How has advertising for kids changes over the years

Advertising is a promotional activity to enhance brand image and increase product knowledge among the target audience. Advertisers try to persuade people to buy their products, and by doing so, increase sales and generate ROI.

Have you heard about the fact that Coca-Cola doesn’t place ads in a space where more than 35% of the audience are kids below 12 years of age? And Nestle can’t put any billboards, hoardings, or any kind of outdoor ads within 50 meters of a kindergarten, primary school, or a kids’ playground unless it’s for food and beverages that are high in nutrition.

Why has the course of the message been changed over the years?

Kids below 12 years are considered to be adaptable and innocent. As an adult, we can comprehend that things are meant to be sold but kids can’t make that difference since they believe things without assessing or interpreting the credibility of the message they receive.

The second main reason is that childhood obesity has become a major issue of concern worldwide. In 2011, the UN requested private brands to limit the influence of marketing products containing high proportions of salt, sugar, and fat to children as that is slowly and steadily contributing to the dramatic rise in childhood obesity over the last few decades.

While we talk about the Indian target market, there is a prevalence of single TV households, and usually, the control of the remote is often in the mother’s hands. So, in this case, a small aged kid inadvertently ends up watching ads that are meant for older customers. Therefore, brands need to practice caution while making ads intended for kids’ channels. Brands should retain high levels of morals and ethical principles that promote a healthy lifestyle for young ones.