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 21st 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 advertising
ethical?” 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 children’s exposure to media is
excessive to say the least. Advertising to children should be restricted as the effects of
advertising in childhood may effect one’s 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 consumer’s 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
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

Children’s 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 the
market 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 children’s 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 see’s 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
(O’Donohoe, 1993).
“Advertising borrows its ideas, its language and its visual representations
from literature and design, from other media content and forms, from history
and the future, and from its own experience…the borrowing references are
fused with products and returned to cultural discourse.”

(O’Donohoe 1997, p.237)

 Tuffte (2003) believes that family and social background is the most influential
on children’s lives. The personalities of one’s 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 parents
and 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 (Children’s advertising Review Unit) encourages
advertisers to develop and promote educational messages to children consistent with the
children’s television Act of 1990.

Tuffte (2003) suggests that from a marketer’s 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 child’s 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
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 child’s
growth, over indulgence can have the opposite effect. (Preston 2005)Over use of modern
technology can have adverse effects on a child’s 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
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 children’s
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 child’s 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, I’ll
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 involvement
situations 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.
(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 children’s 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.
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 child’s gullibility. Take the elements chosen to
reinforce the McDonald’s brand image include the following:

• The red car with the McDonald’s logo placed on its bonnet.
• The company’s iconic Ronald McDonald character, who is eating a burger, the
brands best selling product.
• The consistent McDonald’s I’m lovin’ it logo in the bottom right hand corner seen
in all the company’s advertising.
• The McDonald’s 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.
 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 (“I’m 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 a
great 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
child’s healthy lifestyles also. Centra sponsored Munster summer camps; by doing this
they were targeting parents who shop at Centra they’re to encouraging parent’s to
become part of their child’s 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
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 child’s 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
children’s 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 role
models. 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 children’s 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 child’s
behavior as it visually and acoustically demonstrates what can be achieved if the product
or service is purchased.
 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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Talk-Marketing Management
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Appendix
Violence in advertising