Blog Task 5

There is a continuous debate on whether advertising influences children. Gunter et al (2005) identifies advertising as portraying a message about a brand to influence consumers perceptions of the brands in order for them to purchase it. Adverts raise awareness and people's attitudes to brands and makes us unconsciously feel the need to buy them. For children, food such as cereals entice children to want to eat certain cereals because they know they have the chance of winning a toy. Some adverts include products that if you keep buying them, you gain a toy each time which creates a whole set. As well as magazines, which come with pieces of the body or a ship, the first few are free, then they become more and more expensive to complete the set. Parents are then nagged to buy them so the child get stheir toy which is known as 'pester power' (Proctor and Richards, 2002 as cited in Gunter, 2005). Young (1990) views advertising in a negative light as it persuades children to buy products they do not need, spending money they do not have. Not all products are bought due to advertising as some products are bought because of the popular 'craze' for example Harry Potter (Proctor and Richards, 2002). During school experience, children would bring in their favourite toys to play with others, for the boys it was mainly cards, which they would swap and share. These popular crazes influence more and more children to pester their parents to get them, which they become the talk of the playground. Advertising is seen by some as promoting awareness of important social and religious events such as Christmas. This makes children aware of what is going on in the world educating them. Gunter et al (2005) puts forward how some adverts show toys in a unrealistic way, which concerns parents as the small print is not always readable by children. Strasburger (2001, as cited in Gunter, 2005) states how children are exposed to alcohol, tobacco and medicines which causes concerns. This is because some adverts may include animation to look as if it is aimed at children, to confuse the viewers. Another issue with advertising is when some products are  shown with celebrities, to promote the product and enhance sales as it increases children liking the product (Rose et al, 1984, as cited in Gunter, 2005).  This shows a false sense of security as children are influenced the need to buy it, when they may not even need it. Advertising does influence children, but not just through adverts, but through crazes at school and what is most popular that everyone else has, that you do not want to be left out.

Gunter, B. Oates, C. & Blades, M. (2005) Advertising to Children on TV New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates pp 1 – 13




 

Young, B. (1990) Children and Television Advertising. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press