Advertisements – useful or just plain irritating?
First Kids’ Uni lecture of summer semester 2015 at Rhine-Waal
Rhine-Waal University’s Kids’ Uni programme is gearing up a new semester of fun programmes for children. On April 22, 2015, the first kid-friendly lecture in the summer semester 2015 programme will be held in Kleve. Professor Dr. Marion Halfmann, Dean of the Faculty of Society and Economics and Professor of Business Administration with an emphasis on Marketing and Market-oriented Management, will teach children about marketing and advertisement in a fun, interactive and understandable way. As always, Kids’ Uni lectures are free!
Coca-Cola, Apple, Nike – many of us shop by brand. What a brand signifies to us is determined through marketing. But what thoughts go into shaping a marketing campaign? Why do companies make advertisements? What effects do advertisements have on us? The first session of Kids’ Uni for the summer semester 2015 will introduce kids to these questions and more in a fun and understandable lecture.
You might think that advertisements only target adults with money to spend, but that’s not always true. Ads from car or food companies are often developed with the aim of reaching both adults and children, as children often have a say in family purchases that shouldn’t be underestimated. Children as young as six years old are able to understand advertising messages; at ten they can often glean ‘hidden purposes’ behind ads. This is the point when marketing campaigns attempt to create product images that children can identify with, which in turn promotes group belonging.
That’s one of the reasons why it’s important to always question the real motives behind a marketing campaign and understand how they’re attempting to manipulate thinking and behaviour. Professor Dr. Marion Halfmann is an expert in the successful marketing of products and services, particularly with regards to innovative market communication methods and consumer behaviour, and has an exciting and interesting lesson on the topic prepared for the first Kids’ Uni lecture of the semester.