Marketing Directed at Children and Its Impact on Young Minds - Research Paper Example

Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and their Impact on Young Minds Thesis Objective: In recent years, the food and beverage industry has viewed children and adolescents as a major market force. As a result, children and adolescents are now the target of intense and specialized food marketing and advertising efforts. Food marketers are interested in youth as consumers because of their spending power, their purchasing influence, and as future adult consumers. Multiple techniques and channels are used to reach youth, beginning when they are toddlers, to foster brand-building and influence food product purchase behavior. These food marketing channels include television advertising, in-school marketing, product placements, kids clubs, the Internet, toys and products with brand logos, and youth-targeted promotions, such as cross-selling and tie-ins. Foods marketed to children are predominantly high in sugar and fat, and as such are inconsistent with national dietary recommendations. The purpose of my dissertation will be to examine the food advertising and marketing channels used to target children and adolescents and the impact of food advertising on children's eating behavior. Reasons for the Choice of Topic: My personal reasons for choosing this particular subject for my dissertation are: Issue of fairness: I believe like most parents and consumer protection groups that advertising directly to children is dangerous and unethical as it can be deceptive and manipulative. It also promotes consumerism and poor nutritional habits to a defenseless target audience . To create awareness and promote stricter Regulations: In the UK, as compared to many other European nations, there are currently few policies or standards for food advertising and marketing aimed at children. For example, The Nordic countries are at the forefront of protecting children from the effects of advertising. Sweden has the strictest controls in Europe and in 1991 instituted a ban on television and radio advertising targeted at children under the age of 12. The Swedish government views advertising to children as morally and ethically unacceptable, since children have difficulty distinguishing between the purpose of advertising and other modes of communication. In Belgium, it is forbidden to broadcast commercials during children's programs as well as during the 5 minutes before and after them. (National Council of Better Business, 2003).So I believe that more research and analysis in this area is required in the UK to create more awareness of the importance of the issue at hand. This in turn would hopefully encourage the concerned authorities to introduce stricter laws to protect our children. A Need to explore all channels of Marketing: When I examined the existing body of literature review on my chosen subject, I found that majority of the focus of the current and ongoing analysis of brand promotions to children is on television advertising. While the huge impact of television advertising on vulnerable children cannot be denied, there also needs to be equal focus on other increasingly popular ways of advertising like the internet, schools, video games, movies, kid's clubs etc. A good understanding of the above mentioned marketing techniques is essential to completely eradicate the corruption of children's minds. Literature Review: Food Advertising: It is estimated that in UK , the food industry spent in excess of 0.3 billion in 1999 promoting unhealthy food products.(Advertising Association Yearbook,2000). These are processed foods which contain high levels of fat and/or sugar and/or salt and include confectionery, crisps and savory snacks, soft drinks and other so-called 'fast' or pre-prepared 'convenience' foods. In July 2001 Sustain published TV Dinners, a report which examines the nature and extent of food advertising during children's TV programmes(Sustain,2001).The study shows that between 95% and 99% of the food advertising during children's programming is for fatty and/or sugary and/or salty foods. Fatty and sugary foods are advertised in proportions up to 11 times higher than that recommended in official dietary guidelines, whilst fruit and vegetables are usually not advertised at all. In addition, adverts for unhealthy foods are shown with much greater frequency during children's television compared with adult viewing periods. The heavy marketing directed towards youth, especially young children, appears to be driven largely by the desire to develop and build brand awareness/recognition, brand preference and brand loyalty. Marketers believe that brand preference begins before purchase behavior does. (McNeal J, 1999)Brand preference in children appears to be related to two major factors: 1) children's positive experiences with a brand, and 2) parents liking that brand.