This is a paper I did for my business adminstration class for the degree I am working on.
This is not so much about weddings, but about marriage and children.
Is it ethical to advertise to children
under the age of 13 years of age?
By: Robert H. Walker
February 22, 2008
In this paper I shall attempt to show why I feel that it is unethical to advertise to children of a young and tender age. Children are emotionally and intellectually immature and cannot make rational decisions concerning choices. They lack the financial capability of making the purchase due to a complete and total lack of income. Children cannot make intelligent decisions involving their health and welfare concerning products that are peddled to their level of understanding. Below are some examples and why they are detrimental to the young.
McDonalds restaurants come to mind as one of the promoters of children's marketing. Happy meals with the toy prize for the kids are a perfect example of this form of advertising and promotion. Children are bombarded with this on television ads during cartoons and youth oriented programming. Ronald the clown is geared towards kids, as adults would not be interested in a clown as a marketing tool. Children and many parents are unaware that their food products are full of fat and salt and is generally a poor choice of little nutritional value. These marketers know that if they can hook the kids early enough that they can have lifelong customers. Even the Bible states in Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
If you are unlucky enough to have a hungry child kicking and screaming in the back seat of the car as you drive by the golden aches, you will no doubt understand the power of marketing to children.
Kellogg's breakfast cereals are a perfect example of products advertised to children. Frosted (with sugar) flakes of corn and fruit loops are heavily advertised on Saturday morning cartoons and at other times with youth oriented programming and media. Fruit loops main ingredient is sugar and corn is listed as the second most prevalent ingredient. Artificial colors are also added and are very controversial among those that value their health. Sugar is linked, in some studies, with A.D.D. and A.D.H.D. among children and with adult onset diabetes. You can also find university medical studies to refute this that are funded by the packaged food industry. Tony the tiger will tell you that Frosted flakes are Great. While you push your cart down the aisle at the grocery store, you may hear the screams of a small child demanding a breakfast cereal from an exasperated mother.
Mattel sells many varied toys and some of the toys are the subjects of cartoons like the masters of the universe series. Barbie is a best selling item among girls for many years and the ads for it can be seen on TV and in print. In addition to tie in advertising campaigns there are the deals with the big toy companies like Toys r us and McDonalds sponsorship on their happy meal packaging. Movie theaters are in on the promotion with movie themes as well as ads before the film.
Disney has so many brands in the fire it is difficult to know where to start. In addition to the visual media, Disney has themed parks geared for children and a whole selection of toys. Disney has used modern technology to its advantage. Disney has a radio station in West Palm Beach and it helps promote their music and upcoming artists like Hannah Montana on Television and on the stage live and in movies. Children were begging parents to purchase tickets to the sold out events of Hannah and I heard that tickets were being scalped and sold for thousands for this event. Mickey Mouse has been a household term for over fifty years. When a new Disney movie comes out, it is heavily promoted via channels that children will frequent. Teen magazines like teen vogue, Cosmo girl Internet chat rooms and social sites promote Disney products as well as it are on billboards. Children are bombarded with visual stimuli of the many offerings of Disney in toys, clothing wear apparel and various accessories.
Phillip Morris Tobacco is a well-known international firm selling cigarettes and many forms of tobacco products. They used to be able to market to any age group with impunity in the USA until a law was passed that was supposed to prohibit advertising to children's markets. In my youth, I remember youth oriented movies where virtually all the roles smoked and drank in a positive light. I recall attending high school and seeing a huge billboard from the school grounds with tobacco ads featuring the "Marlboro man" smoking. Tobacco ads adorned the pages of many teen and adult magazines like Rolling Stone, Look and Life as well as local and national newspapers and television commercials. Popular teen radio shows and stations featured spots for the promotion of cigarettes. It is a proved fact that the brains of young adults do not develop until their twenties. Advertising such as this was insidious and promoted an unhealthy and dangerous addition to members of society that were not even allowed to purchase the product legally.
Seagram's liquors was the largest liquor distillery in the world at the time I was in high school. They advertised heavily with billboards around my high school and on the youth oriented radio stations. Rolling stones magazine had ads for their products like gin and scotch. Movies that appealed to the youth market showed liquor in a prominent and positive manner. Drunkenness was often portrayed in a light and humorous manner in the theatre and on television. Beer and youth oriented wine products such as sangria were heavily promoted during televised programming among shows that were popular among the youthful teens and preteens that I remember.
Summary: I truly have seen and felt the advertising blitz among the youth for products of dubious and harmful value in my teenaged years. I understand that a law was passed that was supposed to curb such practices.
Conclusion: I feel that advertising among preteens should not be allowed as they are not even allowed to legally work and have no income. Food with empty nutrition is not good for children and kids need to avoid them. They also should be kept far away from harmful products like liquor and cigarettes.
