Free Semiotic Analysis: Kid Kustomers Essay Example

The article Kid Kustomers, written by Eric Schlosser documents the media’s directive to target children during advertising. It outlines the many ways in which they target children, as well as the many ways they manipulate children into becoming bullies toward their parents. Astonishingly, Schlosser also revealed that ad agencies for groups such as Disney have decided to launch cradle to grave ad campaigns, where they intend to brand advertising that will entice sales from the child’s early years, until they die. While the article shows many things about the advertisement world’s regards toward children, none is positive: it is obvious that ad agencies are primarily out to influence children because they are one of the easiest consumer targets.
What is more adorable than a child fawning after a toy in a store window? There may be many answers to some of us, but to a parent there is hardly anything more desirable than answering their cute child’s wishes by granting them what they wish. Ad agencies know this and employ this trick at every available opportunity. According to the article, there are even individuals such as James U. McNeal who have written entire novels on the subject of children’s nagging tactics and how marketing and ad agencies can use them to their advantage. He classifies every form of nagging, from sugarcoating nagging tactics, which involve trading affection for goods, to demonstrative nagging, which involves highly noticeable tantrums and threats of violence to one’s own body if goods are now delivered. He even gives examples of threatening nagging, which he deems as, “youthful forms of blackmail, vows of eternal hatred and of running away if something isn’t bought (Schlosser 355).” While McNeal never advocates marketing teams turning children into bullies toward their parents like this, somehow it continues to happen in every toy and candy store we find ourselves in, repeatedly. This suggests that ad agencies have not taken McNeal’s advice and have instead just taken his research, allowing children in on just how easy it is to manipulate their parents. This, of course, is not at zero benefit to big corporations such as Disney, and McDonalds. If children learn how to manipulate their parents, parents will buy children what they want. If they are spending money, the corporations will benefit from the profit. This spike in sales, caused primarily from targeting child consumers will only drive ad agencies to continue encouraging this type of behavior.
Those who believe manipulative ad campaigns stop once one leaves childhood are wrong. Schlosser’s article reveals that individuals such as Ray Kroc and Walt Disney recognized something known as brand loyalty. The article goes on to assume that some children can recognize brand logos before they may recognize their own written name. Therefore, these individuals and others like them realized it would be strategic to launch ad campaigns known as cradle-to-grave movements. These campaigns would employ nostalgia and brand loyalty in order to ensure lifetime purchases from individuals as they aged. We have all been in this position. Growing up we have a beloved television show, movie, or toy that we cherish throughout our childhood. As we age, perhaps it is worn out, broken, or thrown away accidentally with old junk. One day, in our teens, twenties, or even older, we may happen upon that exact item, or something similar. We will be prompted to buy it, due partially to nostalgia, but also the crucial cradle-to-grave advertising we experienced as children. Brand loyalty also ensures that we will stick with certain brands throughout our lives. Marketing agencies, according to the article, create ads, logos, and mascots that are specifically catered to children’s cognitive and logical capacities. Even cigarette companies engage this tactic, as they did with the infamous Joe Camel. Even after the campaign was discontinued, it “showed how easily children can be influenced by the right corporate mascot Schlosser 354). Schlosser noted that in a later study, the cigarette selling camel was as recognizable to six-year-olds as Mickey Mouse. Ad campaigns create what will be most memorable and, therefore, most trustworthy to us. As we age, we will return to these brands, repeatedly, even if they let us down.
Advertising such as this appears harmless. At the end of the day, we are all going to make purchases; why should we let marketing like this get in the way of that? There are several examples of why it can be harmful. Marketing agencies understand that children will always be a soft spot for parents. Schlosser acknowledged during the 80’s, parents spent more money on their children because they felt guilty about not spending as much time with them as they once could. Marketers even began calling the 80s “the decades of the child consumer (Schlosser 353),” insinuating that it was now the children who were in control of purchases. It was not long before ad agencies realized that nagging and tantrums were an effective way to produce profits for companies. Children began to become an easy target. The strategy appears logical; however, creating an army of brats trained to manipulate parents into buying them things is not conducive to a healthy culture, overall. All this does is effectively create an environment full of individuals who believe they can get what they want through some form of manipulation, while simultaneously teaching people they cannot be happy unless they are purchasing or being given items. Creating brand loyalty, regardless of if the brand is truly trustworthy or decent can be mildly dangerous for one’s psychological health. For instance, Disney princesses might be one of the most beloved icons in every young girl’s life. However, it is difficult to find an older woman who does not believe that these examples are not one of the reasons that she has an unrealistic concept of relationships, love, and men in general. Despite this, brand loyalty keeps these individuals making purchases based on the Disney logo, and even some of the specific Disney princesses.
In sum, the article did point hoe several things about ad agencies that are not widely known. However, further analysis shows that even these negative designs are doing more harm than initially thought. Turning children into bullies creates a culture of bullies. Creating brand loyalty leaves brands unaccountable for their actions. The text does not represent a full reality of the ad agencies and what they are doing but it does provide a firm basis for the negative actions they are successfully perpetrating.