Communication Marketing Practices for Children in Websites

Transcrição

PMKT – Revista Brasileira de Pesquisas de Marketing, Opinião e Mídia
ISSN: 1983-9456 (Impressa)
ISSN: 2317-0123 (On-line)
Editor: Fauze Najib Mattar
Sistema de avaliação: Triple Blind Review
Idiomas: Português e Inglês
Publicação: ABEP – Associação Brasileira de Empresas de Pesquisa
Práticas de Comunicação de Marketing para Crianças em Websites
Submission: July/2/2013 - Approval: Jan./23/2014
Marcos Antonio de Andrade
Attended one year doctoral scholarshp in Management – UNINOVE. Master in Business
Administration - UNINOVE. Marketing Specialist - FIA/USP. Graduated in Business
Administration UMESP. It was professor at UNINOVE. Key Account Manager at Empresa
Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos.
E-mail: [email protected]
Professional Address: ECT – Empresa Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos - Rua Mergenthaler 592 - 6º andar - 05311-900 - São Paulo/SP - Brasil.
Claudia Rosa Acevedo
PhD in Business Administration from FGV-SP. Studied one year doctoral scholarship CAPES
Sandwich at Georgia State University. Graduated in Economics from USP. Was Associate
Professor at Quinnipiac University in the Department of Marketing. Professor of EACH-USP.
E-mail: [email protected]
Marcos Antonio de Andrade / Claudia Rosa Acevedo
ABSTRACT
The internet has become an important mean of communication and also has started to modify
behaviors worldwide: social networking, real-time news and information access, provide an
unprecedented knowledge; and has also attracted various audiences, including children, which gives
advertisers the opportunity to use marketing communication practices to take advantage of their
vulnerability. This study aims to determine which of these practices are more in evidence in Brazil
and whether advertisers differentiate children as a target. The method used is the Content Analysis,
which performs data collection Websites from various sectors. It appears that advertisers really
make use of marketing practices to attract the attention of children. As a conclusion, it has been
proposed to the officials concerned with child health, that regulations on the subject must take into
account two aspects: first, the nutritional profile and characteristics of the object of consumption,
and, secondly, the ethical issue involving child vulnerability.
KEYWORDS:
Macromarketing, marketing, vulnerable consumers, consumption infant, internet.
RESUMO
A internet tornou-se um importante meio de comunicação e começou a modificar comportamentos
em nível mundial: redes sociais, notícias em tempo real e acesso à informação, possibilitam um
conhecimento sem precedentes; tem também atraído vários públicos, inclusive o infantil,
possibilitando aos anunciantes, a oportunidade de utilizar práticas de comunicação de marketing,
aproveitando-se de sua vulnerabilidade. Este estudo se propôs a verificar quais dessas práticas estão
mais em evidência no Brasil e se os anunciantes fazem distinção de público-alvo infantil. O método
utilizado foi a Análise de Conteúdo, com a coleta de dados realizada em Websites de vários setores.
Verificou-se que os anunciantes se valem de práticas de marketing visando atrair a atenção do
público infantil. Como conclusão, foi proposto aos agentes preocupados com a saúde da criança,
que regulamentações sobre o tema devam levar em consideração dois aspectos: primeiramente, o
perfil nutricional e a característica do objeto de consumo e, em segundo lugar, a questão ética,
envolvendo a vulnerabilidade infantil.
PALAVRAS-CHAVE:
Macromarketing, marketing, consumidores vulneráveis, consumo infantil, internet.
PMKT – Revista Brasileira de Pesquisas de Marketing, Opinião e Mídia (ISSN 1983-9456 Impressa e ISSN 2317-0123 On-line), São Paulo, Brasil,
V. 14, pp. 19-37, Abril, 2014 -www.revistapmkt.com.br
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1. INTRODUCTION
The present study deals with the practice of marketing and exposure of children to these practices as
they seek entertainment on the Internet. The interest in this topic derives from questions about the
impact of marketing to children, raised in the United States (MOORE; RIDEOUT, 2007; IOM,
2005), Europe and Brazil (IDEC, 2010).
