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Critical Analysis of advertising and the impact it has on children

Introduction

Advertising on Television is still the most common and significant way of

transporting messages to people and particularly to children in view of affecting their

intent to buy. Advertising Directed at Children is a controversial topic, which has stirred

much heated debate as children are constantly bombarded with different messages

concerning products, politics, religion, music, film etc. through advertising mediums.

Therefore, actors, celebrities, pop singers, TV presenters, models and sports heroes get

the attention of the viewers. (Preston 2005) These are indirect and aspiration types of

reference groups that cause children to aspire to their status and lifestyle. . Children

represent a important Demographic for marketers because in the 21 st century children

now have more autonomy in the decision making process within the family, family such

as parents, friends and media all act as reference groups to which children persuade

parents to buy into their needs and wants. (Buckhingham, 2000 cited in Oates et al 2001).

Hackley (1999) believes that advertising engages with consumers on an individual

basis whereas society is dealt with as whole with regards advertising. Is advertisingethical? Advertising is what is right or good in the conduct of the advertising

function .It is concerned with what ought to be done and not just with what legally should

be done (Cunnigham 1999, cited in Drumright and Murphy 2004). In general there is

this view that advertising to children is unethical, there is much debate as to what age do

children fully understand advertising, and nowadays childrens exposure to media is

excessive to say the least. Advertising to children should be restricted as the effects of

advertising in childhood may effect ones development into adulthood.

Agencies are usually required to promote a companies Product or service in which they

find out what images and sound have an impact on the consumers mind allowing them to

manipulate consumers emotions and feelings. Between the ages of one to eighteen

children are still in the developing stages mind frame and are not 100% sure of exactly


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what reality is and advertising agencies take advantage of this and use it as selling point

for their products and services. To narrow it down children simply do not understand the

subtleties.

Main Body

Childrens perception of themselves depends on interaction with others and their reaction.

Children have the tendency to compare themselves to others as a mean of self-

assessment. One form of interaction and expression of oneself is the products they

purchase: clothes, food, cars, toys and technology housing in particular areas. (Engel et

al., 2003, p. 399) The brands and products chosen by individuals are influenced by their

desire to be socially accepted. That is why there are a high variety of brands on themarket and the number is still growing.

Children are consumers of tomorrow, which result in companies objectives to

create awareness of their products and create preferences as well as brand loyalty in the

very early stages of childrens consumerism. In order to create brand loyalty brand

awareness has to be created which according to Oates et al (2001) Brand awareness is

created the more often a child sees an advertisement .It is through awareness that it has

been shown to affect perceptions, beliefs, taste and liking. Children are a core target

market as they are more susceptible to advertising techniques.

Family and social background

Adverts do not stand-alone; they are woven from issues in society. It is valued that the

audience are active and play a central role in the understanding of the parody

(ODonohoe, 1993).

Advertising borrows its ideas, its language and its visual representations

from literature and design, from other media content and forms, from historyand the future, and from its own experiencethe borrowing references arefused with products and returned to cultural discourse.

(ODonohoe 1997, p.237)


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Tuffte (2003) believes that family and social background is the most influential

on childrens lives. The personalities of ones parents, the socio-economic status,

education and the place where they lived are the major influences on an individual as

children are vulnerable at young age. Different factors of the family begin shaping the

make-up of the child in early stages of its life, especially because the power of it tends to

be authoritarian.

Meyer et al (1978) suggest that parental intervention is often considered the most

effective tool in managing the influence of advertising on children. Parents are usually

responsible for influencing and teaching children how to behave, what they wear, what

school they go to and what car they buy later in life. Bartholomew and O Donhoe (2003)

argue that children acquire their consumer behavior patterns by observing their parentsand older siblings who function as role models. For example, some large supermarkets

provide mini-size shopping trolleys for children in order to teach them consumer

behavior from the young age. They see how the exchange process takes place at the cash

register and quickly learn that money and credit card changes hands there. Zikmund and

Amico (2001, p. 177). CARU (Childrens advertising Review Unit) encourages

advertisers to develop and promote educational messages to children consistent with the

childrens television Act of 1990.

Tuffte (2003) suggests that from a marketers point of view, it is essential to

recognize the importance of the purchasing agent of the family and assess their needs,

wants and beliefs. Advertisers know that children do not have the financial means to

purchase certain products so they target their adverts at both adults and children. This

results in Pester Power which is when conflict arises between children and parents when

parents do not give into a childs demands, this can be due to a number of factors such as

safety of the product or service, as well as the financial cost. Preston (2005) believes that

guilt arises among parents if they constantly deny the things children want, advertising is

seen as a constant opportunity for parents to do so. Educational products like Fairytopia

Laptop by Mattel are developed and aimed at parents who wish their children to be more

advanced in their computer skills. Even as children get older they still retain buying


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patterns from their parents by purchasing similar products and shopping in the same

supermarkets, attending the same coffee shops and restaurants.

