making promotional revelations tailored to young audiences
3 Tips brands should consider when making promotional revelations tailored to young audiences
The pandemic has changed the way young audiences communicate and consume entertainment, with children's daily device time doubling in the United States at the start of the shutdown. Overnight, each brand became a young, family brand with a responsibility to protect young audiences in the digital environment.
With the new stream of digital marketing strategies that continually create exciting and engaging experiences, there are also risks of confusion. The line between sponsored and non-sponsored content can become blurred, especially in new ad formats, such as in-game branding.
Young audiences need to know when they have a need, in a way they can clearly understand. Disclosure transparency, especially on children's content, is now a top priority for lawmakers, so your brand needs to stay ahead of the curve.
Here are 3 tips for brands to consider when making appropriate advertising disclosures to young audiences.
Tip 1:
Brands should be as transparent as possible when reaching audiences under 16.
According to the FTC, disclosures must be presented "clearly and prominently."
As such, brands must use language that the public will understand when disclosing advertising (e.g., "announcement" or "advertisement") and ensure that the disclosure is legible in font, size, and size. Size and color to stand out from the background.
Tip 2:
When advertising on social media, don't assume that the platform's disclosure tools alone are enough.
For example, YouTube has a disclosure tool that can be used on children's content to flag paid advertisements. While this can be a useful tool for creators, it's probably not enough by itself. The FTC and CARU have recently suggested that children are more likely to notice revelations made in audio and video. Therefore, as a best practice, videos should also combine audio disclosure (such as "This is an ad") and text disclosure to increase the likelihood that children will receive a notification.
Tip 3:
New ad formats like branded worlds on gaming platforms like Roblox require ad disclosure. Game
offers many new ways for advertisers to reach children, but regardless of form, the principle remains: Gamers
should know when they are being advertised. A prudent approach is to explicitly label sponsored games as advertising in promoted or discoverable places, at launch, and throughout the game.