( McNeal J,1999) Thus, marketers are intensifying their efforts to develop brand relationships with young consumers, beginning when they are toddlers. (Zollo P,1999).Marketers know that toddlers and preschool children have considerable purchase influence and can successfully negotiate purchases through what marketers term the "nag factor" or "pester power". (McNeal J, 1999)A child's first request for a product occurs at about 24 months of age and 75% of the time this request occurs in a supermarket. The most requested first in-store request is breakfast cereal (47%), followed by snacks and beverages (30%) and toys (21%). Requests are often for the brand name product. (McNeal, J, 1999) .Isler, et al, examined the location, types, and frequency of products that children ages 3-11 requested of their mothers over 30 days. Food accounted for over half (54%) of total requests made by children and included snack/dessert foods (24%), candy (17%), cereal (7%), fast foods (4%), and fruit and vegetables (3%). (Isler L,1987). Almost two-thirds (65%) of all cereal requests were for presweetened cereals. Preschool children made more requests than the older elementary school children. Parents honored children's requests for food about 50% of the time, soft drinks (60%), cookies (50%), and candy (45%). (McNeal J,1999).These findings show that food advertisers spend large amounts of money targeting children, in an attempt to build brand loyalty and to persuade them to desire a particular food product, however unhealthy it may be, starting when they are toddlers. Children: vulnerable targets:- Central to any discussion on food advertising to children is the nature of children's comprehension of advertising. Numerous studies have documented that young children have little understanding of the persuasive intent of advertising. (Zollo P,1999;Kunkel D,1993;John DR ,1999)).Prior to age 7 or 8 years, children tend to view advertising as fun, entertaining, and unbiased information. (John DR,1999).] An understanding of advertising intent usually develops by the time most children are 7-8 years old. Because of their level of cognitive development, children under 8 years of age are viewed by many child development researchers as a population vulnerable to misleading advertising. (John DR,1999). The heavy marketing of high fat, high sugar foods to this age group can be viewed as exploitative because young children do not understand that commercials are designed to sell products and they do not yet possess the cognitive ability to comprehend or evaluate the advertising. Preteens, from ages 8-10 years, possess the cognitive ability to process advertisements but do not necessarily do so. (Strasburger VC, 2001). From early adolescence (11-12 years), children's thinking becomes more multidimensional, involving abstract as well as concrete thought. Adolescents still can be persuaded by the emotive messages of advertising, which play into their developmental concerns related to appearance, self-identity, belonging, and sexuality. Advertising Styles, Techniques and Channels: Television Advertising Television has been identified as the medium that provides the widest and most frequent reach for younger children. Children ages 2 to 11 watch an average of 26 hours of television each week (Nicklas TA,2001;Gallo,AE,1999).In a 3-hour setting, a child may watch about 30 minutes of advertising, totaling 20-40 advertisements each hour depending on their length (Gallo,AE,1999).and may be exposed to as many as 22,000-25,000 commercials each year (US Department of Health and Human Services,2001).Television commercials use attention-getting techniques such as attractive models and familiar songs and jingles; they provide easily stored and recalled images from memory; they motivate children to retain information by highlighting the relevant, desired behavior; and they are highly repetitious (Zollo P,1999). Advertisers are now looking beyond children's programs to reach the larger audience of children who are watching prime-time television or listening to the radio with their parents because it is, an opportunity to reinforce the connection between children's independent purchases and their influence on family purchases. Marketers who want to focus on children's personal spending choose media that deliver messages to a large number of children in their desired target group. Marketers who want to take advantage of young people's power to influence family purchases choose commercials or television programs that reach children or teenage youth together with their parents . (John D R, 1999). Sales Promotion Sales promotion is a commonly used method for reaching young consumers in places where they are often found. The objectives and strategies marketers use need to be well-defined to capture the attention and interest of the desired target audience. For example, sales promotions occur at rock concerts, beaches, malls, and sports events; in stores; and even at school. They are used to motivate children and teens to make purchases at places they or their parents regularly shop, such as cosmetic counters, convenience stores, supermarkets, and fast-food restaurants. Premiums and sweepstakes prizes are often distributed to appeal to children's and teens' tastes and desires (Robinson W.A,1989). Nationally, McDonald's produces and delivers more than 200 different advertisements annually. This fast-food chain spends about $740 million in advertising, has earned an internationally recognized name that is synonymous with fast-food, and has built a reputation as "the children's marketer" (Kalish D,1989). The company uses a multifaceted sales promotion approach to reach ethnic youth by using radio