According to John (1999), since the 1970s, researchers have explored the behavior of children as
consumers and knowledge of brands, products, price, influence the purchase decision and
negotiation. These studies sought to understand the perception of children towards marketing
practices.
The main researcher’s concern was the power of media influence and persuasive communication
directed at this audience, treated as more vulnerable because of lack of development of his critical
sense (BOUSH; FRIESTAD; WRIGHT, 2009). These surveys focused mainly on television media,
was the most important vehicle at the time (RODRIGUES; FIATES, 2012; IGLESIAS; CALDAS;
LEMOS, 2013).
Currently, however, the children's attention is focused on the computer and especially the Internet,
which is complementing or replacing television as entertainment. Little is known about the effects
of the internet on children's consumption and there is no law on the subject in Brazil. This situation
leaves a significant gap which is the target this study initially aims.
Trying to associate children's consumption and the influence of the Internet in this context, this
study seeks to identify the key practices of marketing used by companies and advertisers,
differentiating children audience and looking to take advantage of their vulnerability.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
The vulnerability of the child as consumer - Although children form a segment hit hard by market
actions, studies which had as its central focus the children as consumers, only gained momentum in
the mid -1970s.
In these studies, one of the issues that have generated interest in the study of socialization of
consumption was to understand the perception of children towards marketing practices. This is due
to the concern of researchers with the power to influence the media and the unjust character of
persuasive communication directed at this audience, treated as more vulnerable.
Studies suggest that advertising to children is inherently unfair, because they do not have the
cognitive ability and life experience necessary to understand selling efforts directed to them
(KUNKEL, 2001; ANDRONIKIDIS; LAMBRIANIDOU, 2010).
Many studies have investigated the legend of children as consumers. For example, it is well known
that a child's ability to understand and deal with the advertisement undergoes significant changes
from childhood to adolescence (MOSES; BALWIN, 2001; NETTO; BREI; FLORES-PEREIRA,
2010).
As children mature, they acquire the ability to distinguish advertising from other forms of
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communication. Thus, they are more able to recognize bias when it occurs. Armed with this
understanding, they become more skeptical about advertising and are better prepared to disregard
selling messages.
In the specific case of younger children (aged 3-7 years), these are the most vulnerable to
persuasion attempts, regardless of the advertising channel, because at this age children have not yet
developed the skills to recognize advertising as a persuasion to buy something.
Children also have difficulty in storing information in memory when they arrive quickly and
through multiple channels. Thus, they may even be familiar with specific brands of products, but
their understanding is largely superficial.
As the child grows, gradually develops a system of sophisticated information processing, as well as
skills and abilities to control their learning.
Children in this phase, called analytic, (between 7-11 years) they are more flexible in their thinking
and have the ability to consider multiple dimensions and contingencies when making decisions.
Children at this age are able to recognize multiple perspectives, including the advertiser’s
perspective. Together, these developmental changes will allow a more sophisticated understanding
of advertising and better ability to resist its appeal.
However, the performance deficits may persist even among older children (aged 10-11 years) who
have the necessary knowledge to resist advertising, but do not use this ability unless explicitly
reminded about. If children do not invoke their defenses when exposed to television advertisements,
is even more unlikely to do so, when selling messages are incorporated into the practices of internet
marketing (MOSES; BALWIN, 2001; PIAGET, 1978).
Therefore, a child in front of an advertisement, whether on television or connected to websites
activities, lacks the cognitive perception to understand the separation between entertainment and the
mere intention of a marketing practice in the media inserted. This perception will only be achieved
at a higher level of understanding and cognitive development.
3. INTERNET AS A SUBSTITUTE OF TELEVISION TO ATTRACT THE KIDS
Until the advent of internet, advertisers sought to obtain the so-called building brands through
advertisements in the mass media, especially television, using for this, based on memorization of
advertisements. Currently, however, this work is hampered by the expansion of television channels,
the number of journals and other media.
This context has made the process of brand building through marketing communications, programs
quite diffuse and sometimes inconsistent (GHANDOUR; BENWELL; DEANS, 2010). Thus,
companies concentrated their efforts to use the internet, which is the fastest growing media in terms
of usage and user friendliness in a changing world and capable of reaching multiple audiences in an
encompassing manner.
