MK314 - International Advertising, Assignment
Does TV advertising lead to unhealthy
habits in children?
Dale Kunkel and Brian Wilcox,
researchers at The American
Physiological Association (APA), in
Washington, would seem to think
so.
In a 2004 report by an APA task
force, it is claimed that,
o
Power to persuade parents
(commonly
known
as
‘pester power’) begins at
around 3 years of age
o Children generally begin to
have their own disposable
income at the age of 7
“Because young children lack the
cognitive skills and abilities of older
children and adults, they do not
comprehend commercial messages
in the same way as do more
mature audiences, and, hence, are
uniquely susceptible to advertising
influence”1.
o Future spending patterns
can be seen i.e. advisers
believe in ‘catching them
early’ for future loyalty
purchases 2
The third of these points is perhaps
the most concerning, as it suggests
that if a company can attract
customers early then there is the
potential for decades of brand
loyalty. Parents in particular should
take this thought very seriously.
In simple terms, this is to say that
when young children see adverts
on television, they are unable to do
anything but take them on face
value. The APA report goes on to
explain what is meant by unhealthy
habits; all of which will be detailed
further on. What can be said now,
though, is that such habits are not
purely dietary, as many would
believe.
The children’s market is an
extremely impressionable one and
one which brings huge revenue to
international
companies.
One
would
assume
that
such
companies are toy manufacturers,
but increasingly it is manufacturers
in a wider sense that pay specific
attention to children. This is
because they recognise that the
children’s
market
can
be
segmented by the following:
2
1
Adapted from “Advertising”, Ray Wright, pg.
206
“Report of the APA Task Force on Advertising
th
& Children”, 20 February 2004.
1
MK314 - International Advertising, Assignment
Nowadays, one of the main
advertising
media
used
by
manufacturers who desire a young
consumer base, is the television.
Although not as technologicallyadvanced as the use of the internet
for
promotional
campaigns,
television is far more accessible for
a
younger
market.
It
has
established itself in the home over
a number of years and, whilst older
generations
may
often
not
appreciate the number of adverts in
between
their
favourite
programmes and, subsequently,
‘channel hop’, children can do little
but watch. It is estimated that a
child will see, on average, more
than 40,000 television adverts per
year, of which most are between 15
and 30 seconds in length 3 . At a
young age, children are unable to
distinguish between programmes
and adverts, mainly due to the
unique sound effects and auditory
changes, rapidly-moving images
and audiovisual gimmicks and
special effects 4 that many
manufacturers employ. It is, as a
result of this, now widely believed
that children see television adverts
as entertainment. Such is the worry
emanating from this targeting of
children, that various organisations,
including the ITC in the UK, have
published reports based on the
influence television advertising can
have. Pam Hanley, of the ITC
writes:
http://www.funmovies-gratis.de/
“Children recognise television as a
source of inspiration, often for things
which are simple to copy, such as
clothes and style, language, actions
and catchphrases”5.
Hanley goes on to talk in more
detail of the pleasure children get
from being able to copy what they
have seen on television, which
immediately emphasises the theory
that children today are liking what
they see. Manufacturers are well
aware of this and, because of the
impressionable and vulnerable
nature of the ‘children’s market’ 6 ,
extremely strict regulations are in
place regarding advertising to them.
The issue is publicised to the same
extent in America, with experts
such as Terence Shimp discussing
the vulnerability of children. He
pays
particular
attention
to
companies using ‘posters, book
covers and free magazines’7 as an
advertising media and claiming
they are ‘educational resources’.
This is added to his focus on the
nation-wide
energy
drink,
“Gatorade”, and the company’s TV
claims that it is the “healthy
alternative for healthy kids”8 . This,
he says, could well be unethical
advertising as it is persuading
children to urge their parents to
purchase a product whose health
benefits are unfounded. Here, we
can see that children are being
given a starting point from which
3
6
“Advertising”, Ray Wright, pg. 206
“Advertising, Promotion…” Terence Shimp,
pg. 601
8
ibid
Report of the APA Task Force on Advertising
& Children, pg. 1
4
ibid
5
Adapted from “Copycat Kids: The Influence of
Television Advertising on Children &
Teenagers”, Pam Hanley, pg. 33
7
2
MK314 - International Advertising, Assignment
they can develop bad habits;
namely, the beginning of ‘pester
power’. The reference to health is
also particularly relevant today and
when answering the question
initially posed by the APA. In
response to that question it can
easily be said that one of the ‘bad
habits’ is the regular consumption
of ‘junk food’, which has a
detrimental effect on health.