and cable television to deliver messages to African Americans and Hispanics, and it uses network television to air commercials to the general population. McDonald's strives to make parents feel good about taking the family to the restaurant chain: both mothers and children surveyed put McDonald's at the top of their list for likability. McMoms, a program that targets bilingual mothers of children ages 2 to 7, inserts bilingual response cards into its "Happy Meal" boxes. In return, mothers receive Spanish language newsletters and promotions. Sports, youth, and community angles are used in McMoms' promotional advertising, which also includes scratch card contests, games on the place mats, and toy car give-a-ways (Kalish D,1989). Multimedia Exposure Using television commercials to reach children and youth is rapidly becoming more expensive and less efficient. Children are increasingly being exposed to different types of mass media, including radio, magazines and newspaper sections written especially for them, and interactive computer technology (List S K,1992). Although in-school multimedia can be viewed as a useful way to educate children and teenage youth, it has been increasingly criticized as a form of "commercialization of the classroom" when provided by corporations in exchange for advertising promotions and test marketing within educational environments. (Consumer's Union Education Services,1990;Raju P S ,1990). Celebrity Endorsement Heroes, heroines, and role models can motivate children and teenage youth to buy products and services. The celebrities most admired by children are entertainers or athletes. McDonald's and Pepsi, for example, have used Michael Jordon and Michael Jackson, respectively, to endorse food and beverage products targeted to children and teenage youth (Robinson W.A,1989).Celebrity endorsements encourage children to buy products for their status appeal. The status products being marketed are costly, and celebrity commercials are becoming increasingly slick. Today's children are contending not only with the celebrity appeal in television and magazine advertisements (Consumer's Union Education Services,1990;Raju P S ,1990). but also with peer pressure from friends who see the same commercials. Children must also face the financial realities of wanting products that they do not need and/or their parents cannot afford (Consumer's Union Education Services,1990). Kid's Clubs Some corporations (Nickelodeon, Fox, Burger King, and Disney) have created kid's clubs. A kid's club establishes an ongoing relationship with its members by providing membership cards and participatory activities that are dependent on spending money. Research has suggested that kid's clubs promote consumerism, reinforce commercial interests by building brand loyalty, and provide a convenient vehicle to deliver commercial messages and perpetuate ongoing advertising to children. Many of these clubs use their enrollment databases to distribute coupons for club merchandise (Consumer's Union Education Services,1990;Raju P S ,1990). Product Placement and Advertorials Advertisers have paid between $10,000 and $1 million to display brand name products in movies, with the price increasing if an actor uses a product rather than if the product is only shown. Sometimes, movie studios and producers accept merchandise or promotional support in exchange for placing a product (Consumer's Union Education Services, 1990;Raju P S ,1990). For instance, Burger King was depicted in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in exchange for promoting the movie before its release. Products can also be placed in prime-time television programs, comic strips, and video games. The opportunity to reach children and teenage youth with print media has expanded over the past decade. Over 160 magazines are targeted to children, many of which carry hidden advertisements--in editorials, comics, games, and puzzles. The resulting advertorials or hidden advertisements have been described as "subliminal inducements" that can mislead and deceive children (Consumer's Union Education Services, 1990;Raju P S ,1990). In School Marketing: During the past decade , use of public schools as advertising and marketing venues has grown. Reasons for the increase in in-school marketing to children and adolescents include the desire to increase sales and generate product loyalty, the ability to reach large numbers of children and adolescents in a contained setting, and the financial vulnerability of schools due to chronic funding shortages. (Consumers Union Education Services,1995;Levine J,1999). In-school commercial activities related to food and beverages include 1) product sales; 2) direct advertising; 3) indirect advertising; and 4) market research with students. (Nestle M, 2002;US General Accounting Office,2000). For example, in a recent survey of 336 secondary school principals in Minnesota, US, 98% of the school principals reported that soft drink vending machines were available to students, and 77% of the schools had a contract with a soft drink company. (French SA, 2002). The GAO report found that the sale of soft drinks by schools or districts under exclusive contracts is the fastest growing activity of all product sales. (US General Accounting Office,2000). Nationally in the US, more