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You can sell anything with a strong enough brand

24 August 2007 Gareth Stokes

International companies pour billions of dollars into advertising and marketing campaigns to ensure that their products and brands enjoy global recognition. From car makers such as Daimler Chrysler, GM and Toyota; to sports clothing manufacturers Nike, Ad

The ultimate prize is to top the global brand recognition tables and to achieve this goal companies must win the hearts of their consumers as early as possible. The result is a great deal of advertising aimed at the youth market. Recent studies raise questions as to whether directing brand awareness marketing at children is appropriate. The problem is that unlike adults, children are usually unaware of the persuasive intent of advertising.

South Africa's brand favourites power ahead

Markinor and Sunday Times recently published the results of the 2006 Top Brands survey. The usual suspects filled the top five slots in the favourite brands category. These were Coca Cola, Vodacom, Nike, South African Breweries (SAB) and Toyota. This list firmly establishes the link between brand and advertising as each of the top five brands commit significant amounts of money to advertising in the domestic market.

Another category in the Markinor survey focused on the youth market in an attempt to identify South Africa's 'coolest' brands. "The youth market (defined for the survey as 8 to 23 years) represent the single largest proportion of South Africas population (53%), and young consumers often influence the brand or purchase decisions of others their parents, siblings or friends," states the Sunday Times. Parents are most likely to suffer the effects of brand marketing when their children start school. It is at this stage that a combination of peer pressure and the 'cool' factor drives demand for clothing purchases in particular.

A quick look at the coolest brands will prepare parents for the demands their children are likely to make in coming years. Sports wear and clothing manufacturer Billabong tops the list, followed closely by sports wear company Adidas, denim jeans manufacturer Levis, Coca-Cola and cell-phone giant Nokia. And if you were worried about what car to buy when your son or daughter reaches 18, BMW is the clear leader in this market segment.

There is little doubt that today's youth will contribute significantly to company revenues in coming years. This means that the impact of brand advertising on the youth becomes an important topic. A growing number of concerned bodies are already appealing to leading brands to stop directing their marketing at young children.

Are your kids not eating veggies?

The impact of advertising and brand awareness on the eight to 23 year olds is undeniable. But what about younger children are those in the under eight category also affected by brand marketing? A recent study conducted on a small group of low income American children provides some food for thought. It reveals the power of advertising and brand awareness in this segment of the consumer market. Study author Dr Tom Robinson said that the study proves that the perception of taste can be "physically altered by the branding."

When presented with two identical portions of food (one branded and the other not) more than two thirds of the children surveyed determined that the branded food item tasted better. The study suggests a simple solution for those parents who cannot get their children to eat vegetables. Simply wrap the undesirable snack in a McDonald's wrapper! More importantly, this study supports further investigation into the practice of marketing to children under the age of eight.

The last word on the power of advertising aimed as children is simply this: Try driving your children past a McDonald's restaurant after they have seen a McDonald's Happy Meal advert and see if you manage this feat without stopping for a quickbite to eat!

Editor's thoughts:
The study discussed in this article reveals to what extent strong branding influences children. Children born in the eighties, nineties and early 21st century are exposed to massive volumes of television and radio marketing. Today's youth is brand brainwashed, preferring items from certain manufacturers without really knowing why. Are your purchasing decisions significantly influenced by brand? Send your comments to
gareth@fanews.co.za

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