An editorial from the British Medical
Journal in the same year endorsed
and enhanced the point by
declaring that 9% of boys and 13%
of
girls
in
England
were
10
overweight . Childhood obesity
levels in the UK were described as
‘epidemic’ and in ten years, the
prevalence
of
obesity
had
11
increased by 140%
. Public
awareness that food advertising
during child viewing hours was on
the increase did little to calm things.
Now such advertising is under
intense scrutiny.
Stephanie
Lvovich,
of
Ergo
Communications, explains that the
advertising business is being
accused of:
What about
and obesity?
“Damaging the health of the nation
by pushing ‘inappropriate’ food and
drink onto consumers”,
advertising
And that it promotes:
It is nowadays almost impossible to
avoid hearing of the World Health
Organisation’s (WHO) fears over
obesity. In both political and
business circles it is high on the
agenda, with fast-food chains
taking the brunt of the criticism.
“Harmful dietary change, and
bombards children with messages
that undermine parental authority”12.
Yet, true as this statement is, and
frightening as the statistics were, it
should be noted that ‘it is easy to
blur the boundaries between
emotive reactions and scientific
precision 13 . Now, governments
throughout the world are attempting
to tackle the obesity problem. In the
UK, only this year, celebrity chef,
Jamie Oliver, has tried to make a
difference
with
suggested
improvements for school meals.
In 2000, the British Government’s
National Diet and Nutrition Survey
confirmed that children’s diets were
in a ‘poor state’. It went on to say
that British children ate “less than
half the recommended portions of
fruit and vegetables a day” 9 and
emphasised the problem relating to
the intake of saturated fat, salt and
sugar.
9
10
“Children should be encouraged…” Editorial
BMJ, pg. 328
ibid
ibid
12
“Advertising and obesity: the research
evidence”, Stephanie Lvovich, pg. 35
13
“Does food advertising make children
obese?”, Brian Young, pg. 19
11
3
MK314 - International Advertising, Assignment
One train of thought is that in the
midst of the much-publicised
problem, it might just be the case
that society is far too willing to seek
out a scapegoat. Advertising would
appear to be the easiest option at
present. This may, indeed, be
because advertising today is more
persuasive in strategy – as we now
live in a far more commercially
competitive world. In this way,
manufacturers who advertise to
children tend to associate their
product with fun and happiness,
choosing to avoid particularly
factual content. An example used
by the APA Task Force in their
2004 report on ‘Advertising and
Children’ is based on a McDonald’s
scenario – highly relevant today.
An excerpt reads:
advertising to the development of
weight problems and, specifically,
obesity. It is clear that advertising
helps to sell on the shop floor, but
the main role, manufacturers would
argue, is to communicate with the
customer. If the style of advert is
pleasing to youngsters then they
can claim that, as a company, they
appeal to the whole family. Any
concerns regarding obesity should
also only be aired having
considered
the
findings
of
Stephanie
Lvovich.
Following
publication of her 2003 report it
was revealed that:
‘children from obese/overweight
families had a higher preference for
fatty foods in a taste test, a
decreased liking for vegetables,
and an eating style that fell more
into the ‘overeating-type’’16.
“A commercial featuring Ronald
McDonald dancing, singing and
smiling in McDonald’s restaurants
without any mention of the actual
food products available reflects a
fun/happiness theme”14.
This could not be further from the
negative images conjured up when
obesity is talked about.
Nevertheless, the ‘bombarding of
children’ is what is key here. It is
quite clear when watching the
television today that the vast
majority of advertisements are for
food-related products. In fact, the
APA report would suggest that
these make up 80% 15 of adverts
targeted at children in America.
Yet,
in
defence
of
food
manufacturers, there is at present
no research that directly links
This undeniably suggests that the
blame could well be laid on the part
of the parents and, indeed, not the
advertisers. After all, it is typically
parents who buy food for the family.
Additionally, in Quebec, where food
advertising to children has been
banned since 1980, there is no
visible difference between the
14
16
Report of the APA Task Force on Advertising
& Children, pg. 5
15
Report of the APA Task Force on Advertising
& Children, pg. 4
“Advertising and obesity: the research
evidence”, Stephanie Lvovich, pg. 38
4
MK314 - International Advertising, Assignment
obesity rate and that of other
Canadian provinces17. The same is
true in Sweden and Norway 18 ,
although the bans there were more
recent.
the way in which children can affect
overall household spending, due to
continual demands made of their
parents after having seen desirable
products – in this case on the
television. As previously mentioned,
this typically begins when a child is
three years of age. However, the
influence adverts can have on
youngsters depends on age, with
children more likely to copy what
they see the older they get. This
can take the form of impersonating
characters and attempting to be
more like heroes.
