Children And Advertisement: Some Facts To Consider

While surfing the net few days ago, I saw an advertisement of different brands. That particular advertisement was very catchy and interesting, but to me it appeared somehow awkward. In this particular ad, different brand names were tattooed on the body of the child. There is no doubt that the ad is attractive enough to catch anyone’s attention, but is it ethical to use a two or three month baby for the purpose of sheer publicity? In every advertisement, the advertisers always make a target group before setting up their agenda. The purpose of the ad is to convince the target group and to make them bound to buy the particular product or use the service. In doing so, they make use of different tricks. This is the prime reason behind using kids and children for the purpose of advertisement. This is the emotional approach in advertisement. Packaging is the most important factor for any brand to gain proper publicity. Moreover, the modern day advertisement also plays a great impact on the growing up children. Many parents complain about their children’s obesity. There are host of food producing houses that make the kids their first target group. The development of technology has also call for the widespread popularity of the mass media. Now it is very easy to reach a large number of people in a very short period of time and all thanks to the mass media tools. Stepping into this 21st century, almost all countries have banned child labor; but aren’t employing children for the purpose of publicity a form of child labor? Though they need not to do any hazardous task, but even then it can also endanger their life at times. Moreover in many modern day schools, the school authorities allow different food and other brand to place posters inside the school. One can easily notice the hoardings of a cold drink or chips on the canteen of the schools. This creates a curiosity among the kids about different fast foods and it results in their obesity. Modern day advertisers don’t give a second thought before using obscene items in advertisements. This also may have a negative impact on the children. Most kids easily get caught by the new trend flue and ask their parents to buy products that may not be necessary for them. Now the main issue of concern is who is to be blamed for such impact on the children. Parents play a major role in this case. It is the duty of the parents to monitor what are the things that impact the minds of children. Parents also need to be firm with children whenever their demands increase. Children need to be told gently that a ‘no’ cannot be converted into a ‘yes’ with tears or brawls! Advertisers on the other hand, can also try to put their message across creatively and target the entire family rather than just children. This will ensure even parents stay within the loop and can monitor the demands of the children. With a balanced approach, the negative effects of advertising can surely be curbed to a great extent.