Kids can play sleuth to find out where the shirts are manufactured. Are the generic and brand name shirts manufactured by the same company?
What have you done to help your kids or students become more media savvy? Let us know and we'll print your idea here!
More ideas for kid-friendly projects from the Media Awareness Network.
The Center for Commercial Free Education has a Take Action idea for you, whether you have five minutes or an hour and a half to spare. The site includes a sample press release and a sample letter to the editor.
Commercial Alert Press Release: Publishers have begun to use children's books as advertisements for junk food.
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Get the BadAds Weblog updates via e-mail! We'll keep you up-to-date on news in intrusive advertising, changes to BadAds.org, and new ways you can fight "ad creep."
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Slam Bad Ads! 1. Bugged by a corporate logo in your textbook? Tired of Coke and Pepsi slugging it out in your school? Write a letter to the editor of your local paper! Newspapers love printing letters from kids, so be sure to mention your age. To write an effective letter to the editor, be brief, use humor or a personal story to make your letter stand out, type the letter, and include your contact information. 2. If ads bug you, your best defense is to learn their tactics. Here are some links that give you a peek behind the scenes: Street Cents disses deceptive ads and has a forum where you can chat with other kids about bad commercials and products, from binders to video games. Check out these tactics advertisers use when targeting kids. Hey, kids–did you know marketers see you as a "self-replenishing resource"? Or that in focus groups, "Most kids aren't particularly well-spoken, but that's not their problem. Look for kids to react, not to intellectualize"? Learn more stuff about yourself in this article about how to market to kids. Use this checkist to record the marketing strategies your favorite kids' Web sites use to lure you. Don't Buy It: Get Media Smart uses games, parody ads and humor to "sell" kids on questioning advertising, evaluating media and becoming smart consumers. Learn what kids' Web sites say–and what they really mean. Find out how much advertisers spend to get you to shell out your cash. |
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