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DOCUMENT
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KIDS ADVERTISING
TECHNIQUES
TECHNIQUES USED TO
ADVERTISE TO KIDS
Ideal Kids
• The kids in commercials are often a little
older and a little more perfect than the
target audience of the ad—they are in other
words, the role models for what the
advertiser wants children in the target
audience to think they want to be like.
• Example—A commercial that is targeting 8
year olds for instance will use 11-12 year
olds
Ideal Kids—What to Write in Notes
• Kids are often a little older and
a little more perfect than the
target audience of the ad
• Example—Uses 11-12 year
olds for a toy for an 8 year old
Heart Strings
• Commercials often create an
emotional ambience that draws you
into the advertisement and makes you
feel good. We are more attracted to
things that make use feel good
• Example—The “I am going to Disney”
Commercials
Heart Strings—What to write
•Ad uses emotions to
attract us to the product.
•Example—The “I am
going to Disney”
Commercials
Amazing Toys
• Many top commercials show their
toys in life-like fashion, doing
incredible things. Airplanes that
do loop the loops and cars doing
wheelies, dolls cry.
• Most toys don’t do these things in
real life
Amazing Toys—What to write
•Show toys, doing
incredible things.
•Most toys don’t do
these things in real life
Life Like Settings
• Barbie struts her stuff on the
beach with waves crashing in
the background, space aliens
fly through outer space.
• These things do not come with
the toys
Life Like Settings—What to write
•Toys are shown in real
settings doing things.
•Example: Barbie’s Dune
Buggy does not come with a
sand beach but the
commercial might show one
Sounds good
• Music and other sound effects add to
the excitement of commercials.
Sounds can make toys seem more life
like or less life like, as in a music
video. It sets the mood
• Example—Fun dance music playing in
the background of the commercial for
a new doll
Sounds good—What to write
• Music and other sound effects
add to the excitement of
commercials and set the mood
• Example—Fun dance music
playing in the background of
the commercial for a new doll
Cute Celebrities
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
sell pizza, Joe Cool sells
cigarettes. These are ways to
get kids to identify with the
product.
• Example—Kraft Mac and
Cheese and Spongebob
Cute Celebrities—What to Write
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
sell pizza, Joe Cool sells
cigarettes. These are ways to
get kids to identify with the
product.
• Example—Kraft Mac and
Cheese and SpongeBob
Selective Editing
• Selective editing is used in all
commercials but especially in
commercials for athletic toys like
Frisbees and footballs. The
commercial will show amazing catches
and brilliant throws but most kids won’t
get the same results.
• Example—Nerf football or dart gun
Selective Editing—What to Write
•The commercial will show
amazing catches and
brilliant throws but most kids
won’t get the same results.
•Example—Nerf football or
dart gun
Family Fun
• “This is something the whole
family can do together!” Many of
these commercials show parents
and kids playing with these toys
together
• Example—Very common for Board
Games
Family Fun—What to write
•Many of these commercials
show parents and kids
playing with these toys
together
•Example—Very common for
Board Games
Excitement!
•Watch the expressions
on the kids’ faces.
They are happy and
never bored.
Excitement!—What to Write
• Watch the expressions on the kids’
faces. They are happy and never
bored.
• Example—You never see kids
fighting and yelling or crying over a
toy not working
Star Power
• Sports Heroes, movie stars,
teenage heartthrobs tell kids
what to eat and wear. Stars
get paid to do this but it looks
like they LOVE the product
Star Power—What to Write
• Sports Heroes, movie stars,
teenage heartthrobs tell kids
what to eat and wear. Stars
get paid to do this but it looks
like they LOVE the product
Examples of Commercials
• Ideal Kids
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD-wp0O7G4o (Play-Doh Burger Factory)
• Heart Springs
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVKOSaBGPQE (Disney World—Making
Memories)
• Amazing Toys
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsZ6FrxgTs8 (Hot Wheels HeMan)
• Life-Like Setting
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9dvknOCdCY (GI Joe Shark)
• Selective Editing
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0l5uxE4oMI&playnext=1&list=PL42D5AA3
F36992BC8 (Target Nerf Commercial)
• Star Power
• Sounds good
• Cute Celebrities
• Family Fun
• Excitement
Assignment
• Find 2 kids commercials from
YouTube
• View them
• Tell what technique is used (there
may be more than one)
• Email your link and explanation to
Mrs. Ferris