than one-third of elementary schools, half of middle/junior high schools, and almost three-fourths of senior high schools have a contract that gives a company rights to sell soft drinks at schools. Many other countries including UK face the same problem.According to a survey reported in BBC News on August 20th,2004, ,he majority of parents in Scotland resent companies advertising their products in schools. This study by the Scottish Parent Teacher Council (SPTC) found that a majority wanted stricter guidelines. (BBC News,2004). Internet Online media play an increasingly significant role in the lives of US children and teenagers. Utilizing the unique features of the Internet, companies can seamlessly integrate advertising and Web site content. (Montgomery KC, 2001). Almost all of the major companies that advertise and market to children have created their own websites, designed as "branded environments" for children. (Montgomery KC, 2000; 2001). This electronic advertising "environment" and on-line infomercials is evident with food companies, which offer multiple entertaining, animated and interactive areas developed specifically for preschoolers and children around their food products. These sites include games, word-find puzzles, contests, quizzes, riddles, music, e-mail cards, clips of commercials, sweepstakes, downloadable recipes, desktop wallpaper and screensavers that feature their products, and on-line stores that sell licensed merchandise. Children can also sign up to receive electronic newsletters with news about products and promotions. The sites often feature popular product spokes-characters and animated cartoon characters, such as Tony the Tiger, Chester Cheetah, Toucan Sam, and Snap! Crackle! And Pop! The integration of products into games is commonplace. The company's website is frequently featured on ads or product packaging. Effects of Advertising on Children: 1. Brand Preference: Children's recall of television commercials has been examined from a variety of perspectives. When experiments measure recall of advertisements immediately following viewing, more than half of the children tended to remember an ad for such products as toys, cereals and ice-cream even when the ad is shown just once in the program.(Gorn & Goldberg,1977;Zuckerman,Zieler & Stevenson,1978).Brand preferences can be manipulated by exposure to a single commercial(Resnik & Stern,1977;Goldberg,Gorn & Gibson,1978).But increased desire for the advertised product are more likely the result of repeated exposure(Galst & White,1976;Gorn & Goldberg,1982;Robertson & Rossiter,1977).Although children's recall of commercials may decay quickly over time, positive attitude towards the advertised product can persist a week later, even after the ad has been forgotten.(Silverman,Jaccard & Burke,1988). 2. Parent-Child Conflict:An important side effect of the influence of advertising on children's desire for products is the parent-child conflict that emerges when refusals occur in response to children's purchase-influence attempts(Robertson,1979).In one study(Atkins,1975) found that more than half the children reported arguing or becoming angry when a toy or food request was denied; in another(Atkins,1978),he observed high rates of child disappointment and anger in response to the majority of parent refusals for cereal requests at the supermarket. 3. Materialistic and misguided social Attitudes :Scholars have advanced the hypothesis that advertising cultivates a materialistic value system in young people. Alder et al(1980) found strong materialistic values among fourth to seventh graders who were heavy television viewers than among their lighter viewing classmates. In her new book, "Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture," sociologist/author Juliet B. Schor portrays a media culture that is seriously damaging childhoods. She says thatlarge advertising dollars directed at children are aimed at creating insatiable appetites for everything from junk food to video games to beauty products. Juliet explains that the "antiadultism" in kid's programming and advertising has contributed to greater consumption of junk food. She explains that there is a standard message in the consumer culture that kids are cool and adults are not. This message, according to her has been perverted by marketers into a sophisticated and powerful "antiadultism." What kids are being taught through the advertising they see every day is that there is a social value to these foods and that essentially they will be cool if they eat them. If they don't eat them they will be boring like adults. An example of this, that she gives is a commercial for Starburst candy in which a dorky teacher is standing in front of a room of really bored kids. When the teacher faces the class, the scene is of a horrible oppressive environment. When he turns around and faces the black board the kids start eating Starburst, partying and having a great time. The message is that the adult world is awful and oppressive and the world of candy and kids is cool and wonderful. The coolness of the kid's world and the uncoolness of the adult world are constantly being tied to food. That tells the kids that the healthy food parents give you is un cool and the junk food being sold to you on TV is very cool. 4. Unhealthy