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Sunday, October 21, 2007

 

Advertising in Virtual world

Kids have now become focus of attraction for almost all advertising – starting from Car to loans!
This is not just limited to family products on TV and main media, its escalated its way to virtual world too. There are many gaming sites/communities which attract kids who who spend hours a month playing games and socializing.

Though these may boast of successful experiments with marketing wherein preteens are driving virtual Toyota Scions on sites such as Whyville.net and Gaia Online, and they're wearing the latest digital fashions from DKNY at Stardoll.com. Nickelodeon also talked about coming plans to run "immersive" ads in its 3D environment for kids ages 7 to 14.

In India, the same is seen by bubblegum and other ads in which kids get so involved that each time my neice pops in a gum, she waits for Boomes to come and take her on a joyride!
In India and abroad, as of now kids gaming is a nascent industry with relatively no standards for advertising and media watchdogs.

With 3D worlds, lines between content and product marketing is blurring and kids start to believe all the fantacies they live in are for real. Such games change the equation for brand marketers because a child's interaction and emotional engagement is so high.
So far, the only regulations protecting kids online are through the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998. The legislation stipulates that sites targeting children under the age of 13 must post a detailed privacy policy and obtain permission from parents to collect any personal information about them. However, COPPA doesn't deal directly with advertising. With innocent minds and emotions at stake, advertisers and brand managers need think - Are kids really ready to live in such in virtual worlds?

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