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Developmental studies point to pre- and early adolescence as the age when children are most receptive to peer pressure. Indeed, the news media lately have described and deplored the peer pressure that makes costly sneakers and clothing items "must have's" for many kids &emdash; to the point that a few kids have robbed and murdered to get them.
Celebrities have endorsed products for decades. But they've never hawked such expensive "status" products. Nike's $120 Air Jordans, are not something kids can buy with their allowance. Yet celebrity campaigns for Nike, Converse, L.A. Gear and Reebok are linking these costly products to status and other things that matter a lot to kids. This report describes how.
The Celebrities
Celebrities who have a big kid-following, or athletes kids think are "cool" attract kids' attention. Using such celebrities in ad campaigns signals an intention to target kids.
L.A. Gear added Paula Abdul (who formerly represented Reebok) to a celebrity lineup that includes Michael Jackson, whose own line of L.A. Gear shoes will be introduced this summer "to coincide with the back-to-school season." Both stars are part of a $60 million promotion campaign called "Unstoppable." L.A. Gear also sponsored an MTV Museum of Rock & Roll show that traveled to hundreds of malls, well-known teen hang-outs.
Reebok is in negotiation with Madonna. It has also associated its product with Nintendo, one of the most popular kid games, by becoming a sponsor of the Nintendo World Championships and advertising that relationship to kids on Saturday morning TV and other children's programming.
Nike is also spending approximately $60 million on advertising campaigns featuring Spike Lee, Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Bo Jackson, Andre Agassi, and John McEnroe, among others. (According to a recent study by the Girl Scouts of America, Michael Jordan is one of the three living Americans whom kids most admire.)
Converse will spend $10 million on advertising and promotion for a line of athletic shoes and clothes endorsed by Magic Johnson.
The Messages
Loud rock music, rock stars, video games, and "teen-age rebellion" typify adolescent cultures. Using these themes are ways of attracting and communicating with adolescents. According to these simple criteria, most of the high-priced-sneaker commercials using celebrities deliver strong messages to kids, as the chart below shows:
|
PRODUCT |
CELEBRITY |
TV PROGRAM |
MESSAGE TO KIDS |
|
Reebok |
Nintendo |
Flintstones Kids |
Strong: In double-dutch video game, Nintendo girl flubs first attempt, then puts on Reeboks, scores 6560 points and wins. |
|
Reebok |
Nintendo |
Friday Night Videos, Sat. Edition |
Strong: In basketball video game, coach calls time, shows Reebok, Nintendo kid dunks winning shot, cheerleaders cheer. |
|
Reebok |
Pat Riley |
MTV |
Weak: LA Lakers former coach Pat Riley and players demonstrate the Pump. |
|
Nike |
Spike Lee
Michael Jordan |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles |
Strong: Loud rock music, fast cuts saying just kick, bounce, spike, zap, smash it. |
|
Nike |
David Robinson |
MTV |
Moderate: Mostly music. Cuts between dunking, playing piano, and Nike Force. |
|
Nike |
David Robinson |
MTV |
Strong: Makes fun of authority figure Coach Brown ("Don't think we're gonna have Coach on the show anymore...") |
|
Nike |
John McEnroe
Andre Agassi |
MTV |
Strong: Makes fun of authority figure giving tennis lesson, uses loud rock music. |
|
Converse |
Magic Johnson |
America's Favorite Home Videos |
Moderate: Mostly music, fast cuts to playing hoops, a girl, status license plate, antique car, Converse. |
|
Reebok |
Paula Abdul |
Sports Illustrated
for Kids (magazine) |
Strong: "Millions of girls want to be in her shoes. But she wants to be in ours." |
|
Converse |
Magic Johnson |
SI for Kids (magazine) |
Strong: Advice Q & A with an 8 year old boy. |
The Shows They Sponsor
We conducted a sampling of Nike, Reebok, and Converse commercials between 7 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on cable (MTV, ESPN, TNT, TBS) and network TV (NBC, CBS, ABC) for the month of May, 1990. (Data was compiled by Radio TV Reports, Inc.) Nike and Reebok commercials appeared more often on shows kids watch (MTV music videos, cartoons) than on sporting events, where a greater portion of the audience would presumably be adults.