The internet has attracted interest in the child audience interactivity provided by this means
(FRIESTAD; WRIGHT, 2005). This new media is supplementing, rather than replacing the TV.
However, exposure to communication practices of internet marketing is very different from
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exposure to television or print media, websites for children are designed to be playful and
involving.
In addition, they contain the sponsor's brand inserted in this virtual environment with the primary
purpose of disclosure.
While on television the child is exposed passively, on the internet, he/she interacts and searches the
desired content.
Thus, online communication provides advertisers the opportunity to interact with children for
prolonged periods, much higher than the 30 seconds of exposure time on television.
On the internet, marketing messages can be incorporated into a game or other activity and confuse
the lines between advertising and entertainment.
Marketers have suggested that the insertion of ads within a medium of entertainment can be an
effective way to reduce children's resistance and create greater brand acceptance (LINDSTROM;
SEYBOLD, 2003).
What made the Internet attractive to advertisers was not only the use of a new channel of
promotion, but the discovery of new dimensions of contact with the consuming public.
The advertisement, unlike television, is no longer static and time scheduled, and became interactive
and timeless. People can access the contents at any time and nonlinearly.
The web page now provides a more complex language, based no more on texts but in hypertext,
where people can perform readings in various virtual environments and return to any point and at
any time, and does not have exposure limits.
In the current context, the internet becomes a mechanism for multichannel marketing
communication programs, which facilitates the expansion of the potential consumers of their
customer base and potential new consumers.
Also provides a brand differentiation through new services or products, such as information,
entertainment and other aggregate values (GHANDOUR; BENWELL; DEANS, 2010).
Currently in the United States, 71% of children aged 8-14 years access the Internet at least once a
week and spends an average 19 hours per month in this activity. This means more than 20 million
children using this channel (U. S. CENSUS BUREAU, 2010).
In Brazil, the census of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics - IBGE, conducted in
2010 shows the following data: number of users in urban areas, 44% of the population, 97% of
businesses and 23.8 % of Brazilian households are connected to the internet.
Regarding the number of active Internet users, 27.5 million people regularly access the internet
from home, a number that rises to 36.4 million when considering the access from work, 38% of
people accessing the network daily, 10% four to six times a week, 21% for two to three times a
week, 18% once a week. Totalizing 87% of Brazilian Internet users go online weekly.
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With respect to the time the user spends accessing the internet weekly, Brazil is the world
champion, ahead of developed countries. Chart 1 shows this usage time.
CHART 1
Time weekly internet usage.
POSITION
1º
2º
3º
4º
5º
COUNTRY
Brazil
USA
UK
France
Japan
TIME
48h26m
42h19m
36h30m
33h22m
31h55m
Source: Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística – IBGE. Censo 2010.
About marketing practices used over the Internet, Moore and Rideout (2007) published an article on
which these practices appear more frequently and might be of interest to public officials, primarily
concerned with child health and the relationship between these practices and child obesity. The
authors highlighted:





Advergames.
The use of cartoon characters to sell products.
The offer of gifts to attract buying products.
The use of video advertising on the internet.
Failure to request permission to parents for their children to access the internet, and absence of
access limits.
These practices have been obtained from the food sector websites and show that advertisers make
use of the child's vulnerability to attract their attention.
Although the study was limited to check a single sector, focusing in the relationship between
consumption and child obesity, it opens the path to other economic sectors to be investigated, based
on the same theme.
The present study highlights the key practices in Brazil: advergames, video advertising, viral
marketing and use of cartoons.
These practices served as a parameter for the content analysis of the websites from food, toys and
clothing sectors and are described below in order to provide the reader with an overview of each
practice individually, its importance as practical internet marketing and how it can influence
children’s consumption.
