Now serving children of all ages, they will be subliminally coaxed into buying the newest unhealthy fun food, and yes there is a prize inside! The tactics of television advertisement have become the driving force behind not just the United States food industry, but many countries around the world. Particularly in the United States, these major food companies target the most influential and vulnerable, children. Consequently, how does the emphasis on food advertisement in television affect children’s eating habits and overall health? This article will discuss the background of television advertisement targeting children, difference between child-targeted and adult-targeted advertisement, the policies or lack of policies protecting children, and possible outcomes of eliminating this form of advertisement.
Food advertisement targeting children made its debut in the early 1900’s. The original advertisements began with children’s books written by major companies. However, these books main purpose was to subliminally entice children into buying a product or requesting parents to buy it for them. In this moment, the first form of product placement was …show more content…
Children, especially young children, inherently are unable to fully grasp the aspects of advertisements on television. In the article “Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US” Mary Story and Simone French discuss this concept stating that children under the age of 8 years old “have little understanding of the persuasive intent of advertising” (3). At this age, many children are unable to fully separate advertisements from television shows. Adolescents are in most cases capable of recognizing advertising tactics, but advertisers have placed a fail-safe to still lure in the adolescent age group into purchasing their product. The tactic utilized is by targeting their weaknesses, hormones and
Food advertisement targeting children made its debut in the early 1900’s. The original advertisements began with children’s books written by major companies. However, these books main purpose was to subliminally entice children into buying a product or requesting parents to buy it for them. In this moment, the first form of product placement was …show more content…
Children, especially young children, inherently are unable to fully grasp the aspects of advertisements on television. In the article “Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US” Mary Story and Simone French discuss this concept stating that children under the age of 8 years old “have little understanding of the persuasive intent of advertising” (3). At this age, many children are unable to fully separate advertisements from television shows. Adolescents are in most cases capable of recognizing advertising tactics, but advertisers have placed a fail-safe to still lure in the adolescent age group into purchasing their product. The tactic utilized is by targeting their weaknesses, hormones and