A few days ago, I had the opportunity to babysit my little nephew while my brother and his wife went on one of their weekly date nights. During this time, I allowed my four-year-old nephew to watch some cartoons before his bedtime. In the midst of watching these cartoons, I began to notice something strange. Every single time a commercial break would come on, I noticed that all the commercials were targeted towards children. Advertisements about toys, sugary candies, and many other items kids would be interested in appeared one after another. This incident really got me wondering, is it ethical for marketers to place children as their target market? In other words, is marketing specifically to children ethical?

The Dangers

The first question we should be asking, is how does marketing actually affect the young kids who come into contact with it? Dr. Susan Linn, director of Free-Childhood marketing, stated that “advertising in and of itself is harmful to children. Marketing targets emotions, not intellect.” Ultimately, studies have shown that marketing essentially trains kids to choose products based on their physical appeals rather than their actual value. Evidence has shown that young children’s minds can be most easily influenced because their brains are still developing. So, it definitely seems unethical to market to children because they can, in essence, be so easily manipulated.

The Benefits

Looking at the other side of the argument, marketing to kids surely has its benefits as well. Targeting advertisements to children can expose children to the economy. Along with that, kids are able to discover the world and see glimpses of what it has to offer. Finally, exposing kids to marketing ploys at such young ages can train them to become better aware of them in the future. Like anything else, people learn the fastest when they are exposed to a certain concept or activity when they are still young. The same principle could be applied in a marketing sense.

What Can Be Done

While researching this topic, I have come to the conclusion that marketing to children is unavoidable in today’s world. While it has unethical roots, I believe this type of marketing has the potential to be done ethically. However, certain rules and regulations should be put in place to make sure this is the case. In order to be done ethically, company advertisements targeted towards children should follow three rules: communication to the parents first, the exclusion of subliminal messages, and avoidance of using pathos as a motivational appeal. I ask that all companies adopt these guidelines. If they are followed, marketing to kids can be something that is appropriate, safe, and ethical. Doing this can ensure that future generations can still be exposed to marketing, but they are protected while doing so. To wrap up, here are a few examples of commercial advertisements that I believe demonstrate the proper application of these guidelines:

  https://www.ispot.tv/ad/wW7F/pediasure-catching-up#

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/dYgH/huggies-pull-ups-big-kid-song#

References:

Allen, B. (2019, January 29). The Ethics of Marketing to Children and Teens. Retrieved April 2, 2019, from https://marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/ethics-marketing-children-teens/

Hartman, & Desjanrdins. (2018). Business Ethics: Decision Making for Personal Integrity and Social Responsibility (3rd ed.). McGraw Hill.

Templeman, M. (2016, June 14). 3 Fundamentals of Ethically Marketing to Kids. Retrieved April 2, 2019, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/276437