4. MARKETING PRACTICES IN WEBSITES
4.1 INTERNET GAMES (ADVERGAMES)
Internet games are very effective to attract and mainly to retain the child’s attention. Once in the
internet environment, children find themselves in a virtual game world with various peripheral
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attractions that are, indeed, marketing communication practices, intentionally produced to attract
their attention (MOORE; RIDEOUT, 2007; HOFMEISTER-TÓTH; NAGY, 2011).
Games tagged in context are increasingly common on the Internet, and most of them have
animation, music or sound effects.
Both small children and the ages of 8-11 years, lack the insight to understand the persuasive intent
of a brand who inserted an ad in the game (JOHN, 1999).
When advertisements are embedded in a game and the lines between advertising and entertainment
are not distinct, children may be less prepared to defend themselves because the game is the main
object of attention, thus allowing the appearance of the company’s logo and package, or the
character being processed peripherally.
Exposure to advertising can lead to greater brand awareness and favorable attitudes, even when an
individual does not render a marketing message too deeply (JANISZEWSKI, 1993; NORDHIELM,
2002).
Positive attitudes about a brand are formed as a result of ad exposure, although consumers may not
realize it.
Attitudes towards brands are formed based on simple associations, since children tend to process
messages in the brand peripherally, since their understanding of advertising is limited gaming
websites and they are motivated primarily by games and activities and not the brand message.
In this context, the peripheral stimulus may be features of the game as friendly, lively music,
colorful animation or an attractive style of playing character.
Such characteristics can lead to positive feelings towards sponsoring brand. An important aspect is
that there are no limits on the time children spend on the internet.
4.2 ADVERTISING VIDEOS ON THE INTERNET
Another marketing practice on the internet is to use advertising videos. As the activities of websites
reinforce television advertisements, these messages are likely to be better remembered and more
convincing when they appear in various advertising venues (NAIK; RAMAN, 2003).
Another important issue is that for advertising in television, regulators require advertisers to insert
tabs or "bumpers advertising" during children's programs (KUNKEL, 2001).
These segments are short (about five seconds) and shown before and after commercial breaks to
warn children that they are watching advertisements.
As for the internet, there are no regulations requiring such reminders and the boundaries between
advertising and other content can be more difficult to distinguish. Regarding exposure time, there
are no limits to access the videos that can be viewed continuously.
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4.3 VIRAL MARKETING
Recognizing the power of the sources of personal information and the relationship between people
through social networks on the Internet, marketers have created the viral marketing to encourage
interaction among consumers about the brands of a company (KRAUS; HARMS; FINK, 2010).
The process is quite simple: a user sends e-mail messages or routes calls over the Internet to his
personal contacts and they are encouraged to pass on the calls, enhancing content disclosure.
The idea of viral marketing is to spread an advertisement featuring similar proportions of an
epidemic.
The communication via email or social networks over the Internet can be an influential source of
information and advice to consumers on a product, brand or game.
With regards to children, studies show that their peers, or friends or relatives of the same age are the
main sources of influence on their preferences and behavior (BAKER et al., 2013).
Viral marketing becomes a concern when children get used to this kind of advertising, and do not
realize that by sending these messages, they are propagating the cause of a corporation.
These messages are highly concentrated in setting the mark, containing the name, logo and often a
feature of the advertiser. In some cases, it is possible to customize the message by choosing the
format or text, which makes the process very attractive for children (MOORE; RIDEOUT, 2007).
Furthermore, children may be used to provide information on other children, in order to increase the
number of customers. For example, children may send greetings to friends, and in order to send the
message, they must provide the friend’s names, and e-mail address as well as their own personal
data.
4.4 USE OF CARTOONS
Another very common practice of marketing to children is the use of cartoon characters or movies
that are well known by children seeking to create brand association with these elements.
Recognizing the power of children's characters, advertisers have also inserted this practice in the
context of the internet.
Furthermore, to strengthen the association between character and brand, the website offers several
free gifts for computers (extras), such as wallpapers, thematic games with the videos etc connected
to the movie.
Children's characters, in some cases, are websites features, making it a great attraction for children.
Some companies simply announce a topic related to a character (e.g., Scooby Doo).
In other cases, there is a relationship of promotion or information associated with characters
(MOORE; RIDEOUT, 2007).