Virtual Technology and Violence

Children are significantly influenced by various reference groups to have the latest

gadget like I-Pod and to wear what celebrities have been seen to be wearing. As the

technology is developing at the speed of light we can witness the emergence of a new

type of reference group - virtual group. Growing availability of broadband in many

households is a primary driver behind this. The groups on-line offer knowledge exchange

in the area of interest. These communities provide children with access to different types

of information covering a wide range of topics and issues. (Schiffman and Kanuk, (2004,

p.317) The example is YouTube and bebo which accommodates creation of video blogs

by users that offer advice and share experiences on dieting, cooking recipes, exercise and

other aspects of life which can be good and bad. Strasburger (2001) believes that children

represent a captive audience to broadcasters they learn from what they view in movies,

video games, and ads and in music videos.

Digital technology is used in modernisation it can have positive effect on a childs

growth, over indulgence can have the opposite effect. (Preston 2005)Over use of modern

technology can have adverse effects on a childs physical, cognitive and behavioural

development. The images that children see on television can leave a child fearful, as they

are impressionable and tend to take everything at fact and find it difficult to distinguish

between fact and fiction. Singer, D., & Singer, J. (1984). The average American child

will witness 200,000 violent adverts by the age of 18(Entrepreneuship: Business 2007)).

Television, Digital Technology, Movies and advertisements often use models, political

candidates and movie stars smoking, drinking, and doing drugs as well as being involved

in promiscuous behaviour.

Celebrity endorsements and Sporting groups

Symbolic purchases aspects are learned from the peers as brands become more

important for more publicly consumed products. This can be illustrated by Celebrity

endorsement which represents a celebrity image Kate Moss is an example who is a


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worldwide supermodel who is used to endorse Rimmel products (long-lasting make-up).

Marketers use Kate Moss to portray an image of looking good, feeling sexy, feeling

confident and purchasing the product. Many children believe that because it is a celebrity

that is involved in the advertisement then the message being sent about the product must

be credible.

Tufte (2003) suggests that peer pressure is a factor in influencing childrens

decisions as when children get older; they strive for greater independence from their

parents and look for more sources of information to support there purchasing decisions.

Adolescents begin favouring peers and friends over family. Bartholomew and O Donhoe

(2003) argue that opinions and preferences of friends are adopted and conformed to in

some degree in order to fit in. When considering this from a childs point of view, it is

important for marketers to recognize the power of peer groups influence and portray

friendship situation in their advertisements. Schiffman and Kanuk (2004, p.316) In some

cases, the perspective consumer may think, if she uses it, it must be good. If I use it, Ill

be like her Shiffman, and Kanuk (1994 p 333). Even when Kate Moss appeared in the

media for her use of drugs Rimmel renewed her contract and placed emphasis in the

commercials of the make-up being linked to partying and looking fresh the next day and

this worked to their advantage. As consumers, people tend to believe what is good

looking is beautiful and brilliant. This cue is known as The Halo Effect.

Celebrity endorsers represent one way in which meanings can be transferred to

brands. Used in this way, the role of celebrity endorsers transcends that of simply

being an executional device which might be most appropriate in low involvementsituations and becomes a powerful mechanism for managing brand equity (Till ,

1998 pp 400-409)

Obesity Food Nutrition

Advertisers aim to create brand loyalty which creates a loss of individuality and

self sufficiency which can have devastating effects in the long term one obvious example

is poor health habits, with obesity becoming an epidemic globally. A study that has been

conducted found that children see advertising that makes unhealthy foods full of sugar,

fat and salt to be enticing as the image portrayed of the individual is generally in good

shape and as result a child does not consider the implications on their own health.


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(Tesar). This is misleading advertising, as advertisers know that children are easily

influence about images that they see. Strasburger (2001) believes that children are

cognitively and psychologically defenceless against television advertising. The

consequences of the images being portrayed in these advertisements can be devastating as

children develop the mistaken notion that unhealthy foods enables them become that

healthy and attractive person in the commercial. According to an eight year female, as

cited in Lawler and Prothero (2003, p417), an ad goes on for 30 seconds and then goes

off. Products such as sweets, fast food is presented without reference to a scale, which

may exploit childrens limited perception skill.

A report by World Health organisation (WHO (2005) claims that childhood

obesity is at epidemic level in some countries. Every year 4,000 children are diagnosed

with obesity in Ireland, this is triple the amount that were obese ten years ago. According

to Irish health.com (2006) in to-days Ireland 20% of Irish men and 16% of Irish women

are currently obese. According to the Food Safety Promotion Board Irish adults have a fat

intake of 37% while the recommended allowance is 35%.

