The challenge of advertising to children Available to Purchase

Outlines some of the ways in which advertising to children differs from advertising to other groups: no other market is so fragmented and rapidly changing, involves advertising to users who rarely purchase and purchasers who rarely use, or is as beset with regulatory controls and by constant political attacks. Considers each of these factors and their significance to advertisers: fragmentation of the children’s market reflects the precise age bands for toys and games; since children do not usually buy the goods themselves, advertisers must simultaneously excite and appeal to children yet reassure the adults who make the purchasing decisions; regulatory controls on advertising in the UK are far more restrictive than many people realise; and the political antagonism to advertising concerning children focuses on the issues of obesity and the pressure that children exert on their parents to buy advertised goods.