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In the websites that use children's characters, there is also the potential of persuasion through the
peripheral processing, as if the children have a superficial engagement with the message announced,
their can still form positive associations with the brand through association with a character
attractive design on a website (WRIGHT, 1975) .
In the Brazilian context, the Brazilian Institute for Consumer Defense - IDEC (2010) has made one
specific study on the use of cartoons in research on foods for children and concluded that many of
the drawings related products have nutrients in large quantities, are harmful health.
Of companies involved in the survey IDEC (2010), most uses licensed characters from famous
companies like DreamWorks, Walt Disney and Marvel, in addition to Brazilian companies such as
Mauricio de Souza Productions and Monteiro Lobato Licensing, owners of Monica and Sítio do
Pica-Pau Amarelo, respectively, very famous characters in Brazilian culture. Other companies
create their own characters, most of them, humanized animals.
5. LEGISLATION AND SELF-REGULATION
Recognizing the vulnerability of children, the United States, United Kingdom and Brazil have
implemented restrictions on network television, imposing limits on children's programming.
However, except privacy protections, the government has not set rules for online marketing to
children (HARTUNG, 2012).
Such technology like the internet is not subject to the same obligations to serve the public interest as
telecommunication technologies (television networks and radio), and there are no limits of exposure
advertising on the internet.
In the Brazilian context, the National Council for Advertising self-regulation - CONAR created the
Brazilian Code of Advertising self-regulation; condemning the action of indirect advertising or
merchandising contractor who employs children, elements of childhood or other devices with the
deliberate purpose of capturing the attention this specific audience, whatever the vehicle used.
Given the above, the literature shows that advertisers, in order to create their strategies of marketing
on the internet, can highlight specific practices to children and use them to take advantage of
children’s vulnerability to attract their attention.
This study sought to observe whether the practices described so far occur in the Brazilian context
and advertisers distinguish the child audience in their marketing strategies.
6. METHODOLOGY
To operationalize this research, this study has used the method of content analysis. This method is
widely used for research in communications; it produces an objective, systematic and quantifiable
analysis of the content of communication (KASSARJIAN, 1977).
Chart 2 shows how the research was defined and Chart 3 shows the categories of analysis.
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CHART 2
Delimitations of the research.
ELEMENT
RESEARCH
UNIT
SAMPLE
SECTOR SEARCHES
(JUSTIFICATION)
SCOPE OF
RESEARCH
Practices of
marketing
aimed at
children.
Websites
advertisers
Food – Major investments, history of media usage, pioneering
the practices of online marketing. Specific regulations.
Brazil
(Brazilian
Websites).
Toys – Child target audience. It uses cartoon characters. Great
attraction for children media.
Clothes – Good differentiation between audiences (child,
teenager and general), so is possible can establish parameters to
identify communication practices of well-defined marketing.
Source: Elaborated by authors.
6.1 SELECTION OF WEBSITES FOR RESEARCH
Some rules have been used for the selection of potential brands to find candidates for corporate
research websites:






We have identified notorious brands in Brazil, which advertise in other media such as television
and magazines of general circulation.
We have sought organizations with in the sectors, considering their main investors.
Internet addresses have been sought on the packaging of products.
the insertion of a potential brand in the address of a Web browser, for example,
<www.nestle.com.br>
Companies’ internet search with links to website for children or games section has been
performed.
The insertion of a tag in the system Google search has been performed.
CHART 3
Categories of analysis (Practices marketing communications).
CATEGORY
Practice 1 (advergames)
What was observed
Practice 2 (Video)
What was observed
Practice 3 (Viral Marketing)
What was observed
Practice 4 (cartoon)
What was observed
Practice5 (Gifts)
What was observed
ANALYSIS
Presence of advergames on the website
If the websites have a specific place for games.
Presence of advertise video on the website
If websites contain video advertising and whether these can be watched again and
again.
Presence of Viral marketing.
If advertiser practice Viral marketing.
Presence of cartoons associated with products.
f the websites use the practice to associate their products with cartoon characters
Offer gifts
If the websites use the practice of offering gifts.