The problem is also becoming more widespread amongst younger people, with

children as young as 12 now being diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes, a condition

which was traditionally associated with adults who were overweight One in five Irish

children aged 5-12 years is overweight or obese (Irish Universities Nutrition Alliance,

2005; Economic and Social Research Institute, 2005 cited in Food Safety Promotion

Board 2005). The implications for children are clear. Raised in an environment where an

inactive lifestyle and an unhealthy diet are widespread, children are likely to adopt these

habits and carry them into adulthood. Nowhere can this be seen more than in the

diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in children, something that was unheard of in the past. Type

1 was generally seen in five to 20 year-olds, then there was a big gap and type 2 was

found in 50 to 80 year-olds. Now there is no gap and children as young as 12 are being

diagnosed with type 2.


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Changing Western Society

Also social changes have affected how we eat. Western society has become a

fast food culture and the breakdown of family units and family meal times has led to and

on the hoof approach to food. With the demographics in Ireland now showing that nearly

40% of the population is under the age of 24, this leads to an increase in the demand for

fast food as this age group is one of the key markets in the fast food industry. Giving that

McDonalds is the brand leader in fast food outlets, early this century it was put in the

spotlight as one of the main factors causing widespread obesity. This aggressive attack

forced McDonalds to reposition itself, sending a message to consumers that it was not

just a burger company (Jobber & Fahy 2006, p.39). It introduced healthy options to the

menu and focused its advertising campaigns on this. The dominance of the branding is

evident in society as researchers have found that children can often recognize a company

logo, like McDonalds, before they can recognize their own name (Amazon 2008).

Pollay (1986) claims that such reflections are skewed, that some elements are drawn

attention to and others are hidden, questioning the ethical implications of adverts.

McDonalds persuasive advertising Techniques

According to Young (2003) the use of excessive or emotional terminology,

sounds, colours which in turn affects a childs gullibility. Take the elements chosen to

reinforce the McDonalds brand image include the following:

The red car with the McDonalds logo placed on its bonnet.

The companys iconic Ronald McDonald character, who is eating a burger, the

brands best selling product.

The consistent McDonaldsIm lovin itlogo in the bottom right hand corner seen

in all the companys advertising.

The McDonalds outlet, which shares consistent characteristics in all western

world cultures, examples include the Drive Thru and the distinctive brand colours

of red and yellow on the building.


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It has been suggested that the background music in many television ads are used

as unconditioned stimulus that elicits the unconditioned emotional responses. Theme

music helps to create a link between the brand advertised and the emotions that the music

triggers in the consumers minds. By consistently running it through an advertising of a

particular brand or a service, the consumers/children start associating the tune with the

brand. McDonalds is an example for using not only music (Im Loving It) but also a

popular music singer (Justin Timberlake) as the unconditioned stimulus in order to create

a positive attitude towards the brand.

Sports Groups

This is an aspirational type of reference group. They create a desire to adopt their norms,

values and behavior by the individual that aspires to be associated with them. For

example, a child training in rugby might wear the colours and emblems of their favourite

rugby team. (Engel, F, J. et al., 2003, p. 397). There are several successful sports teams

with millions of supporters. The merchandise associated with the team gives the fans like

children a psychological satisfaction to be publicly associated with that team or player

and their success. (E.g. jerseys and books). Rugby is like a religion in Munster. That is

why Munster rugby team is an excellent tool to use by marketers as they have enjoyed agreat share of success recently. They portray an image of being strong, fast and resilient.

Children aspire to those qualities make purchases based on players recommendations.

With celebrities endorsement from sporting background, companies are encouraging a

childs healthy lifestyles also. Centra sponsored Munster summer camps; by doing this

they were targeting parents who shop at Centra theyre to encouraging parents to

become part of their childs healthy lifestyle. (Glyn Billinghurst 2009)

Children are naturally very competitive and enjoy the thrill to be the first child

in the community to have the new toy, to try the new Mc Donalds Flurry, or to own the

new Justin Timberlake album, I-pod nano and Kate Moss Rimmel make -up. Advertisers

know this and try to use it to their advantage. If a child owns this product, in their mind,

they too will be cool. (Preston 2005). The idea behind this is to a create a link with the


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brand and the product and therefore the child will demand that particular product.

Through advertising it has enabled advertisers to suggest to children that there product is

more popular, this will create the need and want in the childs mind to have the product.

Conclusion

It is evident that advertisements have enormous power over the attitudes, habits,

aspirations and behaviours of a child. The concept of loyalty has a bearing on the

importance of analysing children, because when a firm gains a young consumer who is

loyal to the brand, they will remain loyal for a long period of time. Parents mould their

childrens behaviour based on what they believe to be socially acceptable. In addition to

having an authoritarian power over children, they can also pose as aspirational rolemodels. If they are successful and loving, children are more easily influenced by their

example and product choices.

