Online ads have to be fun and entertaining to grab the attention of children online, although nearly 20 per cent of children aged between eight and ten years old have never even looked at a web ad, according to recent research carried out by the Cartoon Network.
When prompted, two-thirds of the 450 children questioned said they often turn to the internet for information on products they wish to buy, and 6 per cent of children said they click on ads that relate to something in which they are interested in purchasing.
However, of those children that do click on ads, 26 per cent said fun was the most important factor, with 10 per cent of children clicking on ads that take them to online games or competitions.
Cartoon Network, which has online advertisers including Walkers Cheeto's, Nestle, Heinz and Kellogg, commissioned the research. Dee Forbes, the sales director at Cartoon Network's parent Turner Entertainment Networks, said: 'It's all about understanding what the client wants. The next stage is to build our campaign-reporting capabilities.'
In terms of building awareness of online brands offline among very young people, word of mouth and traditional media are the most common sources of information about websites. One-fifth glean such information from TV and magazines.
