On 22 April 2015, the Children’s University programme at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences will kick off the 2015 summer term with a child-friendly session on the topic of advertising.
Kleve/Kamp-Lintfort, 16 April 2015: Coca-Cola, Apple or Nike – many of us choose our food, clothes and other products based on the brand. We learn what a brand stands for through advertising. But what were companies actually thinking when they designed their adverts? Why do companies advertise in the first place? What effect does advertising have on us? Answers to these and other questions can be found in the Children’s University lecture ‘Advertising – annoying or useful?’
You’d think that adverts were produced solely for adults who earn money and decide what to spend it on. It sounds logical, but that isn’t the case. Adverts from car manufacturers or food companies are increasingly aimed at appealing to both adults and children. This is because many children have a ‘say’ when it comes to shopping. Six-year-olds are already able to recognise adverts. They remember advertising slogans particularly well and often enjoy repeating them. By the age of about ten, children often see through the advertising. At this stage, the aim of advertising is to create an image for the product with which children of this age are happy to identify. This fosters a sense of belonging to a group.
That is why it makes sense to ask yourself, when you come across advertising messages, what the intention behind them might be. One should take care not to be taken in by advertising, to make one’s own decisions and not to allow oneself to be influenced. The successful marketing of products and services – that is the speciality of Prof. Dr Marion Halfmann. Her particular areas of focus are methods of innovative market communication and research into consumer behaviour.
The Children’s University.
Through the Children’s University, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences offers children aged between eight and twelve the opportunity to develop a passion for the world of science through lectures (45 minutes) specially designed for them. Just like real students, they are given student ID cards. They sit in lecture theatres and can ask real professors all sorts of questions. The main difference from a proper degree course is that there are no exams to sit.
Get involved!
Children keen to study at the Children’s University can attend either all the lectures or just individual ones. The current lecture timetable for the Children’s University can be viewed on the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences website at www.hochschule-rhein-waal.de. No registration is required for the lectures. Admission is free.
Many thanks to our partners and sponsors:
The Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences Children’s University was selected as part of the Operational Programme for North Rhine-Westphalia, co-financed by the ERDF under the Objective ‘Regional Competitiveness and Employment 2007–2013’.