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7. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
By means of chi-square test a total of 139 websites of the surveyed sectors have been analyzed and
the results indicate that there is no significant dependency between practices of marketing and target
audience. Chart 4 presents the consolidated results of the test.
CHART 4
General results of statistical test.
X²
SECTORS
CALCULATED
All
4,85
Food
3,59
Toys
1,66
Clothes
7,14%
RESULTS
DEGREE
X² TABELATED
(5%)
q= (r-1) x (s-1)
8= (5-1) x (3-1)
15,51
8= (5-1) x (3-1)
15,51
5= (5-1) x (2-1)
11,07
6= (4-1) x (3-1)
12,59
X² TABELATED
(10%)
13,36
13,36
9,24
10,64
RESULT
No significant
No significant
No significant
No significant
The results indicate that there is no distinction of target audience for the sectors surveyed, which
could mean a lack of a specific strategy to children when the website aims to coverall audiences.
So the websites aimed at children, to obtain information of the results were analyzed by sector. It
was possible to observe some important aspects.
7.1 SECTORS FOOD AND TOYS
When the data from the sectors food and toys from the point of view of their target audiences are
compared, has been observed that significant changes are not observed when isolating the children.
Chart 5 shows these results.
CHART 5
Marketing practices compared to the target audience (Sectors of food and toys).
SECTOR FOOD
ALL AUDIENCES
CHILDREN
HAVE
HAVE
HAVE
HAVE
NOT
NOT
Advergames
54%
46%
68%
32%
Video
33%
67%
32%
68%
Viral Marketing
17%
83%
19%
81%
Cartoons
72%
28%
74%
26%
Gifts
52%
48%
58%
42%
MARKETING
PRACTICE
SECTOR TOYS
ALL AUDIENCES
CHILDREN
HAVE
HAVE
HAVE
HAVE
NOT
NOT
26%
74%
32%
68%
26%
74%
32%
68%
4%
96%
5%
95%
43%
57%
47%
53%
13%
87%
16%
84%
7.2 SECTOR CLOTHES
Data from the clothes sector were equal to three activities: the presence of games, viral marketing
and association of products with cartoons, so data were pooled. It has been noted among advertisers
little practical use of this study focused. Chart 6 presents the data.
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CHART 6
Data from the clothes sector.
MARKETING PRACTICE
Advergames/ Viral Marketing/ Cartoon
Video
CLOTHES
ALL AUDIENCES
CHILDREN
HAVE
HAVE
HAVE
HAVE
NOT
NOT
6%
94%
17%
83%
31%
69%
17%
83%
8. DISCUSSION
The present study has demonstrated that the Internet has become highly attractive to advertisers.
Not only as a new channel of promotion, but with the discovery of new dimensions of contact with
the consuming public.
By the researched information, it was identified that the marketing practices used in the United
States, the UK and Brazil are similar. This suggests the adoption of similar measures that have
positive results.
The results of the studies showed that Brazil has followed the global trend of using the Internet as
an integrator of marketing programs.
If previous studies have concluded that exposure to advertising influences beliefs, preferences,
purchase requests and promotional options, and, according to the IBGE, the exposure of children in
Brazil is larger than the other children in the world, this issue becomes be essentially public policy
in this country.
Unlike television, there are no restrictions on the levels of exposure of children to marketing
messages on the Internet.
Children are free to visit websites, spend unlimited time, and return on later occasions. So, Brazilian
children are vulnerable to marketing practices as U.S. and other parts of the world.
Based on the results of the statistical analysis, we can infer that the marketing practices do not
depend on the target audience, this may mean that companies lack clear strategic in relation to the
differentiation of the target audience within websites.
However, when the target audience is the only child, the presence of the practice of marketing is
evident.
The present study highlights two of the surveyed sectors with important data for analysis: the food
and toy industries. In these two sectors, two marketing practices had the highest incidence: the
presence of advergames and the association of cartoon characters or movies.
8.1 GAMES ON THE INTERNET
For the food industry, when all audiences are considered, more than half (54%), has a specific place
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for games, which is already an important data. However, when the child audience is observed alone,
68% of websites contain games.
