Marketing to Children

Advertisers spend 100s of billions of dollars a year worldwide encouraging, persuading and manipulating people into a consumer lifestyle that has devastating consequences for the environment through its extravagance and wastefulness. Advertising exploits individual insecurities, creates false needs and offers counterfeit solutions. It fosters dissatisfaction that leads to consumption. Children are particularly vulnerable to this sort of manipulation. [Sharon Beder, 2o11].

Large companies such as McDonald's market their products strong towards children, they've even got meals specifically advertised towards kids such as the "Happy Meal" where the children can choose either nugets, fish fingers, cheese burger and ham burger plus chips and a drink as a meal, but the reason why most of the children want their mum or dad to purchase them this mean is because it includes a toy within the meal. This then means not only are the children getting "nice food" they also have an a toy which come with it so the children will have something to eat. 

Children are very demanding as the parrents want to provide there children with all the things in which they want so when companies are creating a new product they will find adverts in which will stick into the childrens head so that when it next comes on, the child turns on their puppy dog eyes and ask mummy or daddy to purchase what they want no matter the cost of the product.

Girls Adverts

Boys Adverts 

Family Purchasing Behaviour and the Roles of Husbands and Wife's

Family Purchasing Behaviour

Each family have the weekly shop, depending on the size of their wallet will also determine where they will carryout their shopping as each family have essential needs i.e. Food and Drink. The role of who is the Family Shopper is dependent on each family, 80% of families would say that the mother is the main shopper within the family i.e. they will carryout the main shopping for the family. This has become "the job of the women" as "women are meant to cook and clean" (i don't agree with that by the way). So it has just become normal for them to carryout the weekly shop as they are more likely to cook the dinner and therefore more likely to know what is needed and what isn't. 

 

Values

What are Values?

Values are those things that really matter to each of us, the ideas and beliefs we hold as special. Caring for others, helping other, wanting to do well etc. The values in which we develop is based on the way in which you are brought up. Your family will have a VERY strong influence in the values you hold. Values are things which cannot be changed easily there are big factors within everyone life which these become important and change or develop. Once you are born till you start school you values will be of those which your parents have inputted in to you. But once you start school you friends will also have a large input into the values you will develop or change the opinion on some other that you may currently hold.  

Things in which have a big impact on the values we have are parents, teachers and religious leaders, but society has changed. Too often young people today are mostly influenced by what they see and hear on television or on the street. 

Examples of Values

ambition, competency, individuality, equality, integrity, service, responsibility, accuracy, respect, dedication, diversity, improvement, enjoyment/fun, loyalty, credibility, honesty, teamwork, excellence, accountability, empowerment, quality, efficiency, dignity, collaboration, stewardship, empathy, accomplishment, courage, wisdom, independence, security, challenge, influence, learning, compassion, friendliness, discipline/order, generosity, persistence, optimism, dependability, flexibility.

The above are just some common values in which we people hold and believe in. 

 

Values can also make you the person you are and the things you believe by the things that happen in the world which change everything. Global Events which occur which have a Massive impact not only on one person but on the whole world. 

Things like the video approve will also change the values we have and the things we believe in because these things have had such a massive impact through the world which has meant that opinion of people have changed and values of people that live within those countries will also have changed due to what the world now thinks. i.e. World Trades Centres which was a Vitim of a terrorist attack will long live in the memory of the world as i had a very big impact of the way in which people now view Muslims as they believe all Muslims will have extremist views.

Group conformity, Opinion leaders and Peer Pressure

Group Conformity

What is Group Conformity?

  
"Conformity reflects a behavior that is a response to a perceived group pressure". [/www.psychologyandsociety.com, 2011]

Examples of Group Conformity

A work place become available, the workforce advertise the job they are carrying out interviews, One member is liked by the rest of the interviews by the other member has an objection against this person being hired, but as they are all for the idea he/she holds back the opinion in which they have and this new member once hired become very unreliable and later gets fired.  

