Kids that are as young at 12 years old are being bribed with toys to promote pop bands to their friends in what is known as ‘stealth marketing’.
Stealth marketing is an aspect of marketing in which an audience is not aware that they are being marketed to. It is marketing incognito, says Optimum7.
PR firm Hudson PR is believed to be behind the recruitment of young girls to promote bands, through a website called In4merz.
The Daily Mail reported over the weekend that children were being given Bratz dolls for pushing artists including the Sugababes and Pixie Lott.
After a quick look around their website, UTalkMarketing found that people signing up to the website were not asked to acquire permission from their parents in order to participate. It sells the concept to kids as being an opportunity to work with their favourite bands and calls the recruits part of its ‘street team’.
The website says, “In4merz has been set up for you to give you the opportunity to work directly with your favorite bands and artists as well as other artists on the site.
Working as part of our street team you can get involved in helping to promote your favorite bands and artists and also those who your friends who like/may like. In4merz is about matching our artists to your friends who may like them.”
The site goes on to suggest that kids include their work for the site on their CV, “You should include In4merz on your CV. Employers will be impressed with your experience in Marketing and PR - your C.V needs to stand out, being an in4mer makes you stand out!”
According to the terms and conditions of the site, In4merz will collect, store and use various information to send users its newsletter and other marketing communications including material from “carefully-selected third parties which we think may be of interest”.
Marketing to children is now a £99 billion industry, according to head of Consumer Focus Ed Mayo and Agnes Nairn, formerly of the National Consumer Council in their book which was out last year, Consumer Kids.
While parents appear to be waking up to the threat of sexual predators online, they have no concept of how business grooms their children for profit, according to the authors.
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