Advertising to children is a very touchy subject among many members of the population; some site that it unduly tries to solicit youngster for sales, and still others object because children are more susceptible for falling prey to deceptive advertising.
Marketing to children is a lucrative and expanding area for businesses. In 2006 teen spending power was estimated at $153 billion. The average younger person views more than 3000 ads per day on television, on the Internet, on billboards, and in magazines.
Proctor and Gamble brand, Tampax may be guilty of deceptive advertising. Currently the tampon maker is heading up a viral marketing campaign known as Zack16.com.
This campaign follows the adventure or misfortune (depending on how you see it) of Zack Johnson a 16 year-old boy who wakes up to discover that his male genitalia have been replaced with girl parts. Zack16 is headed by a blog on which the main character chronicles his story; the site also features other new media such as video diary entries and Twitter feed. This all seems innocent enough even though the P&G company is not disclosed on the site; however the Tampax brand name is casually mentioned in site posts or shown sporadically in video scenes.
It seems rather sneaky that P&G would not want their name associated with such an innovative concept. Maybe P&G are following a theory expressed by Melissa Wolfson, president of the Creative Couch a promotion agency that specializes in youth marketing?
Or is it something less innocent like the personal care giant wants to push their brand on teenage girls but not be called out about the fact? They want to make it look like it’s the teens’ own discovery and not some tricky marketing ploy for sales.
Take a look at this Zack16.com and tell me what you think. P&G’s approach seems harmless enough. Most girls by the time they have reached womanhood are aware of a number of feminine hygiene brands and will recognize a veiled marketing attempt, no matter how innovative it is.
Shannon Davis said,
June 29, 2009 @ 3:43 am
I was incredibly confused after visiting this campaign website and viewing the videos, which feature a 16 year old boy who suddenly has “girl parts” and starts getting PMS symptoms and ultimately, his period. Is P&G, one of the world’s best known organizations for providing innovative and well-branded products, suddenly guilty of deceptive marketing? An article from Fast Company magazine explains, “Deception in promotional programs, communications, advertising, and customer service pollutes the entire market. Consistent integrity, not shady tactics, is the glue that bonds a brand to a consumer.”
The fact that you couldn’t tell who had created this campaign is at first somewhat intriguing and would definitely push me to investigate further; however, I’m not even sure that this marketing attempt is any good, especially because I have no idea who the target audience is! While I imagine that this Tampax marketing campaign is targeting teenage girls, I am very confused as to why such tactics would be employed. I’m not really sure that teenage girls would appreciate being marketed to from the perspective of a boy…especially when the content of the advertising is of a sensitive nature for teens. Overall, I think that P&G made a mistake in trying to create this innovative way to market to their audience…I imagine that this attempt will either backfire or fizzle out without giving them any substantial results.
Fast Company article, “Lying, Cheating Brands,” can be found here: http://www.fastcompany.com/resources/marketing/post/041706.html
joefactor said,
June 30, 2009 @ 2:39 am
This is a very bizare campaign and one that I was kind of turned off by, quite frankly. A guy that gets his period? I would not expect that from the brand management gurus at P&G. Burger King…maybe after their Sponge Bob Squarepants meets Sir Mix-A-Lot kurfufle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gMZ62PsvRM) but not P&G.
The Zack16.com website looks a bit reminiscint of the Napoleon Dynamite opening credits (http://assets.hulu.com/shows/key_art_napoleon_dynamite.jpg) and I was just very confused as to what was the hook, what it was about the site that was supposed to draw people in and sell the product. I am also always a bit skeptical about a brand or product where the company behind it does not disclose that information somewhere. On private label products the parent company is typically on the back of the package, websites typically have the parent company fairly well oriented on the site so that people know what they are getting even if it is under a different DBA name, such as Dove with Unilever (http://www.dove.us/#/us_landing.aspx/).