Marketing to Children: The Impact of Digital Media

Children younger than eight lack the cognitive skills to understand the persuasive intent of marketing messages. All integrated marketing strategies, campaigns and messages are channeled to traditional and digital media that increases the scope of media mix and hence the exposure span for children audience increases. The lack of cognitive skills and doubtful recognition of the real story of the advertising message, makes this customers category - children (in multigenerational marketing referred as Generation Z especially vulner- able. Though, the exposure children have on digital and electronic media is increasing the necessity proper marketing communications model that will involve ethical and affirmative content is obvious. The comparative theoretical analyses of all 4 generations in marketing segmentation obtain to determine key differences and unique consumer behavior of customers. A special emphasis is given to Generation Z in order to understand the sensitivity of children’s exposure to media and possible consequences. This paper gives and model for marketing communication and media mix for targeting Generation Z and children by which both parties will benefit: the audience will be protected from possible consequences by inconvenient messaging and the marketers will message a content for better addressing to children customers by means of media mix and content.