The power of media, through the use of advertisements is perceived to be a person

on a cover of a magazine and celebrities on TV equal wealth and success. Nowadays

children aspire to be celebrities, rather than astronauts or engineers. They have a major

influence on the childrens behavior by the clothes they wear and products they endorse.

Children want to use the products they use so their lifestyle can in some way resemble

theirs. The key to the campaigns success is the credibility and likeability of the endorsed

celebrity.

Children look to brands in store; this is largely due to the physiological effects of

advertising on children as well as the creativity of marketers in reaching their target

market in turning children into consumers to. As they get older they gain different

perspectives on already learned aspects of life that may change their behavior. They

begin expressing themselves by product choices they make. This is why branding is so

successful. Media in the form of advertisements is a strong tool in shaping a childs

behavior as it visually and acoustically demonstrates what can be achieved if the product

or service is purchased.


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Everything in our society is structured by organized groupings of some sort:

family, school, religious communities, education and professional institutions etc. They

are categorized into formal and informal types. In order to be respected and accepted in

society formal rules must be conformed to. Media advertisements need to abide by laws

provided by the country. If the rules are broken, then there needs to be punishments (e.g.

jail sentence). Effective marketing and advertising strategies should be created to

encourage healthy diet and a wholesome life-style among children. Children should be

educated about how to be critical towards advertising and less influenced by its messages.


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Books

Jobber, D.,Fahy, J. (2006) Foundations of Marketing: Mc-Graw-Hill: London.

Keller, K.L., (2003),And Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring,and Managing Brand Equity, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education,

Schiffman, G., and L., Kanuk, L, L., 1994 5th ed Consumer Behaviour Prentice-

Hall U.S.A.

Preston, C. (2005) Advertising to children and Social Responsibility Young

Consumers, Quartar 3 6 (4) pp.61-7

Zikmund, G., W. and DmAico, M., 2001 7th edThe power of marketing South-

Western College publishing.

Journals

Bartholomew, A and S, ODonghue (2003) Everything under control: A ChildsEye View of Advertising , Journal of Marketing Management, 19 (3/4), 411-432

Hackley. , E. C (1999) The meanings of ethics in and of advertising, Business

ethics and European Review, 8(1), 37-41

Lawlor, M-A. , and A.Prothero (2003) Childrens understanding of Televisionintent, Journal marketing Management, 19(3/4), 411-432

Meyer, TP, Donohue, TR and Heneke, L L (1978) How Black Children See TVCommercials, Journal of Advertising Research, Vol.18, October, 58-70

Muniz Albert M. Jr. and Thomas C. OGuinn (2001), Brand Community, Journalof Consumer Research, 27 (March), 412-32


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Pollay . , R (1986) The Distorted Miror: Reflections on the unintended

Consequences of Advertising, Journal of Marketing, 8(4), 18-34

Tesar, E Jennifer, Frans H Doppen. Propaganda and Collective Behavior: Who is

Doing It, How It Affects Us, and What Can We Do about It? The Social Studies

97.6 (2006): 257/5. 16 Mar. 2007

Tufte, B. (2003) Children, media and Consumption, International journal of

Advertising and Marketing to Children, 5(1), 69-76

Williamss and Wilkins (2001) Children and TV advertising: Nowhere to Run,

Nowhere to Hide, Development and Behavioural Paediatrics, 22(3), June.

Young, Brian. (2003) Does Food Advertising Influence Childrens Food

Choices? A Critical Review of Some of the Recent Literature. InternationalJournal of Advertising 22(4) March.

Singer, D., & Singer, J. (1984). TV violence: Whats all the fuss about?Television & Children, 7(2), 30-41.

Peterson, Bart. (2007) Protecting our child from Harmful Media ViolenceEntrepreneur Journal, Oct

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Appendix

Violence in advertising
http://us.bbb.org/WWWRoot/storage/0/Shared%20Documents/2005AnnualReport_web.pdfhttp://us.bbb.org/WWWRoot/storage/0/Shared%20Documents/2005AnnualReport_web.pdfhttp://www.fccready.com/index.php?page=fccxyzhttp://www.fccready.com/index.php?page=fccxyzhttp://us.bbb.org/WWWRoot/storage/0/Shared%20Documents/2005AnnualReport_web.pdfhttp://us.bbb.org/WWWRoot/storage/0/Shared%20Documents/2005AnnualReport_web.pdfhttp://www.fccready.com/index.php?page=fccxyzhttp://www.fccready.com/index.php?page=fccxyz


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