Virtual worlds targeted at children are a relatively new market, but one that’s growing quickly. Researchers expect that more than half of kids online will belong to a virtual world within four years–more than double the current figures.
Kids are spending more time online than ever before. Social networking sites for children are growing fast – and they are attracting attention from big media companies and concerned adults, says Matthew Wall. Parents are very concerned because its very difficult to monitor how their child interacts online. Unlike TV where certain shows are rated and can easily be blocked, the internet is extremely hard to control. But concern is growing about the way some of these sites are marketing themselves to young children. Webkinz may be advertising-free, but it is nonetheless relentlessly commercial in its approach.
“There is a lot of interest in the Webkinz business model as it is one of the first to combine the real and virtual worlds so effectively.Offering real toys reinforced by a virtual world of games is a brilliant way to enhance a brand and build up a continual relationship with it. That they can do this without resorting to advertising, as many free-to-play games sites have to do, is impressive.” It will be difficult for young kids to realize that they are being advertised to. A lot of them will just think that they are playing one of the latest games without even realizing that they are being marketed too.
“This is a very powerful medium for marketing because it involves this huge engagement. It’s more powerful than a sugar cereal commercial,” said Bob Bowers, CEO of Numedeon, whose Whyville members spend about three and a half hours a month on the virtual world. He added: “Therefore there need to be standards”. The internet is much more effective because it’s a lean forward medium rather than a lean back medium like what were used to in TV ads.
How effective will online advertising be? For example, both Gaia Online and Whyville worked with Toyota on a Scion car promotion. After launching a virtual car ownership promotion “In the first three hours we had 29,000 Gaia users getting a car and showing it off to their friends,” according to Craig Sherman, CEO of Gaia Online. Businesses are going to be investing a substancial amount of money into future online advertising. Research firm Parks Associates expects that advertisers will spend $150 million in virtual worlds by 2012, up 10 times the spending in 2006. Though still a relatively small amount, it excludes marketers spending on their own virtual worlds, like BarbieGirls.com.
As marketers become more creative and adapt to new methods it will be increasingly difficult for consumers to know when they are being advertised to. Consumers are so saturated with advertisments that most of us block them out. However, the future success of advertising will depend on consumers not knowong that they are being advertised to. Children need more protection online as unscrupulous advertisers switch from TV to the internet. Children can easiliy be manipulated by advertising because they are unaware that they are being advertised too.
References
Click Z: Virtual Worlds Aren’t Just for Reaching Adults Anymore http://www.clickz.com/3626340
CNET News: Are kids ready for advertising in virtual worlds?
http://www.news.com/Are-kids-ready-for-ads-in-virtual-worlds/2009-1024_3-6213661.html?tag=nefd.pop
The Guardian: Online marketers aim for the kids http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/oct/17/advertising
The Guardian: Virtual worlds for kids take off http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/aug/09/digitalmedia.web20
