AuthorPawel Juraszek Witnessing the popularity of digital technologies we also see the fast changing advertising and marketing methods. Operating in digital world marketers can target very specific audiences at much lower cost and on a much bigger scale. One of those relatively new methods is the use of advergames. This controversial way of targeting children is widely commented and not seen as an ethical digital marketing technique. Advergames can be perceived as form of product placement but as well as part of Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) implemented by brands in their marketing campaigns. In late 2006 the leading fast food brand Burger King made 3 advergames for a promotion. One of them titled Sneak King is a game where players act as big headed king who delivers food to citizens but he must be sneaking up on them to be successful. Otherwise those people may lose their appetite because nobody wants a guy sneaking up on them and giving them food. This particular game was not free costing 3.99$ and could only be purchased together with a value meal deal. All three games were sold in 3.2 million copies, whereas Burger King generated 40% increase in sales over the year. Questioning aspects related to ethical digital marketing in the case of advergamesThe effectiveness of advergames as a marketing technique can be achieved particularly because of the fact that the time exposure to the brand during gaming sessions is not limited by any regulations and can be a significant influencing factor. Children's reaction to their game participation is very emotional so it can have impact on memorising the brands and help to develop implicit loyalty towards them. Brands are then naturally associated with fun and perceived positively in terms of entertainment what can increase particular product desire. Many popular food brands have those games free to play on their product websites or to download them on so popular among kids smartphones and other mobile devices. It allows them to be involved in those games unlimitedly. The game world in which a child is immersed has brand elements or heroes attractive for users to interact with. The addictive excitement and fun delivered by each gaming session has a big impact on children’s food choices. As majority of brands offering advergames are considered to be manufactures of unhealthy, low nutritional value, high in salt and sugar products, it raises concerns that the use and attractiveness of those games among children can be dangerous and have an impact on their eating habits. The results of the survey conducted in 2017 in the U. S. by Common Media Sense a non-profit organization concentrated on helping children to function in Digital World, show that the amount of time spent by children 8 years old and younger with mobile screens has tripled in the last 4 years, 42% of those kids have some tablet devices. 49% of children in these age group play games. "As graphics become more sophisticated, and download times quicker and quicker, so the experience in the virtual world will become ever-more enticing" (Lindstrom and Seybold 2003, p.174). Being aware of this fact marketers do not miss the opportunity to implement games as a marketing medium. The popularity of this form of entertainment so appealing to young generation and being a part of marketing targeted to children is often perceived as unethical. In addition to this in many countries the promotion of unhealthy food is restricted by law and they cannot be aired on TV or printed so the online channel is the only way to reach the age group. The regulations referring to online advertising are not clear and marketers take advantage of this fact. The companies who see the potential in advergames are mainly those food giants who target children with unhealthy, low nutritional value products like McDonalds, Kellogg’s, Cadbury, Kraft or Millsberry with their selling icons like M & M’s, Walker’s Crisps, Pepsi or Red Bull. A big concern in the debate on advergames is whether the children are aware of the fact it is a form of advertising and has the same function as its TV or print equivalents. The question is when children are not treating those games in terms of product advertisements then are they more likely to be influenced by them comparing to traditional advertising?Dr Haiming Hang marketing lecturer at the University of Bath claims that kids do not understand the games are adverts and do not have ‘cognitive defence’ to this kind of marketing. There is no final answer to this question and it is hard to change the situation we are facing. More evident are discussions about an ethical aspects of digital marketing especially those tools used to target children. Should ethical digital marketing be the priority? On the other hand the same marketing techniques could be used in a good way to promote healthy, well- balanced diet, valuable food products and proper lifestyle patterns. Manufactures say that common sense and personal responsibility should be the key factors in decision making. In their opinion consumers should make good choices for themselves saying that food companies are providing what consumers want advertising those products in the most recent way which is using digital techniques, for instance advergames. At the same time the range of products available influence the consumer choice and the intensity of advertising as well affect the audience. There is growing international discussion that unhealthy food marketing to children should be reduced. As well more pressure is put on food companies and marketers to act more social responsibly. Much of the restrictions concerning marketing and advertising regulations refers to television whereas digital marketing is becoming more effective, more wide spread and more consumed especially by the young ones. More evident and loudly debated discussion about regulations on all forms of marketing of unhealthy food targeted to children is taking place to set up standardised, transparent policy so widely avoided by digital marketers. Functioning in digital environment children are being exploited especially exposed to constant marketing towards them. The results of surveys concerning the parents knowledge about their children exposure to adverts and their possible negative influence on them are quite shocking. Studies show that parents of children targeted with marketing in digital media are often unaware of unhealthy food promoting strategies used online. Respondents in recent surveys claimed that their children would rather ignore any unhealthy food advertising and that the amount of those ads they are viewing is very low. The lack of the awareness of potential dangers to which their young ones are prone to be exposed every day consuming very manipulative forms of unethical digital marketing could be the reason of not interfering in their online engagement. Advergames as a part of digital marketing strategy is relatively new phenomenon and there is not much research done on the influence of advergames, that is why it is so hard to assess its impact on children behavior. Being quite controversial IMC technique not surprisingly this issue is widely discussed in term of ethics in digital marketing. References Booty, T. (2017) ‘What Have Ethics Got to do with Digital Marketing’, Digital Marketing Magazine. Available at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-features/what-have-ethics-got-to-do-with-digital-marketing (Accessed: 28 February 2018). Clarke, B. and Svanaes, S. (2012) Digital marketing and advertising to children: a literature review. Advertising Education Forum. Douglas, W. (2007) ‘GDC 07: Burger King gets its game on’, Gamespot. Available at: GDC 07: Burger King gets its game on Green, C. (2014) ‘Food Giants target children with addictive advergames’, Independent. Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/food-giants-target-children-with-addictive-advergames-9222302.html (Accessed: 28 February 2018). Howard, J. (2017) ‘Kids under 9 spend more than 2 hours a day on screens, report shows’, CNN. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/19/health/children-smartphone-tablet-use-report/index.html (Accessed: 23 February 2018). Lindstrom, M. and Seybold, P. (2003) Brand Child. London: Kogan Page. World Health Organization (2016) Tackling food marketing to children in a digital world: trans-disciplinary perspectives. Regional Office for Europe.
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