Marketing To Children Consumers

Marketing Research:

Children's Breakfast Cereal Consumer Report

Investigation to identify key influences that determine children's consumer behaviour and knowledge of branded cereals

Investigation into the effects of key influences on children's consumer behaviour and brand knowledge to determine a new marketing strategy.

Executive summary

This research aims to identify key influences that effect children's consumer behaviour and brand knowledge in relation to the children's cereal industry. As children are becoming increasingly powerful in today's market with the demise of the nuclear family fostering the 'guilt' compensation culture children today have more autonomy and more influence in what they purchase. This has lead increase interest from marketers in the cereal industry pursuing new, alternative and inventive marketing strategies to captivate and ever youthful buyer.

1. Introduction 5

2. Cereal Sector Analysis 6

3. Aim 7

3.1 Objectives 7

4. What is Marketing? 8

5. Children as Consumers 9

6. Factors that influence children's consumer behaviour and brand knowledge 11

6.1 Parents 11

6.2 Peer 11

6.3 Mass Media 12

6.4 Pester Power 13

6.5 Food Packaging 13

7. Methodology 14

7.1 Methodology Selection 14

7.2 Approach Justification 14

7.3 Gaining Access 15

7.4 Ethic in researching children 15

7.5 Procedure 15

7.6 Type of research chosen and method adopted 16

7.7 Sample Frame 16

7.8 Type of sample 17

7.9 Research Reliability 17

7.10 Research Validity 17

7.11 Limitations of the research 17

8. Results section 19

8.1 Family Role Results 19

8.2 TV Question Results 21

8.3 School and Peer Question Results 24

8.4 Children's Question Results 25

8.5 Results Analysis 27

8.6 Summary 28

9. Conclusion 28

10. Reflection 29

11. References 30

12. Appendix 1 31

13. Appendix 2 32

1. Introduction

Children today represent an important demographic to marketers (PDF), having their own purchasing power whilst still being able to influence the decisions of adults they represent a significant part of the food market segment. It is important today that marketers understand that children are their current and future consumers and as such they need to determine how best to market their products to achieve competitive advantage and create brand awareness. Lavidge and Stiener (1961) also agree and state that "there are potentially large rewards for companies who build brand awareness and preference among the young, knowing about brand may well be the first step to future purchases." In addition Fisher (1991) also suggested that children as young as 3 can recognise brand logos.

As children are becoming of increasing value to marketers this research proposes to identify what factors influence children's purchasing behaviour and brand awareness of food. This research will concentrate on cereals and cereal snack bars in order to determine the most prominent factor and thus propose an appropriate market strategy based on empirical research collected.

Today, the food industry is one of the major players in the field of advertising (Hastings et, al 2003). In the UK alone advertising spend on promotion per year is Ј743 million. With Ј522 million spent on television and Ј32 million in children's airtime.(Sonia Livingston 2005) With the most consistent advertisements being dominated by the 'big five' groups of foods that consist of pre-sugared cereals, soft drinks, confectionary, savoury snacks and fast food. Breakfast cereals hold a significant part of the grocery sector with over 90% of the UK households buying them. In 2000, 414,000 tons of breakfast cereals were sold in the UK at a retail value of Ј1.1 billion making it an important area for study to identify its future promotional direction. (www.mhne.com/business/marketing/forums/pdf/chapt3.pdf 2003).

2. Cereal Sector Analysis

Today children's food promotion is dominated by the advertisement of the so called 'big four' food products consisting of pre-sugared breakfast cereals, soft drinks, confectionary and savoury snacks (Food Standards Agency Report 2005). In the last ten years the promotion of fast food outlets has significantly increased and changed the 'big four' into the 'big five'. Breakfast cereals alone form an important and well established part of the grocery sector with over 90% of households buying them. In 2000, 414,000