Kids
are the special targets of ads.
(k1)
Who are "kids"?
Whether
2 years old or 22, "Kids"--
as the term is used here -- means people who are OPM dependents. ("Other
Peoples' Money")
Why are kids the special target of ads?
(k2)
Kids, as dependents, using OPM, often have more available money, more "disposable
income" than the responsible adults who are supporting them.
(k3)
Kids are easily targeted -- grouped together -- at
home until they're 5 or 6 years old, then at schools for 12-16 more years.
(k4)
Kids are often gullible (ignorant, innocent, naive,
unaware).
(k5)
Kids are often greedy ("spoiled")
(Not YOU, of course)
(k6)
Kids are often predictable.
Ads Heavy on Snacks (March 28, 2007):
"Food is the number one product advertised to kids, followed by media
such as music, video games and movies."Researchers said about a third
of commercials aimed at children and teens tout candy and snacks -- fare that
is often high in fat and added sugar. Both help fuel the ongoing epidemic of childhood
obesity.
The study found that 8-to-12-year-old children see the most food commercials --
an average of 21 a day. That adds up to a blizzard of 7,600 ads per year, or nearly
51 hours of food marketing on television alone. (In July, an earlier Kaiser study
found that 85 percent of the companies that market food to children on television
also have Web sites designed to promote their products to children with advertisements
disguised as games and video "webisodes.")
Youths 13 to 17 years old viewed 17 food ads a day -- an annual total of more
than 6,000 ads spanning about 40 hours. The youngest group, ages 2 to 7, saw 12
food ads per day, or 4,400 a year totaling nearly 30 hours."