Communicating to the Young ConsumerRelating to children and young people in an effective and responsible way

Although communicating to young consumers has become increasingly important, there has been much recent criticism of the exploitation of children by the media and marketers. In the US the youth market is estimated to influence $500 billion in total retail spend, the UK youth market is estimated to be worth... read more£30bn a year ; and children aged 7 – 11 are thought to be spending nearly £20 million as consumers.

Those who wish to communicate to young consumers need to accept a degree of responsibility. They have to put the rights of children and their safety at the forefront as an essential communication objective. They also need to understand the different developmental stages of children so that they can ensure that their communication is appropriate for their audience.

This series addresses these issues, giving those that need to communicate with this complex market some essential pointers to understanding their audience and ensuring that they are meeting their communication objectives while not contravening any of the guidelines and legislation that have been introduced in recent years.