Eating Habits: One of the most studied areas of advertising effects is the impact on children's eating habits. Commercials for candy, snacks and fast food are the mainstays of the advertising targeting children. Such ads are effective in persuading children to like and request the product(Borzekowski & Robinson,2001;Galst & White,1976;Goldberg ,Gorn & Gibson,1978;Taras,Sallis,Patterson,Nader,& Nelson,1989).In a study done by Gorn & Goldberg(1982),they controlled the advertising shown to 5-8 year olds at a 2 weel long camp. The children's food and drink choices during the camp were significantly influenced by the ads they viewed. One of the main concerns of parents is that commercials for candies, snacks and sugared cereals far outnumber commercials for more healthy and nutritious foods(Atkin & Heald,1977;Barcus,1980;Kunkel & Gantz,1992).One study even suggests that the influence of an ad for healthy foods can be overcome when a commercial for snack foods is shown immediately afterward(Cantor,1981).The general finding that eating habits formed during childhood often persist throughout life underscores the serious implications of advertising influence.(Jacobson & Maxwell,1994).Observers have linked the dramatic increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity to the emergence of the advertising of unhealthy foods to children.(Dietz,1990;Horgen,Choate,& Brownell,2001;Troiano & Flegal,1998). Analysis of the Literature Review: The above literature review gives us a comprehensive idea of the predatory, intrusive all-pervasive nature of marketing and advertising tactics used on gullible children. It also gives us a fair understanding of its implications on the child's physical and emotional equilibrium by prompting misguided food choices. Research on modes of television advertising and the impacts on children were collected by conducting a search for existing literature available as books, reports, articles or on the internet. The internet was a mighty weapon to compile a list of relevant academic articles in electronic databases, websites of government departments and websites of advertising and marketing groups. The existing research knowledge regarding children and advertising is certainly adequate to justify the need for stricter policies in this arena. However I find that the majority of the research is concentrated on the influence of television ads. While not undermining the substantial influence of television, it is important to acknowledge that in these technologically advanced times, that there are other advanced media environments such as the internet and the world wide web that influence our kids .There are also new seemingly innocent players in this commercial game like schools and kid clubs that have become important tools for advertisers. There is, in my opinion, a further need to investigate the intricacies of how children recognize, react and defend against commercial promotions that pop up in unexpected avenues that might have been comparatively overlooked or underestimated. Parents, educators, and the overall community need to be aware of the wide array of issues that stem from marketing to children and the possible consequences of unhealthy food consumption by children with a potential to drastically disrupt the society as a whole. Methodology: In order to conduct an in-depth analysis of the types and consequences of direct marketing to children, two procedures will be used: Two Narrative reviews will be conducted. The first will examine in depth what in general terms is known about marketing and promotions to children. The second examines research on the effects of these promotions on young people. This entails analysis of journals, books and newspapers to find information on the two review subjects mentioned above. Finding research relevant to these subjects will provide a very significant basis for the conclusion that will be made surrounding the topic. A survey research will be conducted on a total of hundred parents with children in the age group of three years to eight years of age. This particular age group for children was chosen as the "under eight" age group has been widely quoted by most psychologists as the most vulnerable to advertisements. (John D R, 1999). One of the critical findings from the literature review conducted in this paper was that parents' views and perspectives have largely been ignored in the existing research about marketing to children. Since they play a significant role in their children's lives, their opinion in this matter is invaluable. The information that they can impart on this matter will be most authentic. To procure a fair understanding of their attitude towards this matter and opinion, likert scale will be used to analyze the ten questions that will be posed to each of the parents. A copy of the questionnaire is attached at the end of the paper after the "works cited" page. The questions are designed to examine the degree of influence of ads in their household, on their children and the type/degree of emotion they feel towards this widely pervasive phenomenon. The Likert technique, used in this questionnaire, consists of a series of attitude statements. Subjects are asked to express agreement or disagreement of a five-point scale. Each degree of agreement is given a numerical