Manufacturers are aware of this,
resulting in the ever-popular
celebrity endorsement of products.
Subsequently, children become
more demanding of their parents.
Adidas 20 , in particular, are known
to select high-profile sportsmen
and women to parade their
products. When at primary school,
many children begin to express an
interest in sport, so David Beckham,
for example, is an ideal choice for
attracting young customers to a
brand.
To answer the initial question, it
would be wrong to say that TV
advertising leads to obesity if,
indeed, this is the result of the
eating of fast-food being a bad
habit. What could be said, though,
is that weakness on the part of the
parent may come about through TV
advertising and giving in to their
children who have seen ‘attractive’
advertisements. Some may argue
that the bad habit of eating
unhealthy food could be stopped if
parents limit how often they allow
their children to get their own way,
as well as restricting the amount of
advertising they are exposed to.
Additionally, more time could be
spent partaking in activities outside
of the home. This follows Dr
Ashton’s (Imperial College of
Medicine) view19 that obesity is not
a problem of energy intake, but of a
distinct lack in physical activity.
This, in turn, brings about the topic
of other ‘bad habits’.
Bad Habits
It would be impossible to conclude
without mentioning the other bad
habits that are widely believed to
be connected with TV advertising.
Serious as dietary bad habits
appear to be, they only play one
role in a very large cast.
One bad habit is certainly pestering
or, to use the marketing term,
‘pester power’. This term describes
17
http://www.images/google.co.uk/
David Beckham, launching the 2005 Predator
20
“Ban on food advertising…” press release
18
“Don’t blame Sponge Bob for child obesity”,
Radley Balko
19
“Ban on food advertising ‘would not impact
obesity rates in children’”, Press Release
5
www.adidas.com
MK314 - International Advertising, Assignment
If a child sees such a celebrity
wearing the latest version of a
football boot, there is a greater
chance of them wanting it. This
sees ‘pester power’ take on a
whole new form.
Furthermore,
if
children
are
constantly being bombarded with
new, desirable products they will be
increasingly less likely to listen to
what their parents tell them and
there will be a greater likelihood of
parent-child conflicts.
desensitise children to real-world
violence.
http://www.images.google.co.uk
Poster for the “Doom” computer game
For global manufacturers such as
Adidas, attracting young customers
it vital and the more they advertise,
the more likely it is that they are
undermining the authority of
parents 21 . Put simply, advertisers
realise that parents want to please
their children, so they play on this
fact.
Here, we have bad habits such as
‘pester power’, reluctance to agree
with parents; leading to conflict,
greed and/or jealousy, violence and,
potentially, bullying.
The initial question posed now
needs to be answered.
Added to this comes the social
element. If children see their peers
with products, then they too will
want them. Bad habits may take
the form of greed or jealousy in this
case.
Does TV advertising lead to
unhealthy habits in children?
Clearly, children exert direct
influence over parental spending
when they request and persuade
their parents to buy specific
products22. However, as is true with
all controversial issues, there are
two sides to this. It would appear all
too easy to say ‘yes’ to this
statement and, to refer back, to use
advertising as a scapegoat for
problems within society. We could
further the case against advertising
and mention the number of beer
adverts that are shown between
televised sporting events, and are
watched by millions of children, but
this would only serve as a
distraction from the real issue.
However, there more important are
issues,
relating
to
violence.
Numerous adverts today are for
films and computer games. In order
to give as detailed an impression
as possible, these adverts are often
extremely graphic. Whilst the
games themselves have age
restrictions, adverts still contain
violence and many children have
been known to carry out what they
have seen when in the playground.
Campaigners
against
such
advertising have argued that films
and
computer
game
advertisements not only promote
violence, but that they also
22
“Consumer Behaviour”, Black well; Miniard;
Engel, pg. 386
21
“Advertising and obesity: the research
evidence”, Stephanie Lvovich, pg. 35
6
MK314 - International Advertising, Assignment
It seems a more accurate train of
thought that says advertising is an
inevitable and unavoidable part of
life today, and it is the role of the
parent to exercise control.
Bad habits do not have to be a
consequence of advertising, but
can result from weak parenting. If
parents are of the opinion that
there are too many adverts on the
television for unhealthy food, it
should be their role to decide if or
how often they allow their children
to eat such food. If children are
violent or misbehave, it is the role
of the parent to ask why and decide
how best to stop them from doing
so in the future.
7