Opinion Leader

An opinion leader is a person who has different ideas and behaviors to other in the group. The leader tends to have very strong views on a subject and is not affraid of to voice their opinions on the subject at hand. The opinion leaders will have an impact on the opinions the other members in the team will voice as they may be afraid to say what they really feel.

Peer Pressure

Peer pressure is when "friends" persuade you to doing something that you do not want to do. But maybe you want to do it, and you just don't have the courage to do it and your friends talk you into it. Peer Pressure can be broken down into two areas; good peer pressure and bad peer pressure. 

Friends have a tendency to think that they know what is best for you, Well, if friends are going to tell you what to do, what can you do about it? The most basic thing that you can do is to say "No, I don't wish to do that!" or if you want to do it, say "Yes, give me a try!"Weak people are more likely to be pushed into doing things in which they wouldn't normally do. Children within Secondary school are more likely to be pushed into doing things in which they wouldn't even thought about in primary school. I remember when i first started Secondary School there were pupils there which i grew up with in primary school that were being pressured into doing things such as Smoking because of other kids smoking and they believed that it was "cool" to smoke.  

What is BLOGGING???

Initial Thought on Blogging...

Blogging??? Whats Blogging you may ask yourself? Blogging has been around for over 10years, the word Blogging itself means “Web Log”, And a web blog is Basically and online diary where the user choose a topic to talk about which they have some interest too. There are many many blogging website which a user can use the share there thoughts online but some of the more popular ones are “Wordpress, LiveJornal and Blogger”.

‘A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” and someone who keeps a blog is a “blogger.” Blogs are typically updated daily using software that allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain the blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in cronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominantly.’ [Matisse Enzer].

I believe blogging done well could be a very interesting, the importance of a blog is that it appeals to the readers. If it asks or answers question which the “followers” has asked, this creates satisfaction from the followers as this means they will be able to comment and allow the writer to understand their thoughts on the writers blog and whether they agree or disagree with the blog.

A large number of business are now using blogs to gather a form of research from potential customers as they will announce information about new product lunches or ask for opinions of people which already own the products. For the companies its is free research as they will be getting feedback for their products from users or potential buyers this is a must for a large number of Big businesses and this will also allow potential buyers to see whether the product they may want to purchase is any good. We all seek approval for things we buy therefore if other users are complementing the product then this could lead to increase in sales for he business, but this could also work against the business as if they receive bad comments about their products then this could cause for sales to decrease.

A negative of blogs is that big companies can create other accounts or ask other memebers within their organisation to post postive comments about the products and therefore this will be to no good to potentail buyers as the comments that have been posted are one sided or biest.

"A blog can be an incredible tool for sharing information and expertise. Kathleen Goodwin, CEO of iMakeNews, says business blogs "can offer organizations a platform where information, data, and opinion can be shared and traded among employees, customers, partners, and prospects in a way previously impossible: a two-way, open exchange".

I believe that blogging is the way forward for a large number of organisations, and a new way of communication for a vast number of people which use blogging to share their opinions and discuss other issues.

Generational Marketing

Generation Marketing

A large number of Generation techniques have been used in marketing products to specific consumers, these have previously been done by: race, religion, age, education etc. These things are still used in some product but large organisations are now using Generation Marketing to help them market products specifically to an age group and or gender. Depending on which of these categories the consumer falls (i.e. Generation X), within this will determines the products in which they are more likely to purchase.

There are 6 Different Generation Marketing Groups you can fall within:

1. Tweens
2. Pester Power
3. Generation X
4. Generation Y
5. Baby Boomers
6. Over 50's

Generation X is the term often applied to the generation born between 1964 and 1981, right after the end of the post World War II baby boom (1946-1964) that's how the Babe Boomers got there name. Generation X is often abbreviated as Gen X, for a time Generating X was called the "Baby Bust" generation, because of the declining birth rate that started in 1964.