In this study, most of the analyzed websites have games for small children, like memory game,
coloring games or games typically for children preschool age.
How not always the main product is aimed at this age group, it can mean either a lack of clarity in
defining the target audience for the advertiser, as a deliberate intention to draw the attention of
young children, taking advantage of their vulnerability.
Regarding the toy industry, it uses the same tactics of the food industry and marketing study
showed that, when the target audience is children, the presence of advergames is also significant
(68% food, 32% toys).
An important aspect observed in this study is that there are no limits on the time children spend on
the internet both in the food sector as in the toy industry.
In the clothing industry, little is observed on games utilization to attract children (6%). The strategy
of this sector websites is focused more on the exhibition of their collections than on attracting
children to other elements of the website that are unrelated to its portfolio.
8.2 USE OF CARTOONS CHARACTER
Mainly in the food sector, there is a strong current debate on the use of cartoon characters or movies
to promote products. Several actions dealing with the subject, seeking to protect children from this
marketing practice.
In Brazil, the Instituto de Defesa do Consumidor - IDEC, a study conducted in 2010, examined
brands that use child characters and found that most products with this practice were not healthy for
children's consumption.
IDEC (2010) has published some recommendations, among them that the products should contain
the nutritional information for children and not for adults, informing equivalent portions in the
different brands and the excessive consumption of fat, sodium and sugar can cause damage to
children's health.
Concerning the Brazilian legislation though, there is an effort to discuss the use of cartoon
characters, these efforts do not deal specifically with the internet environment. This gap opens the
path for advertisers to keep on using the practice of marketing without the control of specific laws.
However, while the food industry is heavily criticized for the use of children's characters, the toy
industry has been using this practice for a long time without deserving any specific attention.
Dolls, superheroes have always been widely sold to children and have not been associated with
child health problems. The same happens in the clothes sector, where superhero costumes or
clothing showing images of children characters are widely sold in different markets.
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Thus, what seems to be at stake is not the use of the character, but the consumption of products
associated with these characters.
It seems reasonable to restrain the sale of food products associated with children's characters that
can harm children's health, such as instant noodles, cookies or fast food with high fat content, but it
seems unreasonable to curb the sale of Spiderman or Batman costumes for kid’s parties.
Remember that a major program of childhood immunization in the Brazilian context, which is the
national campaign against polio, that uses a child character (Zé Gotinha) to encourage children to
take the vaccine dose.
Thus, from the viewpoint of practical use of marketing communication, interested in preserving the
child, public officials must establish policies that take into consideration aspects of consumed
product and marketing practice used.
8.3 GIFT OFFERING
Another practice of marketing worth mentioning is to offer gifts. In the food sector, over half of the
websites presented giveaways (52.17% to all audiences, 58.06% children audiences).
This practice suggests that advertisers do not differentiate the child audience of the general public to
offer gifts. Regarding the type of gift, the offer of PC wallpaper has prevailed. In such cases, the
brand is permanently displayed on the user's computer. Most websites also offers emoticons, which
are fixed or animated symbols and can be used as complementary texts, making them attractive.
8.4 PARENTAL CONTROL
Regarding the use of internet by children without adult supervision, it has been found that the
notification to parents about using the internet is an important tool for policy online marketing.
If parents have access to policies, they can establish restrictions on the use of the Internet by their
children. Some websites have specific space for information to parents and guardians.
In general, the information is accessible if parents are willing to consult.
Many also provide a mechanism to contact the company if they have any questions. However, it
was not evident wether parents actually supervise or not the activities of their children.
Despite their awareness of the importance of knowing what their children are accessing on the
Internet, there is no efficient control. But there are recommendations of several types disseminated
by various media.
There is no legislation regarding the requirements to apply parent’s permission to a child access the
website seeking entertainment.
These aspects may pave the way for companies wishing to hold the child's attention, without having
to ask parents permission.
32
8.5 LEGISLATION ABOUT PRACTICES OF COMMUNICATION MARKETING
Regarding the legislation on the subject of this study, Brazil establishes, or is in the process of
establishing specific rules on advertising directed at children.
