Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: When it comes to getting people to spend money on consumer goods, Madison Avenue have trust in the power of a whining child. The very young are more and more becoming the target of the advertising industry. As more and more companies are turning to child psychologists to help fine tune their messages, some specialists in child development are disturbed by the trend. As marketers are pitching to younger audiences, the question arises if children are being robbed of their innocence and childhood. Children are very naïve about advertising and can easily be manipulated and exploited. The general belief in the industry is that marketers can shape these children into lifelong customers with brand loyalties. Estimates have shown that children's aggregate spending has roughly doubled during the 1960's, 1970's, 1980's and almost tripled in the 1990's (Zoll, 2000). Why is this the case? What are the big corporations really up to: recruiting children to promote products on the playground, acting as their friends on social networks, repackaging junk food as a new health alternative and blurring the lines between what is advertising and what is not. Marketing that targets children are virtually everywhere - television, the internet, the playground and even the classroom. Product placements and other innovations have introduced more subtle ways of conveying their message. All this have created "commercialised children". The debate regarding the ethics of marketing to children is not a new development. Over the last three decades there were some fundamental questions asked about the fairness of marketing to children. Most of these questions are still unresolved. As the consumers started to understand their rights better over the last few years, this debate has started to move to the fore. While parents at home are struggling to set limits, marketing executives are working just as hard to undermine these efforts with irresistible offers. We need ask ourselves if too much marketing leads to unhappy families or will all these products lead to a more happy life. Because of the difficulty of gaining access to the child as a research subject, for the purpose of this thesis the focus was on secondary data available. This thesis is therefore a work of investigation, bringing research together from studies conducted in the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom and other European countries. The starting point was to gain knowledge of the cognitive development of a child. Using the work of Piaget as a basis and working with the developmental blind sports developed by Acuff and Reiher, vulnerabilities where identified for each of the developmental stages. Studies where then conducted into how the marketing industry targets each of those groupings and the products sold to them. In the end the products can be classified as: Inherently dangerous, safe and neutral. The classification of these products is an important aspect of the moral value of the companies selling them. It was necessary to look at the current legislation that is protecting the child and how the industry is finding their way around these. Finally, an ethical framework was designed that was used to look at the marketing industry's actions in each of the developmental phases and the products they sell. Because this thesis looks at the development of the child and the way that marketers target the child by focusing on the developmental blind spots, the feminine is also included when the masculine is used unless specifically stated that there is an important difference. In the end, it is clear that it is the ones who are in the daily "trenches" of homes everywhere who are under the most pressure. It is the parents and caretakers who are purposefully trying to design a healthy and enriching environment for their kids to grow up in who needs to be applauded. They are encouraging these children to have the courage to say no to the negative influences of materialism and irresponsible marketing. Although legislation does exist, it is in most cases not nearly strong enough to have a significant impact. In most cases the industry is left to regulate itself and the flow of money has the strongest pull. All over the world, parents are starting to form a united front against the irresponsible marketers and are forcing new laws and legislation to be implemented to help regulate the industry better. