Advertisements are nowadays everywhere from the billboards, magazines, TV commercials, and pop-up ads on the internet. The internet has become a cup of tea for almost if not all teenagers, they spend hours on the internet’s especially the social networking sites such as my world space, twitter, hi 5, Facebook among others. Marketers are targeting kids and they have found success in kids since children between the ages of 12 years and below will always convince their parents to buy then what they want. It is documented that parents in the US spend five hundred dollars in a year on kids’ stuff (Massey, 78).
It has been acknowledged that nowadays teenagers and children are spending at least seven hours a day on media which include watching television, watching movies, reading newspapers and magazines, using the internet and playing games. On an average a child is exposed to more than twenty thousand commercials in a year.
A survey that was conducted in 1996 revealed that 57 % of the people interviewed enjoy watching adverts as much as they enjoy watching television programs. Over forty billion dollars are spend on adverts each year and by the time a child is over eighteen years he or she has been exposed to more than twenty thousand food commercial advertising low nutritious foods or snacks. According to the research teenagers spend 100 dollars every week on fast food, entertainment, and clothing (Massey, 67).
Adverts not only influence what children buy but also what their parents buy. According to Gustafson, seventy eight percent of children influence what their parents buy. Children and teenagers have been left more on their own to make important decisions that affect the entire family. The decision that they make are influenced by the type of advertisement that they watch and listen to, and it is for this reason that marketers target these group of people. Marketers have found their niche with children and teenagers (Gustafson, 56). To achieve this they have become more creative when it comes to marketing to these groups of individuals. Adverts that catch the kid’s attention are well designed to be interactive, incorporate very catchy slogans and incorporate celebrities to pitch their products (Gustafson, 67).
More often than not adverts use celebrities and catchy slogans to pitch the products they are advertising. When children see these adverts they want to be identified with these celebrities by buying the products they are advertising. Adverts have a number of negative effects to both the children and the teenagers. These effects include change of their social behavior, school performance, their attitude and towards alcohol tobacco and sex, their body image, and violence among others.
Students delve into the different adverts that they see on the television and the internet. These include status appeal, brand names, peer approval, hero endorsement among others. Children are very keen on these advert and given the fact that they are visual learners they evaluate them differently in their small minds more than grownups. These commercial will influence and lure them into consuming what is being advertised weather good or bad.
Adverts employ the use of very catchy slogans such as “Reach Out and Touch Someone”, “Ipod, Therefore I Am”, “It’s Everywhere You Want To Be”, “Be All You Can Be”, “Have It Your Way”, “Just Do It”, “Finger Lickin’ Good”, and “Got Milk?”. Some of these slogans are vulgar and not only do children know the history of these slogans but also the vocabulary used. Kids who watch these adverts have smaller vocabularies and lower scores at school. Because of spending a lot of time on television and other media they have no time to read their books and these affect their performance. In addition to poor performances the Children are likely to be obese. This is because they sit in front of a computer or television and have no time to exercise.
Children learn from adverts that use of tobacco and alcohol is not bad. When they see their role models (celebrities) marketing them, they do not take them to be harmful and this affect their social behavior. Adverts that incorporate violence teach kids that violence is acceptable and this makes them to be bullies when they grow older. In addition to this, adverts that are sexually suggestive will change a child perception to sex. According to research teens are likely to indulge in sexual behaviors if they watch similar behaviors in the media.
The kim kardashian sketchers commercial was bad for teen viewers because it encouraged unhealthy attitude towards body image on small girls. The controversial Sketchers advert was sandwiched between Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and children's shows on TV in order to catch their attention. The advert that featured slim, skinny tall cartoon girls was slammed after it emerged that most girls were starving themselves in order to be like the cartoons they watched in the advert. The advert was physically damaging since it advertises shape ups and quick trim for women and girls (Massey).
The advert was also controversial because it depicted the skinny pre-teen age cartoons emphasizing that the sketcher shoe provide them with everything that a girl would want from having fun, looking beautiful, with extra bounce and height. In the advert the cartoon girls are followed by trio of boys cartoon well dressed up as hot dogs, ice cream, and cupcake tempting them with their high calorie content. When analyzed these advert was translated to offer confusing message of sex, clothing and food.
Work cited
Gustafson, Kristi L. It's an Ad, Ad World for Today's Tweens and Teens. Online posting. 21 Nov. 2004. 28 Feb. 2006
Massey Jacquelyn. The Impact of Advertising on Teenagers. Retrieved from; http://www.tip.sas.upenn.edu/curriculum/units/2006/02/06.02.05.pdf. web
“Media Focus: Analyzing and Producing Media.” Geneva. McDougal Littell, 2001.Print
Parents outraged as Sketchers markets 'leg-toning' sneakers to girls as young as eight. Retrieved from; http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1385206/Parents-outraged-Sketchers-markets-leg-toning-sneakers-girls-young-eight.html. Web.