These rules generally deal with restrictions on network television or sale of food products
accompanied with toys associated with children's characters.
There are also claims of governmental and non-governmental associations interested in the subject,
remanding actions from industry and government to defend the interests of children. However, with
the exception of privacy protections, the government does not set rules for online marketing to
children.
Those rules basically deal with the food sector, leaving a side sectors that can attract children’s
attention, especially the toy industry.
It would be necessary to establish efforts to regulate all sectors and not just the food sector and
establish guidelines for advertisers on how to communicate with children appropriately for each
age. This self-regulation has an important role in protecting children for misleading advertising in
any media in which children have access.
For rules covering media accessed by children, legislation should take into account new
technologies, like the internet, which are not subject to the same obligations to serve the public
interest as the broadcast networks (TV and radio) are.
Currently, there are no limits to the number or duration of exposure advertising on the internet. Also
there is no requirement to advise children how to defend themselves. Must take into consideration
what children are consuming, because the damage to their health is direct related to this factor. First
of all, one needs to establish what is healthy and what is not.
9. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
For the sample studied, it was shown that advertisers do not distinguish between public child and
others in their public websites. In the Brazilian context this suggests that there is no strategy
different from those used in countries like the U.S. and UK, whose research shows similar results
marketing.
As the trend is that Brazil will increase its market share because of its growth potential, this is a
matter to be taken into consideration for regulations and public policies?
If other countries are taking actions in relation to the vulnerability of the child, measures in the
Brazilian context could seek analogies between consumer behavior and mode of action of
advertisers in Brazil with the developed countries.
Regarding individual analyzes of each marketing practice studied, the results indicate that
advertisers effectively these practices rely on their websites, and how children can access them
whenever they want, they are vulnerable to persuasion attempts, and are susceptible an exhibition of
the brand indefinitely.
33
Highlighting the food sector, the practices observed, the presence of advergames and the use of
cartoon's characters are highlighted by the presence, in most of the surveyed websites, especially
when the products are aimed at children, which suggests the objective determination of advertisers
to attract and retain the attention of children.
Considering the nutritional profile of foods that appear in the results have been highly negative,
explicit to purchase and consume these items may raise concerns incentives websites examined. If
promoted on websites foods are not healthy for children, marketing efforts to consume, but also
rewarding children to consume them, may be of interest to public policy makers.
Thus, the risk of damage depends in part on the nutritional profile of each mark individually. This
should be extended to other sectors that have children as a target audience. The characteristics of
what the child consumes must determine the scope of operation of policies to the welfare of the
child.
Given the above, the question of whether or not to prohibit the broadcasting of advertisements
infant ceases to be only related to the nutritional profile or characteristics of the products consumed
and also happen to be an ethical issue. The focus becomes whether the industry has the right or not
to manipulate the naive child. The public interest needs to reflect on the best way to balance these
issues.
9.1 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The performance characteristics that may have influenced the results of the work were:



As for sampling, this study used nonprobability sample, which does not allow control of
sampling error, as well as generalizations from the sample to the universe.
Three sectors of the market were used for observation of websites containing marketing
practices to children. It would be important to a larger sample.
The sample used in this study is not representative of the population of children users of the
internet as a whole. In general, children use the internet for various purposes, including studies,
socialization and entertainment social networks, and that can be achieved without necessarily
going through marketing practices.
9.2 SUGGESTIONS FOR NEW RESEARCHS
There is need for a broader research agenda in this area to support public policy efforts at selfregulation and accountability of the industry in relation to marketing practices to children on the
Internet. This study intended to be the first step in this process in the Brazilian context.
As this study did not intend to generalize the results for the Brazilian population, the results
reported here are only valid for the studied sample. This is a new theme to be explored by
researchers who can undertake a comparative study of the practices of Brazilian marketing with
other countries Internet users.
Another suggestion for future research is to seek marketing practices that were not addressed in this
study because they are not part of their definition.
34
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Note: Authors are solely responsible for the translation of their articles from Portuguese to English.
37

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