It does not take a couch potato to realize that in modern China,
children are becoming the most favored demographic for television
producers and advertisers. Turn on the TV and no matter what
channel it is, the audience can easily find an innocent face
selling products ranging from toothpaste and milk to computers and
digital cameras.
Although the presence of a child in an ad can cash in on
people's perpetual yearning for family harmony and, in turn, make
the commercials more touching, National Bureau of Statistics Chief
Economist Yao Jingyuan believes there is actually a more practical
reason involved.
One fact not to be neglected is that Chinese children are
exerting greater influence on their parents' choices of
commodities.
"If you have seen how many moms bring their kids to the
supermarkets, you should have a better understanding of the
child-centered commercials," Yao explained. "The way to a kid's
heart is the way to the pockets of their parents."
Recent studies have shown that the average Chinese child begins
to display a desire to control his or her own life around age
three. They manifest this by refusing to accept items from their
parents. After age 10, children also want a say not only in their
own everyday affairs but on the household as well.
Without even taking into account the huge amounts of money that
tend to be spent on their behalf, it is easy to see why children
are becoming an important target market.
The statistics bureau recently carried out a survey in which it
found that most Chinese families have ranked raising a child as
their number one reason for steadily saving money. By the end of
2003, the nationwide balance in individual bank accounts totaled
more than 11 trillion yuan (US$1.3 trillion).
Zhao Shunyi, former director of the Chinese Center for Children,
agrees that kids are exerting more control, but does not believe
they are assuming a greater sense of independence at an earlier age
than preceding generations. Zhao surmises it was in fact because
they are allowed more freedom or given more encouragement to
display it.
Most young parents in China are walking a tightrope between
traditional Chinese culture, which has them focusing on providing
their children with comfortable lives, and the impact of a more
open social atmosphere, which allows them to value their children's
tendencies for self-reliance.
However, the enhanced market attention given to today's children
will not necessarily bring positive results. In fact, concerns have
been expressed over the intensifying battle for advertising
demographics, saying they might mislead the children and obscure
their real needs.
"Peer influences can affect children as much, if not more, than
their parents, no matter whether the influence is from the media or
from everyday life," Zhao said. "When a commercial is telling kids
that it is better to drink this or eat that, and they do so by
showing other children seemingly enjoying it, the kids most likely
fall easy prey to it. But is that really good for the children, or
do they really need that?"
Dong Guanpeng, a communications researcher with Tsinghua
University, has urged more caution in "promoting goods" to
children.
(China Daily May 14, 2004)