June 8, 2009

NEWS / ARTICLES: Kids targeted in net ad push (AUSTRALIA)

Kids targeted in net ad push

Simon Canning | June 08, 2009

MARKETERS are joining children in turning off the television and shifting their advertising attention to the unregulated world of the internet.

There they are creating new levels of interaction with their consumers while raising deeper concerns with web-challenged parents. Social networking sites, game pages and video portals are becoming the preferred choice for brands that at once are providing large chunks of content while also gaining valuable information about growing consumers.

Even "walled garden" websites such as Disney's Club Penguin, which does not allow advertising, have been accused of trying to push subscriptions by showing toddlers content on the free site that can only be accessed on the paid site.

Experts admit little research has been done on the impact of advertising to young children online, even as digital media has become the preferred choice in many households with the growth of broadband.

Barbara Biggins of Young Media Australia, a longtime campaigner for restrictions on advertising aimed at children, said while there had been extensive research into the impact of TV advertising on children, the internet remained uncharted territory.

"There is a lot we just don't yet know and not a lot of research has been conducted," Ms Biggins said.

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