MUMBAI: Around one third of children in India's cities claim to have bought a product because they liked its advertising, a new report suggests.
The annual KidScan study from Kantar IMRB, based on a survey of 2,500 5-14 year olds in 14 cities – and an equal number of parents – in SEC A, B & C households, revealed how children use media and their influence on purchases both small and large.
It was evident, IndianTelvision.com reported, that advertising can play a significant role in shaping preferences and influence children to buy brands.
For example, 36% of children surveyed claimed to "definitely" go and buy a product because they felt that the ad was nice.
The study further found that kids act as brand consultants for categories other than those specifically targeted to them, as they have growing influence on purchases of major household items; three in ten parents said they consulted their children when buying consumer durables like refrigerators.
This willingness of parents to canvass their offspring's opinions is in part because the latter, thanks to digital technology, are exposed to far more marketing than their predecessors ever were and are consequently more brand-literate.
"We have moved away from pester power to seeing mutual respect in making decisions between the child and the parent," noted Hemant Mehta, chief strategy officer at Kantar IMRB.
In terms of media usage, half of children access the internet without assistance or oversight, and they spend an average of 48 minutes a day using a mobile phone or tablet. Almost one fifth who go online have Facebook accounts.
Six in ten (62%) see television as being about more than just entertainment; a similar proportion (63%) watch English-speaking channels to improve their language abilities.
The annual KidScan study from Kantar IMRB, based on a survey of 2,500 5-14 year olds in 14 cities – and an equal number of parents – in SEC A, B & C households, revealed how children use media and their influence on purchases both small and large.
It was evident, IndianTelvision.com reported, that advertising can play a significant role in shaping preferences and influence children to buy brands.
For example, 36% of children surveyed claimed to "definitely" go and buy a product because they felt that the ad was nice.
The study further found that kids act as brand consultants for categories other than those specifically targeted to them, as they have growing influence on purchases of major household items; three in ten parents said they consulted their children when buying consumer durables like refrigerators.
This willingness of parents to canvass their offspring's opinions is in part because the latter, thanks to digital technology, are exposed to far more marketing than their predecessors ever were and are consequently more brand-literate.
"We have moved away from pester power to seeing mutual respect in making decisions between the child and the parent," noted Hemant Mehta, chief strategy officer at Kantar IMRB.
In terms of media usage, half of children access the internet without assistance or oversight, and they spend an average of 48 minutes a day using a mobile phone or tablet. Almost one fifth who go online have Facebook accounts.
Six in ten (62%) see television as being about more than just entertainment; a similar proportion (63%) watch English-speaking channels to improve their language abilities.
Data sourced from IndianTelevision.com, Mint; additional content by WARC staff