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Wanneer dit kom by die motivering vir mense om geld uit te gee op verbruiksgoedere, het Madison Avenue baie vertroue in die krag van 'n kermende kind. Die jong kind word al meer en meer geteiken deur die advertensie industrie. Meer en meer ondernemings gaan na kindersielkundiges toe om hulle te help om hul boodskap te verfyn. Sommige spesialiste in die ontwikkeling van die kind is baie bekommerd oor hierdie tendens. Soos wat bemarkers al meer na jonger markte neig, het die vraag begin ontstaan of hulle nie besig is om die jeug te beroof van hul onskuld nie. Sover dit die bemarkingsboodskap aangaan, is kinders baie naïef en kan hulle maklik gemanipuleer en uitgebuit word. Die algemene gevoel in die industrie is dat bemarkers hierdie kinders kan omskep in lewenslange kliënte deur gebruik te maak van handelsmerk lojalitiet. Skattings toon dat die kinders se gemiddelde spandering rofweg verdubbel het gedurende die 1960's 1970 en 1980's en amper verdriedubbel het in die 1990's (Zoll, 2000). Die vraag is nou, waarom is dit die geval? Waarmee is die groot maatskappye werklik besig wanneer hulle kinders werf om hul produkte op die speelgronde te bemark, of voorgee dat hulle vriende is op die sosiale netwerke, of kitskos herverpak asof dit gesond is en die lyne tussen realiteit en advertensie laat verdof. Bemaring wat kinders teiken kom amper orals voor - televisie, die internet, die speelgrond en selfs in die klas. Die plasing van produkte en ander innoverings maak die oordra van die boodskap baie meer subtiel. Dit alles is besig om 'n gekommersialiseerde kind te skep. Die debat oor die etiek van bemarking na kinders is nie 'n nuwe ontwikkeling nie. Oor die laaste drie dekades was daar reeds fundamentele vrae gevra oor die regverdigheid van bemarking na kinders toe. Die meeste van die vrae is steeds onbeantwoord. Soos wat verbruikers hulle regte oor die laaste paar jaar beter begin verstaan het, het dit die debat opnuut na die voorgrond gebring. Terwyl ouers tuis sukkel om grense te bepaal, werk die bemarkingsbestuurders net so hard daaraan om hierdie reëls te ondermyn met baie aantreklike en onweerstaanbare aanbiedings. Dit gee aanleiding tot die vraag vra of te veel bemarking kan aanleiding gee tot ongelukkige gesinne en of al hierdie produkte werklik sal lei tot 'n beter lewe. As gevolg van die beperkinge op die toegang tot kinders in navorsing, is daar vir die doel van die tesis gebruik gemaak van sekondêre data bronne. Die tesis is dus 'n ondersoek na bestaande navorsing gedoen in die Verenigde State van Amerika, Kanada, die Verenigde Koninkryke en ander Europese lande. Die begin punt van die studie was om kennis op te bou oor die kognitiewe ontwikkeling van 'n kind. Deur die werk van Piaget te gebruik en te werk met die ontwikkelingsblindekolle wat ontwikkel is deur Acuff en Reiher, is kwesbare areas geïdentifiseer vir elke stadium van die ontwikkelingsproses. 'n Studie is gedoen om te bepaal hoe die bemarkingsindustrie elk van hierdie groepe teiken en watter tipe produkte op elke vlak verkoop word. Die produkte is in drie kategorieë geklasifiseer: gevaarlik, veilig en neutraal. Die klassifikasie van die produkte is 'n belangrike aspek in die morele waarde van die onderneming wat dit verkoop. Dit was ook nodig om na die huidige wetgewing te kyk wat die kind beskerm en hoe die industrie rondom hierdie wette beweeg. Laastens is 'n etiese raamwerk opgestel waarteen die bemarkingsindustrie se aksies in elke ontwikkelingsfase gemeet word. Omdat hierdie tesis fokus op die kind en die wyse wat bemarkers die kind teiken deur te fokus op die ontwikkelingsblindekolle word die vroulik ingesluit elke keer waneer die manlike aanspreek vorm gebruik word, tensy daar spesifiek verwys na die feit dat daar 'n verskil is in die optrede. Op die uiteinde is dit duidelik dat die wat in die loopgrawe op die tuisfront is, is die wat onder die meeste druk verkeer. Dit is die ouers en die versorgers wat doelbewus probeer om 'n gesonde en verreikende omgewing te skep vir die kinders wat lof en waardeering verdien. Dit is hulle wat poog om die kinders te ondersteun en aan te moedig om nee te se vir die negatiewe invloede afkomstig van die materialistiese en onverantwoordelike bemarking. Alhoewel wetgewing wel bestaan, het dit in die meeste gevalle nie 'n sterk genoeg impak om die kind se belange te besterm nie. In die meeste gevalle is die industrie ook oorgelewer aan self-regulering en het die vloei van geld die sterkste aantrekking. Reg oor die wêreld is ouers besig om saam te staan teen die onverantwoordelike bemarkers en begin hulle druk uitoefen om die huidige wetgewing te verander en nuwe wette ingestel te kry om die industrie beter te reguleer.

