The Consequences of Convincing Commercials

An interpretation of the effects of advertising on children.
Source: nytimes.com

In Marianna’s blog post The Parent Trap, she highlights how easy it is for marketers to indirectly “trap” parents into buying certain products by targeting their children. Specifically, she uses a Nutella commercial to highlight how some food companies advertise their products as healthy options to draw in children and their parents. Children, drawn in by the deliciousness of a chocolate spread and major players in the decision making process at home, will in turn convince their parents to buy this product despite its terrible nutrition facts. I agree with Marianna that this is a “sham” and can be considered unethical marketing.

My interest in this topic inspired me to do a little more research, and I found that advertising to kids causes other consequences that I consider to be much worse. Yes, unhealthy foods are a threat to the world’s young population, but what about alcohol?

The New York Times recently featured a study on alcohol advertising and its effects on kids and teenagers. According to the Journal Pediatrics, alcohol advertising increases the chances of underage drinking and is also associated with higher levels of drinking problems, missing school, and violence.

The number of children using social media has increased drastically in the last few years.
Source: sosemarketing.com

I believe this reflects a major flaw in the values of alcohol companies. Marketers should take a much more cautious approach to advertising harmful substances, making sure they’re only targeting appropriate market segments. In particular, they shouldn’t use social media and TV advertising because the majority of people exposed to such advertising are kids, teenagers, and young adults who can be negatively affected by consuming these products.