Why Marketing to Children is a Social Problem - Essay Example

Consuming Kids: Why Marketing to Children is a Social Problem The era of the 1950s and 60s saw limited advertising targeted towards children. Advertising during this time centered on simple items such as lunch boxes and imagination building toys. Just like anything else in the consumer driven industry, the passage of time showed an increase in the targeting of children by advertisers due to their power to make their parents spend money. When the Federal Trade Commission tried to nip this problem in the bud, the office was met with resistance until a law was passed to remove the power of the FTC to regulate advertising targeted at children. The floodgates of child targeted advertising opened and a nightmare of a social problem was created. The children of the 80s and 90s pioneered the so-called “nag factor” that pushed parents to buy what their children wanted in order to stop the child from implementing what could be termed as “parental harassment” by the child. This is a situation that many parents of today can also identify with that is why it is important that we study how child consumerism has become a widespread and seemingly uncontrollable social problem in the 21st century. I will argue that child consumerism is a social problem that is encouraged by the advertisers and various business groups because it helps to push their bottom-line, more sales of their products. In the first half of the paper, I will be discussing the side of the advertisers and youth marketers in support of the child targeted marketing campaigns which will then be followed by the professional opinion of the effects of this type of campaign upon the young minds. Finally, I will present my personal opinion on the topic and explain why I too believe that the problem of child consumerism is indeed a social problem. According to the documentary “Consuming Kids”, more than 52% of the American population is composed of children who are not even old enough to buy a stick of gum by themselves. Yet they are already targeted by marketing and advertising campaigns because of their desire to build brand loyalty among the youngest possible demographic. Their intention for building brand loyalty? Loyalty from childhood translated into loyalty for life. Recent research by Media Smarts which is Canadas Centre for Digital and Media Literacy ; “In the United States alone, companies spent over $17 billion doing this in 2009 – more than double what was spent in 1992” (“How Marketers Target Kids”). It certainly sounds incredulous that any manufacturer will spent that kind of serious money on advertising their products which, although meant for children of specific age groups, the children themselves are not capable of buying on their own due to their lack of income. Yet the reality of the situation is that the manufacturers and advertisers go to great lengths in order to specifically create ad campaigns that will effectively use the “nag factor” on the parents.. As advertising executive Barbara A. Martino explains it ; “"Were relying on the kid to pester the mom to buy the product, rather than going straight to the mom." ( qtd. in “How Marketers Target Kids”). The parents may not see the need of a product in a childs life but if the child insists that he needs it then what is a parent to do? Exactly, the word NO is not an option for the parents if they want the tantrum to end But why are parents so willing to submit to such a young culture of consumerism? What is in it for them? Is there any sense of satisfaction that can truly be had by the parents and the children alike once such impulsive and hypnotical purchases are made? The answer may actually come as a shock to most people because it is not an answer that one would expect. The bottom line is that parents are more willing to spend more on their childrens whims and caprices these days because most families are smaller these days with parents providing a dual income for the family which allows them the ability to have more liquidity in terms of spending on their child. Some of the parents today also tend to postpone having children until they are much older. A decision which results in a bigger disposable income for the family and a better chance of massive targeted spending that will benefit the manufacturers of child items. Let us also not forget that parents these days tend to have more money but less time to spend bonding with their children. It is a dysfunctional relationship that sees the parents spending more on the wants and demands of their children in order to make up for their lack of parental presence in the lives of the children (“How Marketers Target Kids”). Advertisers have learned that those without the ability to make purchases actually have the most power to purchase these items through their indulging parents, and they are doing everything within their power to make sure that they provide the items that kids will nag their parents to death about. The reason that advertising to kids is such a success is because the advertising agencies spend countless hours in child focus groups, conducting surveys among kids, and also consulting with child psychologists on the best way to market their product to this very specific age group. A practice which is openly frowned upon by the American Psychological Association. In fact; “The issue of using child psychologists to help marketers target kids gained widespread public attention in 1999, when a group of U.S. mental health professionals issued a public letter to the American Psychological Association (APA) urging them to declare the practice unethical” (“How Marketers Target Kids”). Child psychologists are not supposed to be assisting in the corruption of generations of children. Rather, they should be helping to combat it. But they sell themselves out to the marketers because it allows them to use their profession to earn money they would not earn in a normal practice. These child psychologists sold out to the marketers and advertising agencies, that is why child consumerism became a social problem in the first place. Consider the following as you ponder the previous statement; Using research that analyzes childrens behaviour, fantasy lives, artwork, even their dreams, companies are able to craft sophisticated marketing strategies to reach young people. For example, in the late 1990s the advertising firm Saatchi and Saatchi hired cultural anthropologists to study children engaging with digital technology at home in order to figure out how best to engage them with brands and products (“How Marketers Target Kids”). The advertising agencies ruthlessly target children as an ever growing consumer group without ever taking the childs welfare into consideration. By promoting this unhealthy lifestyle and consumer based lifestyle, the product manufacturer, advertiser, and child psychologists have created generations of selfish Americans who equate social acceptance and success in life with their ability to purchase the latest trends in fashion, technology, and other aspects of social interaction. That said, it is important for those concerned to publicly accept their part in creating the child consumerism social problem. Companies are responsible for assisting the life that the people live. Our sense of social behavior is directly influenced by their product advertising and trending. Therefore, there is a clear sense of corporate social responsiblity involved in the way that these companies and corporations target and market to children in general. Sadly, as Susan Linn, director and co-founder of Campaign for a Commercial - Free Childhood explains; “There is no ethical, moral, social, or spiritual justification for targeting children in advertising and marketing... Kids are inundated with advertising in a way never before” (OBrien, Gael “Marketing to Children: Accepting Social Responsibility”). It is my personal belief that due to the currently existing laws, not even the government can try to prevent the perpetual abuse and expoliotation of children by those concerned. Advertising agencies and manufacturers will not stop marketing to children because it is an effective way of ensuring their fiscal bottom-line. This social problem will be hard to resolve because the hands of parents, lawmakers, and child professionals are tied when it comes to trying to prevent unwarranted marketing of products to children. Works Cited Media Smarts. “How Marketers Target Kids”. mediasmarts.ca.mediasmarts.ca. n.d. Web. 5 Mar. 2014. OBrien, Gael. “Marketing to Children: Accepting Responsiblity”. Business Ethics. business-ethics.com. 31 Ma. 2013. Web. 6 Mar. 2014. sunamori6765. “Consuming Kids”. youtube.com. video. 6 Mar. 2014. Read More