Generation X: 

• UK: Born between 1966 and 1984 (aged between 31-44).
• Likes: Sharing, Chilling, Being individualistic, Like being around friends. 
• Dislikes: Bossiness and Being told what to do.
• Characteristics: Hard-Headed, individualistic, Arrogant, Risk Taking.
• Health Issues that Define Generation X: HIV/AIDS
• Values: Family orientated, career driven
• Advertising: Don't trust them, Sceptical, Cynical. I needs to be surprising and unexpected to impress them.

Below is a link to some very useful information about marketing and how the development of strong Internet services has meant that there are more and more people going online to view more and more videos through YouTube, JustinTv etc, how that has allowed companies to advertise product so that the people in whom are watching those videos that adverts that appear along side them go appeal to a certain gender or generation.


http://video.about.com/onlineadvertising/Brian-Price---Verizon.htm


People that fall within the Generation X are conscious of there image, and fitting in is very important so this would also mean that i would make them very materialistic as people relate "cool" people with nice cloths and flash gadgets. 

 

There has been a slight decrease in that factor of fitting in according to WARC 28% of people within generation X feel that it is important to "Fit" in and Men are more conscious of this factor with 31% of the believing that it is more important to fit in then to be yourself.

Out of all the generation, Generation X are more likely to watch programes after they've been screened. In the 21st century this has become vastly easier than it was before iPlayer, ITV Player and Fiver. These on demand website allow users which have missed programmes due to their busy schedule or in wanting to watch other programes that are currently showing, so when they have some free time as long as they are within the UK and have access to the internet they will be able to watch online Tv and choose te programes in which they want to view. 

As you can see from the two vidoes above the media can make you see what they want you to see, products in which they produce will never have as much of an impact as they make out one their adverts, but they target self conscious people such as Generation X. Products will use people inprefections against them and try and sell them a product which may may little difference. 



Products for females in Generation X

Products for Males in Generation X

Personality and Self-Concept

Personality! What is it? And how do we “Gain” a Personality?

Personality is a collection of emotion, thought and behaviour patterns which make a person who they are. The personality of a person will be made up either through their Nature, Nurture or Birthing order. 

Nature argument would be that we have already been assigned as who we are going to be before we are even born through our characteristics and our DNA and as we get older these things come into play more and more. Scientist state that a person’s personality never changes, your views or opinions on things never change but the person you are will never change completely therefore people stay the same.

Nurture is the way in which you have been brought up, the ethics which you family stand for i.e. what’s right and what’s wrong. This means that your parents or the people around you will have an input into whom you are or who you will become. Therefore if there are more than one child within the family and if they were brought up in exactly the same way as his or her brother or sister shouldn’t they contain the same personality?

 

Birthing Order can have an effect on the personality the child will have. The oldest tend to be more responsible and reliable and a figure to look up towards whereas the youngest tend to be naughty or and attention seeking. This only happens some of the time, as this can vary depending on different people, sometimes they swap roles where you see the oldest acting out and attracting attention to themselves for the wrong reason and the youngest behind the quite hide behind the door type of person who just want to keep themselves to themselves.

I personally believe that all of the above have an impact on who you become, nature sets out the building blocks through Characteristics that come from your parents and therefore that’s why so many of us are compared to our parents in different means not just based on appearance also based on what type of personality you have. Nurture comes into play as you are growing up the people around you will teach you different times and this will shape you into the person you become. And personally I believe that birthing order has the least effect on your personality but will sometimes effect on how people will behave key example: Children which have been used to being the only child will “act up” to try and gain some of the attention which the parents or other friends and relatives are showing to the new addition to the family.

 

 Self Concept 

We all have an idea in mind of what we’re like and what we think we’re like, yet soon as someone switches on the camcorder 9/10 people would say “I don’t sound like that” me included. Our self concept of ourselves may be completely different to what other think of you. As people we are never satisfied with what we have, even though we could in a highly better position the less fortunate people we still seek for more. We all are insecure in one manner or the next as we all have things we wish we had or things we wish we could change therefore our self perception of ourselves could be slightly different to what we really are.