Download - Ethics - Marketing to Children
Marketing to Children
Patrick CruvellierKirsten Ewan
Jessica HirschKrishanthi Jeyarajan
Dany Théberge
Children as Consumers A lucrative target market
Areas of Influence:• Current consumption• Influence over parents• Future spending
$100 billion spent of individual and parent’s money Aggregate spending tripled in past decade
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"If you own this child at an early age, you can own this child for
years to come.“
- Mike Searles, Kids R’ Us President
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Power Over Children A highly influential consumer group
Developing brand loyalty & consumer habits Sensitive to external influences ; accept without question Age & Perception Timeline:
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2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
- Begin asking for items
- Make own choices- Can recognize brands
- Cannot distinguish between programs & ads
- Most susceptible age group
- Can understand persuasive intent
Marketing Mediums Channels of communication
Host-selling Text Messages School Internet• Unsupervised• Divulgence of elicit personal information
Television• Children aged 2 – 17 watch 15, 000 to 18, 000 hours
of TV per yearRecommendations LessonsEthical Issues Ethical Scandal Positive Practices Regulations
Psychological Repercussions Effect beyond the wallet
Perception versus reality Pressure to conform to group standards; ads define “norm” Affects perception of the world Mental and physical consequences
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Changing Values Impact on a developing value system
Marketer’s job: to push product Indifferent to their influence on children’s value development Parents stress character values (i.e. Integrity) Marketing stresses materialistic values (i.e. Consumption)
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Materialistic Values What really matters?
Material Goods• Narcissistic Wounding• False sense of self-esteem• Playground politics
(competition) Lifestyle Choices• (Poor) Eating Habits• (In)Activity
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Consumer DevelopmentHow behaviour is cultivated
Development of a consumer from an early age
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Observing Requesting Selecting Purchasing Independence
1 53 42
Parent – Child Relationships A changing bond
Pester Power Targeting parents through children Difficult to decrease exposure
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Health ImplicationsLasting consequences to a serious problem
Each year the average child views 40, 000 commercials on TV alone,
promoting candy, sugared cereal, soda and fast food
(Lempert, 2005)
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Industry Marketing TacticsFood and beverage advertising mechanisms
Videos Online games Product placements Character licensing (cartoon characters) Celebrity endorsements Special Events In-school promotions
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Advertising and ObesityA growing epidemic
300% increase in rate of either overweight or obese children Phenomenon of the past three decades
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Ethical Scandal – Cheetos Marketing to children, gone wrong
1992 – Many shows are based on children’s toys Frito-Lay and Fox Broadcasting create a Saturday morning cartoon Yo! It’s the Chester Cheetah Show• Would be the first show based on
brand mascot
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Ethical Issues - Cheetos The impact of a brand-based cartoon
No reason for being, other than to sell Promotes an unhealthy snack Does not stimulate imagination• Show based solely on brand mascot identification
Deceptive: hard for children to distinguish between a commercial and a show
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Stakeholders - Cheetos Who is implicated in this case?
Public• Interests represented by Action for Children’s
Television (ACT)• Outraged over controversial show concept
Frito-Lay• Decided to not show Chester eating
Fox Broadcasting• Viable business opportunity but wants to avoid
controversy
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Values Involved - Cheetos What is the value scope of this case?
Chester the Cheetah: a child’s hero?• Selfish, sly, sneaky, usually depicted as stealing
Cheetos Materialism• Only created for promotional / consumption
purposes Social Issue• Kids developing own values adopting those of Frito-
Lay
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Resolution - Cheetos How did it play out?
ACT started a petition, demanding that the show be cancelled Media pressure resulted in Fox cancelling the show No government legislation Frito-Lay created other promotional mechanism: video game• Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool
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Positive Ethical Practices – Kraft Inc. A market leader in safe marketing to children Revised nutrition standards Limited used of licensed characters Sensible Solutions No marketing in schools Innovation in healthy products Phase out TV, radio & print ads for least nutritional foods (targets 6 to 11)
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Kraft Inc. A new focus on healthier products
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Positive Marketing DevelopmentsOther pioneering companies and practices Annie’s Homegrown Noodles Nickelodeon & Dora the Explorer Nutrition shift Limited use of licensed characters Independent monitoring and reporting
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International Regulations Stricter rules protecting the interests of children
Sweden (since 1991)• Prohibition of all television advertising aimed at
children under the age of 12 World Health Assembly• “In securing the health of all the world’s people, we
need to build, finance and sustain health systems.”- Jane Halton, President of the 60th WHA
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Recommendations Manager Specific
Be aware of impact on children Use resources to promote positive messages Use moral awareness Condemn unethical marketing practices Inform employees
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Recommendations Government Specific
Unhealthy habits persist into adulthood Government (of Canada) must care for avoidable
problems Governments should monitor media messages• Healthy living ideals• Anti-smoking campaigns• Anti-drug campaigns
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RecommendationsPublic Specific
Parents should:• Monitor & minimize exposure• Educate children
Consumers should:• Demand ethical marketing from companies• Not tolerate unethical campaigns
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Lessons To You What can we take away from this topic?
Critical thinking Questioning Smart consumption Sustainability
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Dilemma
With elementary schools facing limited government
funding, what are the ethical factors involved in
corporate sponsorship?
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Questions?
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