Tips and Resources for Teaching Kids How to Be Savvy About Ads and Marketing
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Kids are exposed to hundreds of ads a day. Teaching them how to understand marketing can help them learn to make informed decisions about money. These financial tips and resources can help parents create a plan to educate their kids on the effects of advertising and marketing.
Hundreds of marketing ads are seen by families daily, like an army of ants coming to infiltrate a summer picnic; they are annoying, intrusive, and keep coming back for more!
Even preschoolers easily recognize names and logos. They see red circles and know it’s Target, or they spot a goldfish on a package and know their favorite snack crackers.
Nothing about marketing is necessarily bad, but it highlights that from a young age, exposure to it has a lot of influence. Educating our kids about advertising helps them become better consumers now and as adults.
The problem is that there are so many ads we can mindlessly move through the day, not even recognizing the number we have seen or heard. They have become an unconscious and manipulative part of our daily lives.
Without spotlighting how advertising draws people into the desire to purchase products, kids can easily fall prey to the constant sway of marketing messages.
As you create plans to teach and mentor your kids about finances, consider adding notes at each stage about marketing and advertising. Help them to recognize different types of advertising, as well as how to think about the claims ads make.
Let’s dive in!
A quick economics review for the kids first!
What is the difference between needs and wants?
Needs: Something necessary for life.
Food
Water
Shelter
Air
Wants: things that are nice to have but not necessary.
Vacations
Toys
Candy
Luxury Items
Talk with kids about needs vs. wants and create some activities to help reinforce the differences…
Point out items online, in your home, or at the store and ask your kids if they are needs or wants.
Save a few ads and fliers from the mail and have kids sort them into needs and wants piles.
As I write this, the Super Bowl is a few weeks away. Talk about the epic commercials created each year. How much do they cost to make? Who is the target audience for each commercial? Which commercial was the favorite and why? Did the commercial alter your mood? Have fun as you teach your kids about ads while eating your spicey wings!
Some items are more difficult to sort into wants or needs. Here are a few examples…
Water is a need, but do we need cases of name-brand water?
Coats are a need, but how many are too many?
Transportation is a need. Why do parents buy a minivan instead of a sports car?
Making choices about how to spend money is an essential lesson. What are the best options for the dollars you have?
Saving for a rainy day?
Buying a big ticket item you want?
Donating money to charity?
Buying items on sale to save money?
Discuss opportunity cost with kids. (What do you lose by choosing one option with your money over another?)
Definitions, Tips, and Resources
Marketing: When a company promotes and sells products and services to people.
Targeted Marketing: personalizing advertising based on data collected for a specific audience or demographic.
Advertising: a paid promotion for a product, service, or cause.
Some thoughts to share with kids…
Marketing is about businesses getting you (the consumer) to notice their products and services and to get you to spend your money on them. It’s not necessarily a bad thing because we can choose to spend our money or not spend our money.
It gets tricky, however, if we are not paying attention as a consumer. We have limited money, so we must make intelligent choices regarding what to buy. Creating budgets helps people make a plan for the money they have.
Ad companies study people's brains and emotions to find the best ways to sell to them.
Ask kids where they notice ads. (online, apps, magazines, mail, TV, streaming, Gaming, Learning sites, billboards, social media, YouTube, texts, influencers)
Check out these resources for more tips…
How to Teach Your Children Marketing (And Why), A Forbes article that includes excellent questions to ask kids while watching commercials.
Talking to Kids About Advertising Great National Geographic article includes how kids think about advertising at different ages and stages, as well as it breaks down different types of marketing to talk with kids about!
The Digital World is Built on Advertising. How Do We Help Kids Navigate It? Tips for in-app advertising, video platform, and influencer ads, as well as data collection and profiling information and help for parents.
Consider this Wayne’s World “Advertising” movie clip. It provides a great example of how influencers today online may advertise without creating an ad.
Lastly, I leave you with this quote by Steve Jobs, Founder of Apple, “If you aren’t paying for the product, you are the product.” When talking with kids about privacy and free content online, it’s a great conversation starter.
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