Marketers Target Kids Through Online Games
In a new trend, the marketers are targeting kids through online games by enticing them about their products. These online games generally encourage kids to earn and spend virtual money on their virtual toys.
According to James McNeal, author of "Kids as Consumers: A Handbook of Marketing to Children", kids are very influential in determining the expenditures of a house till the age of 16. The market for this is estimated at $1.12 trillion and is attractive for all sorts of marketing including through online games.
With kids spending more time on computers and smartphones compared to TV, it is also getting difficult for parents to manage these online games which involve kids clicking on random ads just to earn virtual money. These online games are a release for marketers who face marketing guidelines in other mediums and are now using the online medium as avenues for targeting children. Even though many parents have ad blockers on their browsers but the marketers manage to fit them in the content such that they are accessible.