TV Advertising and its effect on childrenGroup 14 Abigail Snyder Group leader, How are you supposed to Choose Good Children’s Toys? Kathryn Snodgrass Negative Advertising and its effect on children Michael Shannon Why Do We Advertise to Children? Jon Smith Why Do We Advertise to Children? Tai Scelfo Media Violence Affects Children David Simons Editor, introduction,conclusion David Shellaberger Only Good Things Happen When You Advertise to Kids. Children and TV Advertising Today’s children are unique in many ways from previous generations, but perhaps the most influencing on our young children today is Television advertisements. "In 1997, the nation’s estimated 34 million children age 12 and under will have spent or influenced spending of a record $500 billion" (Horovitz 1997). There is obviously a great deal of interest in this subject, many books have been written, and many studies and reports done on the effects of TV advertising on children. In the following paragraphs we will look at some of the reasons why we advertise to children, some different positive and negative effects of TV advertisement on children, how people can cut through the hype of TV ads and pick good things for their children. Why Do We Advertise to Children? Today, everywhere we go we see some type of advertising. A sale at the supermarket or a billboard for a radio station, are two of the many forms of advertisement. Currently, advertisements that target children are very controversial. Marketers choose children because they can easily lure them in. Advertisers spent $105.97 billion in 1980. This number more than doubled in 2001 when it reached $230 billion (Laws, 2003). In the year 2000, the Census reported 105 million househ0olds in America, meaning advertisers spend an average of $2,190 on one household per year. Advertisers spend this much money because of television. The average child sees an estimate of more than 20,000 commercials every year - that works out to at least 55 commercials per day (Laws, 2003). Children will insist their parents purchase what they see or hear on television. In the 1960's, children had an influence on about $5 billion of their parent’s purchases. That figure increased to $50 billion in 1984 and tripled to $188 billion in 1997. James McNeal, a kids marketing expert, estimates children twelve and under will influence $500 billion of family purchases by the year 2000 (Laws, 2003). 1 of 5 We must understand the 2 of 5 . it generates what experts call “The Nag Factor.” That’s just another reminder of the tremendous positive effects of advertising to children. The children are our future and an important part of the present as well. Children are the ones that must carry on family traditions. and handouts their parents doled out on trips to the mall. Kids direct buying power is expected to exceed $51. agrees with McNeal and the importance of children’s influence when he states that a child’s spending is not near as economically lucrative as their influence over the households spending habits. loyal costumer than to brainwash a child into a trained purchasing machine. That’s a lot of brainwashing power and a lot of cash flow generated by these little future consumers. good for them! What better way to ensure a life long. and continue to learn and expand the knowledge of the human race.Children don't just have their parents buy their toys. They are the engines that will drive the economy for the next generation. advertisers choose children because they are the most easily influenced and will spend their money if they find something interesting. According to McDonald and Lavelle. there by helping our economy. With that said it is important to understand that children are also future consumers. the figure climbed to $17. Well. This is a potential huge money maker. even 7-year-olds may boast more expertise than Mom or Pop. baby-sitting fees.1 billion and by 2002. “Companies spent about $800 million last year advertising on network. vice president of youth research at Harris Interactive. McNeal emphasizes the “Nag Factor” when he claims that.2 billion in 1984. claiming they border on mind control. a retired professor from Texas A&M University said. Consumers Union each child in America is exposed to 30.” It is easy to see how directly advertising to children can generate huge profits for companies.” The “Nag Factor” is when a child sees an ad for a product then cries and complains to a parent until the parent purchases the item. By 1994. syndication. No matter how you look at it. When it comes to computers and other electronic purchases. according to Dumont.000 commercials a year. big-ticket items. The power in the household is being ceded to the children. there’s been a substantial increase in the amount of influence kids have on durable goods—cars. “Call it Kid-Fluence. However.2 billion in 1968 and $4. their spending exceeded $40 billion. According to Marci McDonald and Marianne Lavelle authors of the article. Don’t think that it’s just America that benefits from children’s advertising.” Eight hundred million is a lot of money. boats. 