Advertising and marketing to children is one of today’s most controversial issues. Throughout the world, governments are engaged in ongoing debate on the impact of marketing to children and whether there should be limits to that marketing. In many European nations, there is an outright ban on television commercials that target kids under the age of twelve. In every society throughout the world, children are sacred. As God’s gift, these young creatures are to be guided and nurtured by their parents. As the most vulnerable members of society, they are to be protected by the law of the land.
When it comes to advertising, children present a wrenching paradox. They comprise a major market for the makers of toys, clothes, and foods, among many others. It is a market that grows steadily every year, and is global in scope. Yet, by their very nature, children are a special class. They are impressionable. They have difficulty discerning fantasy from reality. They are easily influenced by cartoon and other fictional characters. The lack sophistication and discernment. They are vulnerable to cultural and societal influences. They rely on the wisdom and judgment of their parents.
Special Care in Marketing to Children
Because children are special, marketers must behave responsibly in their advertising practices.
Responsible advertising of products to children has been an important issue for both the advertising industry and the government in the United States. For almost thirty years, the advertising industry has upheld self-regulatory guidelines for advertising to children. In 1972, the Association of National Advertisers published the Children’s Advertising Guidelines to encourage truthful and accurate advertising that would be sensitive to the unique needs of children.
In 1974, the National Advertising Review Council (NARC), a strategic alliance of the advertising industry and the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), established the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) to promote responsible children’s advertising, and to serve as an independent manager of the industry’s self-regulatory program. The NARC Board of Directors is drawn from key executives of the CBBB, the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). This board sets policy for CARU's self-regulatory program, which is administered by the CBBB and is funded directly by members of the children's advertising industry.
In 1975, CARU edited and republished the Self-Regulatory Guidelines for Children’s Advertising, and revised the guidelines again in 1977, 1983, 1991, 1995, and 1996 to respond to new developments and growing public concerns. The most recent revisions focus expressly on data collection and privacy on the Internet. CARU, with the support of its industry partners and patrons, has been a beacon light of responsibility and practical guidance on children’s advertising.
Basic Principles for Advertising to Children
The advertising industry has developed six basic principles for advertising directed toward children:
1. Advertisers should take into account the level of knowledge, sophistication and maturity of their audience. Younger children have a limited capacity to evaluate the credibility of the information they receive or to fully understand that information; therefore advertisers have a special responsibility to protect children from their own susceptibilities.
2. Advertisers should exercise care not to unfairly exploit the imaginative quality of children.
3. Advertisers should communicate information truthfully and accurately, and in language understandable to children, recognizing that the child may learn practices that affect his/her health or well-being.
4. Advertisers should capitalize on the potential of advertising to influence behavior by developing advertising that addresses positive and beneficial social behavior such as friendship, kindness, honesty, justice, generosity, and respect for others.
5. Advertisers should take care to incorporate minority and other groups in advertisements in order to present positive and pro-social role models, where possible, and to avoid negative stereotyping.
6. Although many influences affect a child’s development, it is the prime responsibility of the parents to provide guidance to their children. Advertisers should contribute to this parent-child relationship in a constructive manner.
Incorporating these principles into their marketing messages, advertisers continue to pursue responsible ways to advertise to children. In a dynamic environment of new media and new technologies, balancing innovative and creative messages with principles of responsible advertising is one of the many challenges faced by advertisers.
(c)2005, Adonis Hoffman
No comments:
Post a Comment