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Cartoons Aren't Just for Kids Anymore
We all remember the days of our youth that involved lying on the floor in our pajamas, with our head propped up, watching Saturday morning cartoons. If Mom or Dad ever watched with you, it was through a massive act of begging, or out of sheer boredom on their part. This is no longer the case, however. Cartoons, even Saturday morning ones, are no longer strictly for children.
According to the latest research, adults are regularly watching cartoons, and advertisers, networks, and producers are quickly following the trend. In fact, roughly twenty-five percent of adults watched a cartoon in the last week. Even more interesting, however, was that this adult demographic was spread throughout different age and time brackets. This isn’t a niche trend, but an overall industry-wide development.
Advertisers research viewing statistics heavily to design effective marketing campaigns for their target demographic. Animated viewing studies originated through advertisers, but have spread as mainstream media catches on to the development. Now, almost completely replacing the traditional cartoons designed to sell children toys, are advertisements geared toward adults, specifically parents, during most animated productions.
There are various slots for cartoons, with different styles of animation reflecting the specific time frame. Young children, along with their parents, watch cartoons in the early hours. With the new focus on attachment parenting, most parents consider television time another opportunity for bonding, and will watch animated programming along with their children. During school hours, older children are away from the television, but research has shown that there are still animated programs being watched, sometimes heavily, by adults. In the afternoon, school-age children return to the televisions along with a resurgence of targeted animated programming. Again, often parents will watch these programs with their children as an attempt to spend more time together.
In the evenings, a new type of cartoon is shown. Primetime is now full of cartoons specifically designed for adult viewing. From the casual lifestyle of southerners to the political satire of small towns in Colorado, these shows often contain content not particularly suitable for younger audiences. The longevity of shows such as these demonstrates, however, the popularity and the continued success of the adult cartoon niche.
As far as advertisers are concerned, if an adult is watching a program with a child, the obvious target is no longer the child, but rather that adult. Toy commercials have been replaced by advertisements for children’s vitamins and allergy medicines. Children don’t buy vitamins, but their parents do. In fact, in the last year, forty-one percent of adults watching animated programs have given their children vitamins versus only seventeen percent of those who do not watch cartoons. Even if this correlation is not completely causal, it is still staggering. Advertisers seem to be on the right track.
The broadening of animation target audiences is evidenced in major motion pictures as well. In fact, it seems most modern animated features play on two levels. Children watch the movie and see fun characters and basic plot points. Adults are able to pick up on the subtle humor and satire available through clever dialect. Animation has become a pleasure for both children and adults.
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