2003). According to the article “Kids Upfront Outlook is Grim” by Wayne Friedman and David Goetzl. However. A good example of the buying power of children’s influence is that Gateway and Nickelodeon have made a deal to produce “Rugrats and Blue’s Clues computers that will be intended for children but marketed to children and parents. it is a global business strategy. continue to build and develop new public projects. and advertisers want to see a return on that kind of investment. According to the U. Only Good Things Happen When You Advertise to Kids.” people must “understand that the advertiser’s motive is to sell a product. Over half of all families have reported to agree with a child’s request just to avoid an argument.” James McNeal. as kids these days are much more computer literate than their parents.” Now. many American psychologists criticize advertising methods. and has tripled in the 1990's. It may sound heartless but the fact is it works. cable and local shows targeting kids aged 2 to 14. “In today’s families.8 billion by 2006 (Laws. “children ages 4 to 12 last year spent $29 billion of their own money—from allowances. Pine and Avril Nash in the article “Dear Santa: The Effects of Television Advertising on Young Children. but they make purchases of their own. Advertising to children has long been a very successful way to build a solid consumer base that will win the minds of children in order to secure a lifetime of consumer purchasing.S.” John Geraci. for advertisers the future is now. Children's spending has roughly doubled every ten years for the past three decades. There are not many people in the world today that would disagree with the fact that children are our future. the European Union estimates to generate between $620 to $930 million a year in revenue from marketing products to children. advertising to children does not only bring in funds from the children but more importantly. A 1999 survey by Yankelovich found that 60 percent of parents don’t shop for technology without consulting their kids. According to Karen J. Over the last five years. it doesn’t take an economist to figure out that $29 billion in revenue on an advertising investment of $800 million equals big profits for manufactures of children’s products. many kids also serve as chief technology officers. and advertising to children is big business. Kids ages 4 to 12 spent $2. According to the article “Temptation-free Television for Children?” by Pascaline Dumont. “2 to 12 year olds had an indirect impact on another $320 billion of household purchases. Food.000 television commercials every year (Strasburger. whether it is in the newspaper you pick up daily or on that billboard you see while driving down the highway. Some people may say that they are not in fact influenced by the advertising that is thrown at them each day. Children that are trying smoking are becoming younger and younger. Many children are often the target for most advertisers. and that they do not fall into it. Although many advertisements are negatively affecting children there are those few advertisements out there that are beneficial. Limit their television time with something a little more educational like reading a book or playing outside. toys are just a few of the many types of advertisements being influenced upon children daily. These products are nothing but beneficial to younger children. Now in many schools students are being rewarded coupons for Pizza Hut. McDonalds spends roughly $570 million a year on advertising (McNeal 2001). These children that are watching more television. but many children are overcome with the negative ways of advertising. Many of these food advertisements that children are being exposed to are products that are of low nutritional value. but everyone does. 2001). but when it comes down to it there are more and more toys being made everyday 3 of 5 . Parents need to be more aware and cautious of what their children are watching and how much of it they are watching. 2001). For example the ones that are selling educational books for children. Some parents may even have trouble keeping up with the amount of money their child thinks that they need so they may have the newest products out there. Smoking has nothing good to offer to children but health problems later on in life. Why not reward these children with money towards furthering their education? Many educational posters in schools are advertising candy to children. and other types of learning materials. and want what they see. Along with food advertisements many young children are even being shown cigarette advertisements which promote many young people smoking and enjoying themselves. Advertising to children generates jobs. and McDonalds for doing a good job in school.importance of a child’s role in today’s world and today’s economy. Many children as young as three years old recognize brand named products and clothing. because they know if they hound at their parents enough they will give in and buy their product. How are you supposed to Choose Good Children’s Toys? There are so many toys out there for children to play with. clothing. Negative Advertising and its effect on children Advertising is everywhere you look. Schools are now even advertising to children without them being aware that they are actually doing it. are going to want more toys seen in advertisements and eat more advertised food than children who do not watch as much television (Strasburger. the average American child may view as many as 40. These children become so obsessed with having what they see on television that they continue to hassle their parents until they get it. when it will only rot their teeth and make them gain weight. Everyone knows that McDonalds is not a good place to find much nutritional value. Some advertisers try to portray more positive items to children. and everyone will be happy. Many advertisements being directed towards children are that of food. It also develops a child’s ability to understand the value of a dollar and teaches them that individuals can achieve anything if they are willing to pay the price. When these children spend time watching so much television they cannot help but be influenced by it. but how do you know if that will be enough? There are a lot of ways you can look at this. injects money into the economy. but how do you decide if it is a good toy or a bad toy? You can always read the box and try to get some idea what the toy does before giving it to your child. Well when a young child sees something like that they can only think but to go try it themselves and maybe they will have fun and enjoy themselves. With television being the most popular way to advertise to young ones. and in turn will only lead to obesity in children. and instills in children at a young age the importance of the freedom of choice. Advertising