Blog 5: Children and Advertising

Advertising is a powerful tool which aims to convey a message about a brand effectively to influence consumers’ perceptions of the brand, to make the brand more desirable, and to persuade the consumer to purchase the brand (Gunter, Oates, Blades: 2005). The market for selling products to children is growing and most adverts shown are aimed at children (Gunter, Oates, Blades: 2005). However, advertising to children has raised many issues and debates in terms of its influence on children and whether they are effective consumers from an early age (Gunter et al, 2005). Therefore, this blog aims to discuss the controversial role advertising plays on children’s perceptions.

Firstly, an issue that has been explored by researchers is whether children should be viewed as consumers, and if so, when do they start becoming consumers? (Gunter et al, 2005). Zipes (2009) implies that children from an early age are spurred to consume and have become key players on all markets, as they are shaped by market forces during their childhood. This is supported by Pine and Nash (2002) who agree that children from an early age become consumers and are influenced by advertisement,  leading to ‘pester power’, involving children getting their parents/careers to buy products they have seen in adverts. However, just because children may be seen as consumers, do they really understand the advertiser’s intent to persuade? Leiss et all (1990) argues that children as viewers of advertising have neither the ability to understand the persuasive intent of advertising, nor the level of conceptual and experimental maturity to evaluate commercial messages rationally. This is supported by Beder (2009) who states that advertising is unethical because children can't critically evaluate adverts and distinguish between commercial persuasion and content as they believe adverts tell the truth.

In relation to the previous point, it appears that teachers should play a role in educating children about the effects and means of advertising (Banaji, 2010). Some ways in which teachers can bring advertising into the classroom is through getting the children to explore how advertising works in terms of persuasive content by analysis persuasive language. This is supported by the National curriculum (DfEs: 1999) which states that children should write to persuade, focusing on how arguments and evidence are built up and how language is used to convince the reader. Also, giving children the opportunity to create their own adverts may support their understanding of the components of an advert and their ability to persuade. The importance of this was highlighted in our seminar session where we were given the opportunity to create our own adverts. This could also be achieved through deconstruction of adverts including looking at who adverts are made by and for and how they persuade.

Finally, it is clear that advertising can have an impact on children’s’ perceptions, however, it could also be suggested that it has an impact on their emotions, desires and identity (Kenway and Bullen, 2001). This is supported by Clarke and Svanaes (2012) who suggest that purchasing products through advertising can help build children’s identity. They also act in supporting peer communities and peer literacy because they are seen as a cultural resource to use with their friends. (Kenway and Bullen, 2001).

 

Banaji, S. (2010) ‘Analysing Advertisements in the Classroom’ in Bazelgette, C. (Ed) Teaching Media in Primary Schools. London: Sage

Beder, S. (2009) This Little Kiddy went to Market. New York: Pluto Press

Dr, Clarke, B and Svanaes, S (2012) ‘Digital marketing and advertising to children: a literature review’ Advertising Education Forum, Available: http://www.apan.pt/media/97249/aef_digital_marketing_and_advertising_to_children.pdf

Department for Education and Employment (1999) English key stages 1-4: The National Curriculum for England. DfE: London

Gunter, B., Oates, C. & Blades, M. (2005) Advertising to Children on TV. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp1 – 13

Kenway, J.& Bullen, E. (2001) Consuming Children Buckingham: Open University Press

Leiss, William; Kline, Stephen & Jhally Sut (1990) Social communication in advertising. Persons, Products and Images of Well-being. Canada: Nelson.

Pine, K, J and Nash, A (2002), Dear Santa: The effects of television advertising on young children, Sage, International Journal of Behavioral Development, 26 (6), 529–539,

Zipes, J (2009) ‘Relentless Progress The Reconfiguration of Children's Literature, Fairy Tales, and Storytelling’ Routledge: Oxon.