The LA Times wrote an interesting article about food marketers missing a giant opportunity (shocker). It seems that very little ad dollars are going towards marketing food products like sugary cereal, animal shaped french fries and exploding yogurt or whatever kids are eating these days online- the very place where their target market is hanging out.
Some brands have created interactive websites and created integrated ads for other popular kid websites, but it seems as though the money is still being used to make commercials. Finding your audience where it is would surely increase your profit margin, especially considering the easily persuaded target demographic.
That leads to the age old question of whether or not it’s unethical to market to kids. The article referenced the Council of Better Business Bureaus’ progress report about its Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, which apparently encouraged 10 major food and beverage companies were able to pledge to either stop marketing food to kids or only market “better-for-you” foods. And I’m sure we know that those companies chose the latter. But is that enough. Should children be targeted in marketing strategies. Sure they’re not being offered a pack of Camels, but are Fruity Pebbles that far off?