to children has long been a part of the free market form of society and must be embraced as another part of a complex economic engine that runs day and night to provide a better life style for us all. Television impacts children the most as far as advertising goes. videotapes. about 5 years ago. This violence doesn’t only show how violent our society is. in movies. but what is clear is that the under-6 set is becoming far more media savvy than anyone expected. computer games. toddlers. “Infants. When children see violence all around them in media. A toy can only be safe if you make it safe and provide the right kind of teaching for your child to understand how the toy is used. Media Violence Affects Children Over the years there has been an increasing amount of violence in media directed towards children. According to the American Heritage College Dictionary part of the definition of toys is. so that kids can tell the advertisements and the television show apart. If we continue to allow the violence on television that is consistently shown to our children. I feel that you should use your best judgment on something good for your child. They also would like to limit the amount of advertising on television during these times. The problem of violence shown to children in the media will not be solved easily. How are we supposed to decide what would be best for them? According to The Parenting Network. we have seen some of the reasons why we advertise to children. Teachers can help teach children that television is not real and that violence should not be the answer to solve problems. Parents can regulate the television shows that they are allowing their children to watch and make sure they are not watching shows that teach them violence. and preschoolers are spending far more time watching DVDs and clicking remote controls and computer mice than reading books. The NAEYC came up with three consistent problems when children watch television violence: children will notice others pain less. according to a Kaiser Foundation study released yesterday The effect of such high-intensity media exposure is unclear. then our future nation will have a large quantity of angry adults and criminals. they will feel that violence is the answer when they are angry or disturbed. This way you know exactly what is in the toy and that nothing harmful can come from the product they produce. and they are more likely to show aggressive behavior towards other people.that can influence the way your children think or even act. but it helps make our society more violent. NAEYC would like to start putting limits on the amount of violence put on television during the time when children will most likely be watching. Teachers and parents can help get rid of the amount of violence that is shown to children. but just to use your best judgment and know that you taught your child how to play correctly. they feel that home made toys are the best for children because they feel it increases creativity among children under the age of five. and the large number of violent toys. But today a child can play with anything from a piece of paper to a computer. we didn’t think to go younger than two because they didn’t think there was 4 of 5 . The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) feels that the increasing number of violence endangers children from growing up in a mentally stable way. There have also been an increasing number of violent acts directed toward children and the high degree of these acts that children see on television. researchers said. some different positive and negative effects of TV advertisement on children. In Conclusion In the preceding paragraphs. an object for children to play with (1455). There is not a really a right or wrong answer. “The last time we did a big study on kids and media. they may become scared of things in the world they live in. How people can cut through the hype of TV ads and pick good things for their children. Personally. Also you can observe your child playing with and making the toy. p. “Call it Kid-fluence. 9 (2001) : 44 Friedman. Boston: American Heritage.html Horovitz." (Washington post 2003). we'd probably go down to birth. 2001. (2001. Marci and Lavelle." USA Today.htm. 185. And based on what we've now found with the 6-month to 2 year olds. News & World Report 131. Children and TV advertising: Nowhere to run.” U. Education Digest (2000.Strasburger.htm Wesolowsky.edu/english/stevier/ho--feb17_sample_essay3_draft_outline.anything there" said the study’s lead author.naeyc. U. Pascaline. Dumont. PA 1/5 National Association for the Education of Young Children. 4 (2001) : 32 Pine. 32. David. Avril. Call it kid-fluence. 2003) Under-6 set tunes in tv’s not books Toledo Blade. p. Vicky Rideout.com/toysafety. June). 2002 NYBOR. Wayne and Goetzl.S.RU. July 30. vice president of the Kaiser foundation.(2003). 153(302). 22. James (2001). 11 (2001) : 3 McDonald.” Advertising Age 72.32. January). PA 1A. Bruce. “Dear Santa: The Effects of Television Advertising on Young Children. Marianne.cord.LLC (1996-2002) Available online: http://www. 6 (2002) : 529 The American Heritage College Dictionary.s. Lavelle M. “Kids’ Upfront Outlook is Grim.rferl. if we do this kind of study again. (2003) “Own this Child” Available online: www4. Quoted in McDonald M. Junk-food marketing goes elementary.robynsnest. Available online: http://www. News & World Report. “Temptation-free Television for Children?” UNESCO Courier 54. (December 18. nowhere to hide. "Cashing in on kids Retailers in search of customers for life.” International Journal of Behavioral Development 26. "But that’s really changed. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics. 5 of 5 .org Kilbourne. Jean. McNeal. 1997). Tuck (2003)“Advertisements target young children” Available online: www. Victor C.000316151205. References Washington Post (October 29.com/nca/features/2000/03/F. Karen J and Nash.
Report "TV Advertising and its effect on children"