value from one to five. Thus a total numerical value can be calculated from all the responses. This technique is perceived to be the best method in assessing the extent of feelings and therefore very suitable for this parental research. Limitations of the methodology: Food knowledge, preferences and behavior are influenced by a wide range of complex and dynamic forces. Isolating the possible influence of one variable i.e. commercial promotions, can be presumptuous. Moreover, social science research of this genre can never provide final incontrovertible proof as it deals with immeasurable variables like emotions, feelings and tendencies. Therefore, at best it reduces uncertainty rather than producing certainty. Narrative review identifies all relevant studies, assesses their quality and reaches a composite judgment on what the literature can tell us about the problem. The research problem calls for a multi-disciplinary approach drawing on nutrition, marketing, consumer behavior, food policy, psychology, communications and economics. This makes the analysis more complex. The proposed survey research will study the opinions of a mere hundred parents and may not necessarily reflect the general parent population in totality. Also the survey will be conducted in UK and may not necessarily reflect the thought process of others located elsewhere. The dissertation will focus on marketing practices and research conducted primarily in the UK. However, a number of studies in other countries, such as Australia and the US, have found that television advertising to children for high sugar and high fat foods is prevalent. Comparative international studies could help shed light on the prevalence and impact of food marketing and advertising to children .But this is beyond the scope of the proposed research. Works Cited Adler, R.P., Lesser, G.S.,Merengoff,L.,Robertson,T.S.,Rossiter,J.R.,& Ward,S.(1980).Research on the Effects of Advertising on Children.Lexington.MA.Lexington Books. Atkin,C.(1978).Observation of Parent -Child Interaction in supermarket decision making. Journal of Marketing.42,41-45. Atkin,C. & Heald, G.(1977).The Content of Children's toy and Food Commercials.Journal of Communication.27(1).107-114. Barcus,F.E.(1980).The Nature of Television Advertising to Children. In E.Palmer & A.Dorr(Eds).Children and the Faces of Television.pp.273-285.New York. Academic Press. BBC News.(August 20th 2004).Retrieved March 2006 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3581318.stm. Borzekovski,D.L.G. & Robinson,T.N.(2001).The 30 Second Effect: An experiment revealing the impact of Television Commercials on food preferences of Preschoolers. Journal of the American Dietetic Association.101(1).42-46. Campbell, A.J. (1999). Self-regulation and the media. Federal Communications Law Journal. 51:711+. Cantor,J.(1981).Modifying Children's Eating Habits through Television Ads: Effects of Humorous Appeals in Field Setting. Journal of Broadcasting.28,431-443. Consumer's Union Education Services.(1990).Selling America's Kids: Commercial Pressure on the kids in the 90s.Consumers Union of the United States Inc.NY. Consumers Union Education Services. Captive Kids: Commercial Pressures on Kids at School. (1995).Yonkers. NY. Consumers Union of United States. Dietz,W.(1990).You are what you eat-What you eat is what you are.Journal of Adolescent Health Care.11(1).76-81. French, S.A., Story, M. & Fulkerson, J.A.(2002). School food policies and practices: a state-wide survey of secondary school principals. J Am Diet Assoc. 102:1785-1789. doi: 10.1016/S0002-8223(02)90382-2. Gallo, A.E. (1999). Food Advertising in the United States. In: USDA/Economic Research Service. America's Eating Habits: Changes and Consequences. Washington D.C. USDA. 173-180. Goldberg,M.,Gorn,G. & Gibson,W.(1978).TV Messages for snacks and breakfast foods: Do they influence Children's Preferences Journal of Consumer Research.5, 73-81. Gorn,G. & Goldberg,M.(1977).The Impact of Television Advertising on Children from low income families. Journal of Consumer Research.4,86-88. Gorn,G. & Goldberg,M.(1982).Behavioral Evidence of the Effects of Televised Food Messages on Children. Journal of Consumer Research.9,200-205. Harris, J.M., Kaufman, P., Martinez, S. & Price, C. (2002).The US Food Marketing System. Vol: 2003. USDA. Horgen,K.B.,Choate,M. & Brownell,K.D.(2001).Televeision Food Advertising:Targeting Children in a Toxic Environment. In D.G. Singer & J.L.Singer(Eds).The Handbook of Children and Media.pp.447-462.Thousand Oaks.CA.Sage. Isler L., Popper , H.T. & Ward ,S. (1987).Children's purchase requests and parental responses: results from a diary study. Journal of Advertising Research. 27:28-39. Jacobson,M. & Maxwell,B.(1994).What are we feeding our Kids.New York.Workman Publishing. John ,D.R.(1999). Consumer socialization of children: A retrospective look at twenty-five years of research. Journal of Consumer Research. 26:183-213. doi: 10.1086/209559. Kalish, D.(1989).McTargeting.Marketing and Media Decisions.24:28-29. Kunkel ,D. & Gantz, W.(1992).Children's Television Advertising in the multi-channel environment.Journal of Communication.42(3).134-152. Kunkel ,D. & Gantz, W.(1993). Assessing compliance with industry self-regulation of television advertising to children. Applied Communication Research. 