Advertising to kids

I work in the wild, wild world in advertising and I love it. I get to work with great brands that allow me to help develop creative campaigns that are seen on HGTV and in magazines around the world. I have to pinch myself almost daily that I get to do this for a living. I find it really interesting how brands develop their look, everything from the colors in their logo to the fonts chosen for a tagline.

It’s coming to light now that my kids are picking up on it in their everyday worlds. Here are a few examples of ways marketing and advertising have caught my kids’ attention.

– I can only imagine what the marketing executive at Target thinks when my 4-year-old says, let’s go to the “red store”. She knows Target by the logo, which is evident when she sees the Sunday ads (yes, I still get those) and whenever we pass a Target store, whether it be our normal one or one in another state.

– McDonalds, or as my kids call it, “Old McDonalds”. My kids love those golden arches and know how to order their own kids meals.

– Wendy’s, or as my kids call it, “the girl restaurant”. This one is funny as my daughter asks me about “the girl’s daddy” – who ironically was the face of the brand for years.

– My son knows a pizza delivery car from a mile away. He sees the lighted sign atop a car and yells, “Pizza! Pizza! Pizza!”

– If I go to a grocery store that’s not the “green grocery store” (Publix) my kids’ world is turned upside down.

– It’s interesting when watching commercials on Sprout with the kids, the one that catches their attention isn’t the toy commercial but rather the Pampers commercial with a woman singing about hugs and moms snuggling their babies, called “Power of Hugs”. Stops them in their tracks every time.

As you can see in some of the examples of how my kids reference stores by the colors, a brand’s selection of colors is important and often relates to an emotion they are trying to convey. Here is a great image found from The Logo Company that explains the emotions that colors communicate.

Advertising and marketing is becoming smarter and smarter. Not only does psychology play into the brands’ strategies, but the ability to target advertisements is to a new level. It’s important for us, as parents, to be in tune with what, where and how often our kids consume media as they are being bombarded by advertisements, whether it’s on TV, on the YouTube channel their watching, or just out in the real world. Our kids are paying attention and we need to make sure we are, too.

Smarty Moms – have you noticed your kids recognizing brands or are there certain ads that stop your kids in their tracks? I’d love to hear!