Marketing To Children

Nowadays, companies spend billion of dollars a year just in advertising. The shocking digit of a 70% of this advertisement is address to children. What started with simples adds of toys and candies, has become a big marketing of clothes, food, technology, etc. Marketing experts argue that advertising to children is even more effective that doing it to adults. Children spend more in themselves, they influence their parents’ consumption and, by converting them in consumers at a young age, they will spend more as adults. Even so, marketing to children should not be treated so light and governments should impose measure about the subject.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (2007), the average preschool child watch nearly 25,000 TV commercials per year. As such young age, children are developing their identity and this commercial influence can disturb their way of see the reality. By making them insecure about their individuality, creating false needs and offering bad solutions, advertising will make them consumers. This advertising blitz has been related to eating disorders, precocious sexuality and family stress. It even has been linked to youth violence.

As well, a research of the Institute of Medicine in Washington (2006) shows that marketing to children has a direct influence in child obesity. This is because food and beverage advertisers use multiple media channels to deliver their message: television, web sites, radio, video games, books, newspaper, magazines, etc. Web sites are now design with special children’s links, and incorporate “advergames”. A low percent of them advertises healthy food choices. Also, studies have demonstrated that 98% of the food shown in children’s programming has a high in fat, sugar and sodium.

However, some experts doubt of the children’s abilities to understand advertisements. Kunkel (2001), in his article “Children and television advertising”, says that children are not able to recognize a commercial until the age of 8 years old. Before this age, children will not distinguish between advertising and program content. According to a study by Roy Fox (1995), being unable to get the persuasive intent of the commercial doesn’t make children less vulnerable to the marketing manipulation. In fact, it just makes marketing to children unethical.

Divers movements have been developed in the last years against this subject. Campaigns that demand policies protecting children under the age of 9 years old of uncontrolled advertising are growing around the world. The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, hasn’t stayed numbness in front of this topic. Mrs. Obama, recognizing the influence of marketing in children, has developed a campaign that promotes eating vegetables and fruits. For this, Mrs. Obama will use the influence of the Sesame Street Brand, using characters like Big Bird, Elmo, Rosita and Abby Cadabby. This will be produce by mid-2014.

Children are too vulnerable to marketing. Making them consumers to such young age seems to be a malefic plan of our consumer system. Is like teaching them that happiness is in consumption. Dismissing the influence and the manipulation that this might have in their lives should not be an option to our governments. Because, as the famous psychiatry Dr. Susan Linn says, “The problem is not just that kids are consuming, they’re being consumed”.

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