Advertising to Children
The growths of markets for various goods and the unopposed assault that have been made through advertisements are over flooding the public with attitudes, ideas, information and imagery which are hard to regulate and adapt (Kelly, 2010). This has a substantial effect on the young minds to a larger extent especially when the entertainment has a combination of commercial messages. Adults are capable of developing a reasonable resistance to the onslaught, as opposed to the children. For television advertiser, kids are an attractive audience to be cultivated. Children turn out to be pressure groups on the parents hence making the parents succumb to their demand. On several occasions, the pressure has always ended up being an emotional blackmail. Children are not buyers. Wadwalkar stated that children are parasitic consumers. However, kids have the potential of buying Wadwalkar (Kelly, 2010). They end up watching certain products and brands on television. The extended repetitive exposure leads to familiarity. In the field of mass communication, familiarity is considered a right prerequisite for control and persuasion. In this case, repetition is perceived as a form of persuasion. TV advertising is important because it is a form of investment for the future. When children become buyers, they will have already familiarized themselves with certain products and brands. Through, the TV advertiser, taking the messages to the kids there has been widening of the decision making the gap in the family. Adults no longer dictated the purchase of brands and products entirely. Children are not kept out of such investment decisions.
While on the hand, other people oppose children advertisements arguing that apart from the day-to-day creative games and jokes many kids are becoming calmer while in front of the television in their rooms, watching unsuitable programs, or commanding video game remote or a brutal battle. Also, when waiting for the return of their parents from work they are usually thinking of the commercials as opposed to the warm hug. They wish parents had bought them an individual product or brand seen on television. This is because they are obeying to master in one house. Advertising which telling them “yes” and their persistent parents who are saying “no” (Cowell, 2000). However, in the end, the parents give up to their children plea and provide them with these products and brands. With the enthusiasm of the creation of new customers, TV advertisements shorten infantile without considering the repercussions of the illegal genuine childhood’s appropriation. Advance erotization and its effects of greater accounts of pregnancy in teenagers; violent behaviors because of the desire of products that are expensive are introduced to the kids who hardly have food (Amy M. Bernhardt, 2013). There is also obesity in children that is caused by excess unhealthy products that are given to the children. Frustration and depression are also because of TV advertising that is weighing on the future of the children and burdening public funds.
Though advertising to children has its merits, it is sometimes characterized by abusive content, which capitalizes on the children naiveté to sell goods and services. This is so because most of the children trust what they hear and see on print media. Besides, they believe that the advertised products or services will serve the exactly advertised purpose and pleasure. However, this is difficult to achieve in the actual sense. The children advertisement should be monitored closely so as not to have negative impacts on children.
References
Amy M. Bernhardt, C. W.-M. (2013). How Television Fast Food Marketing Aimed at Children Compares with Adult Advertisements. PLOS, 10-13.
Cowell, P. (2000). Advertising and Marketing to Children: Exploitation or Socialisation? International Journal of Advertising and Marketing to Children, 25-30.
Kelly, B. (2010). Television Food Advertising to Children: A Global Perspective. NCBI, 1730–1736.