Marketing to the kiddies is tough …

… ‘cos the kiddies will make mincemeat out of you if you don’t get your online strategy right. Hey ho!

How Marketers Target Kids Online

A few online marketing strategies used to bombard kids with brand-related messages include:

• Words and images that make a Web site feel like a “place” or a “world”
• Friendly cartoon “spokes-characters” that encourage kids to identify with products and companies. (This works especially well when kids recognize the characters from television and toy stores.)
• Interactive games and activities such as colouring pages, crossword puzzles and word searches featuring brand products and characters
• Clubs that kids can join, and contests they can enter to win prizes
• Banner ads linking visitors to other commercial Web
  sites
• Brand-related “e-cards” that kids can send to friends and
  family

Surveys show that most young people view the Internet as
a communication and socialization tool. As a result, companies offer young people “virtual communities” or forums where they can interact and talk with like-minded people.

Gosh? Really? But the links about protecting Kid’s privacy and teaching them how to be safe and responsible online are worth a gander. Also a French version if you are so inclined.