148:151+. Levine ,J.(1999). Food industry marketing in elementary schools: implications for school health professionals. J Sch Health. 69:290-291. List,S.K.(1992).The Right Place to Find Children. American Demographics.14:44-47. McNeal, J. (1999).The Kids Market: Myth and Realities. Ithaca, NY, Paramount Market Publishing. Montgomery ,K.C.(2000). Children's media culture in the new millenium: mapping the digital landscape. The Future of Children. 10:145-167. Montgomery, K.C.(2001). Digital kids: the new online children's consumer culture. In: Singer D G and Singer J L. editor. Handbook of Children and the Media. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications .pp. 635-650. National Council of Better Business. Children's Advertising Review Unit. 2003. Nestle (2002). M. Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health. Los Angeles. University of California Press. Nicklas, T.A., Elkasabany, A., Srinivasan, S.R. & Berenson, G.(2001). Trends in nutrient intake of 10-year-old children over two decades (1973-1994): the Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Epidemiol. 153:969-977. doi: 10.1093/aje/153.10.969. Raju, P.S. & Lonial,S.C.(1990).Advertising to Children: Findings and Implications. Current Issues and Research in Advertising.12:231-274. Resnik,A. & Stern,B.(1977).Children's Television Advertising and Brand Choise:A Laboratory Experiment. Journal of Advertising.6.11-17. Robertson,T.(1979).Parental Mediation of Advertising Effects. Journal of Communication.29(1).12-25. Robertson,T. & Rossiter,J.(1977).Children's Responsiveness to Commercials.Journal of Communication.27(1).101-106. Robinson,W.A.(1989).Promotions Tag Tweens. Advertising Age.60(17):60. Schor,J.B.(2005).Born to Buy:The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture. Scribner. Silverman,W.,Jaccard,J. & Burke,A.(1988).Children's Attitudes toward Products and Recall of Product Information over Time.Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.45.365-381. Strasburger, V.C. (2001).Children and TV advertising: nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 22:185-187. Sustain (2001).TV Dinners - What's being served up by the advertisers Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming, London. Taras,H.,Sallis,J.,Patterson,T.Nader,P. & Nelson,J.(1989).Television's Influence on Children's diet and Physical Activity.Developmental and Behavioural Pediatrics.10(4).176-180. Triano,R.P. & Flegal,K.M.(1998).Overweight Children and Adolescents:Description,Epidemiology and Demographics.Pediatrics.101.497-504. US Department of Health and Human Services. (2001).The Surgeon General's call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity. Rockville. MD. US Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service. Office of the Surgeon General. US General Accounting Office.(2000). Public education: Commercial activities in schools. Report to congressional requesters. GAO/HEHS-00-156. Zollo, P. (1999).Wise Up To Teens: Insight into Marketing and Advertising to Teenagers. 2nd edition. Ithaca. NY. New Strategist Publications, Inc. Zuckerman,P.Zeigler,M. & Stevenson,H.(1978).Children's Viewing of Television and Recognition Memory of Commercials.Child Development.49.96-104. Sample Questionnaire: 1. My child gets excited about advertisements that he sees on television, print media and billboards. Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 2. A request for a particular brand always follows a viewed commercial that catches my child's attention and interest. Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 3. After denial of request, continued exposure to the desired food ad causes my child to pester me for buying the product. Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 4. The prevalence of ads featuring unhealthy food choices such as sweetened cereals is greater than the prevalence of ads featuring healthy food choices. Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 5. Exposure to ads directed at children has led to temper tantrums or mood swings after refusal of purchase of advertised product. Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 6. The impact of ads featuring unhealthy food choices such as candies and sweetened cereals always seems to be greater than the impact of ads featuring healthy food choices. Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 7. The presence of popular cartoon characters and celebrities in ads significantly increases my child's interest in the product. Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 8. Food advertisements directed at children be it through television, billboards, school promotions and all other channels of advertisements exert an enormous influence on my child's nutritional choices. Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 9. Food marketing directed at children is unfair and unethical considering the vulnerability and lack of comprehensive ability of children to perceive the intent and motive of the advertiser. Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree 10. Food marketing directed at children requires speedy attention in the form of strict regulations by law authorities to protect against the exploitation of children. Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree Strongly Disagree Read More