|
PRODUCT
ENDORSERS |
TV SHOW(S) |
NUMBER OF TIMES AIRED
(between 5/7 & 6/3/90)
|
|
Nike |
MTV
Sports |
90 times
21 times |
|
Reebok |
Cartoons
Sports |
22 times
19 times |
|
Converse |
General
Sports |
5 times
3 times |
- "Kids are very brand conscious.... The Air Jordan shoe worn by perhaps the best athlete in the world is popular because Michael Jordan is an outstanding role model for kids and teens. We are seeing the effects of the Air Jordan campaign on sales, and we are pleased." Liz Dolan (Nike)
- "We made our sunglasses into a hip, must-have item through celebrity emulation...Now Ray-Ban is a generic term for quality sunglasses worn by Billy Joel, Madonna ... Since kids and teens love to emulate stars, wearing our sunglasses gives them an easily recognizable status symbol ...When Andre Agassi became a teen idol, we set up a booth at the U.S. Open. We were swarmed by kids asking for 'the kind of Ray-Bans Andre Agassi wears.'" Norman Salik (Baush and Lomb)
- "Kids and teens are generally more susceptible to many forms of inducement, among which music is one of the most powerful... Music is also used to project desirable lifestyles and manipulate peer pressure." Scott Chatfield (KGB-FM)
- "With the use of Paula Abdul as spokesperson, Reeboks are now favored by teen girls who want to be able to dance like Paula. A product that had turned uncool could reverse the trend by attaching itself to a popular musical celebrity who gave it a desirable quality." Jan Mahoney (Weinstock Marketing)
Kids have looked up to celebrities as heros and role models for decades. And celebrities have endorsed products for decades, too. But it's different today &emdash; the "status products" being pushed to kids have never been so costly, and the celebrity commercials have never been so slick.
Kids aren't seeing these commercials by accident &emdash; they're appearing on programs that have a large kid audience. While MTV isn't a "children's channel," it has a large teen following ("12 to 32 years old," according to MTV). Heavy advertising there can be doubly effective with younger kids, who are known to look up to older kids and their lifestyles and culture. The Reebok commercials that appear on children's cartoons use a "celebrity" with as much appeal as any person to kids &emdash; Nintendo games where kids are players. Indeed, for kids, celebrity sell isn't limited to real people &emdash; Barbie, the Ninja Turtles, and other "characters" are heroes and role-models to scores of kids.
Kids today have to contend with appealing celebrities in powerful ads, on the TV shows they watch and in the magazines they read, all trying to influence how they feel about a product. Kids have to contend with financial realities &emdash; they probably can't afford the product, and convincing their parents may be tough. Kids also have to contend with peer pressure from their friends, who see the same commercials in the same media.
When celebrities sell products kids can't afford, they're putting undue pressure on kids, some of whom can't handle it. Recent news reports of kids beating, shooting, even killing other kids for their status fashions dramatically illustrate how powerful "status sell" can be on kids. Of course kids can stand up to the pressure from the celebrities and the pressure from their peers and get along without costly products. Plenty of kids do. But it's not easy, nor is it fun. Kids shouldn't be put in that situation in the first place.
Celebrity-sell of costly products also puts added stress on family relationships and budgets. Kids' wants get translated into requests for high-priced products that realistically are not suited to many family finances.
Commercials featuring celebrity endorsements are being shown on TV shows kids watch. Celebrities have enormous potential to influence kids, yet that potential is pretty much directed by the corporate sector, which pays millions to have stars influence kids' brand preferences and loyalty. Several stars also try to provide positive personal leadership for kids. Michael Jordan, for example, delivers an anti-drug message, sponsored by McDonald's. But the predominant message celebrities deliver to kids is a commercial one.
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