Children And Television Commercials;

Children and Television Commercials 1

Children and Television Commercials;

Should they be so closely tied.

Matthew Shelton

Western International University

COM 110-Effective Persuasive Writing

Kirk Fontenot

August 28, 2005

Children and Television Commercials 2

Children and Television Commercials;

Should they be so closely tied?

Are your children becoming the target of today's "BIG BUSINESS"? There doesn't seem to be a good time to watch television with your children. Whether its Saturday morning cartoons or Sunday night football, the constant bombardment of controversial television commercials is all around us. As father of two young children, ages three and five, I have noticed that today's big business companies have targeted my children as consumers.

It's hard not to notice the non-stop flood of commercials that are aimed directly at children. These commercials encourage today's children to purchase all types of unhealthy food items, as well as toys and clothing. Not only are these food items full of fat and sugar, I can not go to a toy store or clothing store without my children asking specifically for items promoted through television commercials. My children have even asked for certain types of fast food restaurant to receive a desired happy meal toy.

Food products are the most commonly advertised item during peak hours of children's TV watching. A study of broadcasting during the peak hours of children's television watching found that 16% of the time was consumed with ads. Almost half of the ads were related to food (food products, restaurants, and beverages). The nutritional contents of the foods advertised weren't good. Almost 70% of the foods advertised were high in sugar, 40% were high in fat, and 20% high in salt. About 9% of the foods advertised were classified as healthy (low in sugar, fat, and salt). (Pediatrics for parents 1997)

Children and Television Commercials 3

Not coincidentally, childhood diabetes is on the rise. Dr. Robin S. Goland, co-director of the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, told the New York Times that "With the numbers we are starting to see, this could be the beginning of an epidemic"(Thompson 1998).

In a society in which children are becoming more obese, inactive, and often unable to focus due to attention deficit disorders, it is clear that big business companies only care about their own pocketbook. Their main focus is certainly not on the health and well being of my children or the rest of the nation's children. Advertisers in the United States have begun to realize the potential in international children's market as well.

James McNeal in his book Kids as Customers estimates that there are about three billion children in industrialized countries: "Letting ones imagination run wild for a moment, if these children spend only half of what U.S. children spend, their market potential would be equal to around $86.5 billion"(McNeal 1992).Many other countries are strengthening their advertising laws fearing that their children may become obese like the ones in the United States. "If the [rise in child obesity] trend continues, within five years we'll be in the same situation as America is today,'' said Kim Fleischer Michaelsen, a senior child nutritionist at the University of Copenhagen who sits on the board of Denmark's National Board of Nutritional Science (Jardine, Alexandra 2005 p3).

As recent as 2005 the children's television program Sesame Street, which is a commercial free program, has started to change their programming format to include healthy and nutritional eating habits. "C" used to stand for cookie, now it also stands for cauliflower, carrots, and cabbage. Hopefully many advertising agencies and big business companies will take note of this trend, and begin to promote a healthier lifestyle for our children. If this does not happen federal law makers may have to intervene. In several

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other countries they are strengthening their advertising laws in an effort to thwart obesity in their nation's children.

In a glimpse at what could be the legislative landscape of the future, many are watching France to see how new government regulation will play out, and how

marketers can influence the interpretation of new rules. Under a law passed in July 2004 that will apply only to TV and radio ads-for now-marketers in France can either add a health message to ads for any manufactured food or beverage except

water, or pay a tax equivalent to 1.5% of their annual ad budget for a national institute to do campaigns to promote healthier eating(Jardine, Alexandra 2005 p3).

Greece also bans advertising of toy to children between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Sweden and Norway ban all advertising to children under the age of 12. Axel Edling, the Swedish consumer ombudsman and chief of Sweden's consumer agency, explains why: "There were indications that children up to the age of seven were not fully aware of the distinction between TV ads and ordinary programes. Even older children were not able to understand the commercial process. It is considered that it is not a fair way of dealing with very small consumers because they are being exploited" (H. Green, public presentation, 7, May1999).

While in Europe they are protecting their children, whereas we in the United States are protecting the advertising agencies and corporate advertisers. In 1978 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concluded in their report that because of children's venerability's television ads aimed at them are inherently