The purpose of this research study is to provide commercial advertisers, television networks, and academicians valuable information regarding the existence, direction, and intensity of preadolescent children's attitudes toward television commercials.

This study examined parental perceptions of marketing to young children using a feminist post-structural theoretical framework to specifically examine the following questions, 1) To what extent are parents aware of the marketing tactics being directed toward young children? 2) How do power/knowledge relations and practices produce parent’s multiple subjectivities as they parent their children in regards to commercial culture? 3) How can early childhood educators adapt pedagogy and practice in order to meet the needs of children growing up within the context of a commercialized childhood? In-depth unstructured interviews revealed that parents within this study tend to view themselves as solely responsible for their children and do not support governmental regulation of the advertising industry. In most cases, the parents in the study empathized with marketers trying to sell their products to children. Furthermore, while participants in this study were concerned about how consumer culture influences children’s subjectivities, they were more concerned about “adult content” than corporate access to children. Many of the parental perceptions uncovered mirror neoliberal discourses including an emphasis on individual responsibility, the belief that government regulation is censorship and the privileging of economic rationale by systematically representing children as sources of profit. This study utilized Deleuzean and Foucauldian concepts in order to make visible the practices and discourses that discipline children and parents as consumers within the United States neoliberal assemblage(s). This analysis also revealed the very contradictions and complexities that are dramatically shaping parents and young children within the United States’ consumer cultural landscape(s).

To determine the influence of television commercials about toys and cereals on young children, forty-four children, ranging in age from four to seven years, were interviewed. The mothers of these children completed a questionnaire about their children's television viewing habits. The hypotheses examined the following areas: children's demands for advertised products, children's preferences and dislikes for commercials, the extent of parental yielding to children's requests, and parental discussion of television commercials. The data were analyzed by computing percentages, and it revealed several trends. The more television children watched, the more they demanded advertised products. Parents' discussion of television advertisements affected the extent of parental yielding and the extent of children's demand for advertised products. This study supports findings reported in the related literature that television commercials affect young children's behavior.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the food-related messages that are presented to children on New Zealand and Japanese television. A sample of 25 programmes, including advertisements broadcast on New Zealand's main free-to-air network stations and a sample of 22 programmes, including advertisements broadcast on Japan's network stations were the basis of this study. Food-related messages, content and portrayed eating behaviours were analysed. The main finding of this study suggest that the advertising content of children's programmes contain a large proportion of food advertising, largely for foods high in fat and sugar. The children's programming environments in both New Zealand and Japan also contain a large proportion of food imagery, which does include a variety of healthy foods such as meat, rice, bread, fruit and vegetables. Of more concern is that whilst Japanese children are mainly watching children's programmes, in New Zealand, children are exposed to numerous unhealthy food related imagery during programmes of which they are heavy viewers, although they are not the target audience, i.e. peak viewing periods, typically 6pm -10:30pm daily. Furthermore the unhealthy eating imagery during peak viewing periods may be contributing towards shaping children's nutrition practices. It is recommended that marketers and policy makers consider these issues in regard to the claims that advertising is a contributing factor to obesity. Due to the high incidence of eating behaviours occurring during programme content it is recommended that an advertising ban during children's programmes in New Zealand and Japan would be inconsistent, ineffective and unjustifiable.

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the food-related messages that are presented to children on New Zealand and Japanese television. A sample of 25 programmes, including advertisements broadcast on New Zealand's main free-to-air network stations and a sample of 22 programmes, including advertisements broadcast on Japan's network stations were the basis of this study. Food-related messages, content and portrayed eating behaviours were analysed. The main finding of this study suggest that the advertising content of children's programmes contain a large proportion of food advertising, largely for foods high in fat and sugar. The children's programming environments in both New Zealand and Japan also contain a large proportion of food imagery, which does include a variety of healthy foods such as meat, rice, bread, fruit and vegetables. Of more concern is that whilst Japanese children are mainly watching children's programmes, in New Zealand, children are exposed to numerous unhealthy food related imagery during programmes of which they are heavy viewers, although they are not the target audience, i.e. peak viewing periods, typically 6pm -10:30pm daily. Furthermore the unhealthy eating imagery during peak viewing periods may be contributing towards shaping children's nutrition practices. It is recommended that marketers and policy makers consider these issues in regard to the claims that advertising is a contributing factor to obesity. Due to the high incidence of eating behaviours occurring during programme content it is recommended that an advertising ban during children's programmes in New Zealand and Japan would be inconsistent, ineffective and unjustifiable.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iii, 64 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-64).

This report observes food commercials within children programming on English and Spanish television networks (cable channels and broadcast channels). With advertisements greatly influencing food consumption, this repost was based on the assumption that Spanish advertisements tailored to Hispanics differed from English advertisements in frequency and content. If so, could this be a contributing factor as to why Hispanic children tend to be more overweight compared to their general market? Through observation, analysis and reviewing past studies, this report established that there is a difference of frequency and content within food commercials aired on the two television categories. However, the difference was unexpected. In reality, Spanish channels air more PSAs and fewer food commercials compared to English networks. Besides the different frequency of food advertisements on these channels, the intended audiences also differed within Spanish and English television. / text

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-92). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.