Teenagers and young people are highly influenced by the media. Whether its billboards, commercials, posters or music, they will help to shape their perception. They are designed to make you believe that the clothing they're selling will make you look, feel and be what the billboard or image is portraying. So if a sexy girl is wearing a certain type or brand name outfit, subliminally are telling you that when you purchase the item, you too will be sexy. It's a subtle form of mind control that seems to work very well. Statistics show that advertisements aimed at teens are very effective; however, the methods used sometimes are neither moral nor ethical.
I would consider unethical advertising to be anything that make someone believe that a product will be beneficial without explaining, it could be potentially harmful or will not deliver the portrayed benefit Of course all advertising seeks to make their products look beneficial. A shoe advertisement might suggest their products will make you run faster or become stronger. This may or may not be true but it is not likely to cause harm to the wearer but cigarettes on the other hand are known to cause harm. Alcohol is another good example. Advertiser usually focuses on a group drinking large amounts of alcohol and having fun but do not discuss the harm that comes with this type of behavior. They will say “drink responsibly” but they do not explain or show what this means. I think another prominent example might be sport supplements. Advertisers target young men who wish to be stronger or more muscular. They suggest that these sports supplements can provide a perfect body but neglected to mention the possible side effects and long-term health ramification.
Today, marketers kno...
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...he media watches teenagers to find out what they like and target their advertisement to sell to them; however this demographic is aware of this and portrays what they believe the media want in order to be popular. This creates a loop and will force the advertisers to return to more basic forms of marketing.
Morality and ethic in the field of marketing and advertisement, especially geared toward the teenage and young adult markets, does not seem to have a place. Advertisers use a host of techniques to achieve their ultimate goal of extracting money from an estimated 150 billion dollar teen market. They use viral marketing, subliminal, and sex just to name a few. They even turn children into their very own (unpaid) brand spokespeople. We live in a world where advertisers and marketeers will sell their products by any means necessary and the ends justifies the means.
This thought has been held on for far too long. In a consumer-driven society, advertisements invade the minds of every person who owns any piece of technology that can connect to the internet. Killbourne observes that “sex in advertising is pornographic because it dehumanizes and objectifies people, especially women,” (271). Advertising takes the societal ideology of women and stereotypes most kids grow up learning and play on the nerves of everyone trying to evoke a reaction out of potential customers, one that results in them buying products.
George Parker once said, “The only people who care about advertising are the people who work in advertising." Advertisers use many different techniques that target children and teens. Many people do not realize how harmful this can turn out to be. Advertising plays a harmful role in the lives of youth because it poses health risks, prevents children and teens from saving money, and exposes them to way too many ads.
When girls are disheartened over their inability to look like some media idol or doll, then it is time to pay attention and ask why. Psychologist Levine and Kilbourne, emphasize a need to stay more connected, and finding out why children feel they have to compete with the images of people they see in the media (So Sexy So Soon 27). The idea of looking sexy may be fine for adults, but the notion of sexy little girls is somehow disturbing. TV is setting the agenda and succeeding as it paints the perfect girl, as tall, skinny, tan, pretty, and rich. TV commercials sell sexy because sexy sells, and is now targeting younger audiences. A preteen viewing a Bratz Dolls commercial will be prompted to visit their web site, where she will be greeted with attractive dolls dressed in sexy outfits. The dolls portray an image of teenage girls with large attractive eyes, lush glossy lips, and dressed in the latest fashion.
There is no doubt that children are like sponges. They soak up the information shown to them though television and the media on a daily basis, and copy it in the real world. In a matter of seconds, children can mimic a popular character; sing a song used in a beer advertisement, or even strike a “sexy” pose. All children have to do is put a DVD into the player, open a magazine, watch TV, or click on a web site to see these types of messages. The media offers us information on the world such as news, sports, and education; but what about the negative things it offers such as advertisements depicting young teenagers and children in scantily clad outfits, or impossible ideals that can almost never be lived up to such as “Victoria’s Angels” for females or Hollister models for males. Children are exposed to these on a daily basis, and are often unaware that they are being exploited. Television stations such as Disney and Nickelodeon depict children and teenagers in adult situations, and the media projects can lead unhealthy consequences in both males and females.
It is evident that today’s advertisements for teen clothing are neither healthy, nor ethical, to use as a way to attract teen consumers; however, companies are getting away with this behavior, because their effective and inappropriate advertisements are merely innuendos. The modern label placed on teens is said to be the primary contender for the cause of eating disorders, suicide, bullying, and depression. Fortunately, groups of teens are getting together to put an end to these unethical advertisements and the messages the ads give off to teens; because of their efforts, the amount of effect that advertisements have on teens now, may dramatically plummet sometime in the near future. In my opinion, it is crucial that us teens make a profound alteration to the way teen merchandise is advertised, which in turn will end the knavish behavior of ...
advertising is becoming a bigger role in the lives of youth. Since deregulation in 1984, the money advertisers make off of kids has been increasing by millions each year. kids who don't even have the brain function to make a good choice on what they buy are being targeted as young as 5. As young kids become more accustomed to certain products young, they continue buying them over their whole life. This is what advertisers are causing by targeting the youth. Advertisers are finding that marketing to kids makes a lot of money, the youth believe everything they hear, and the advertising techniques they do today are almost sure to work.
Today's young people are generally unresponsive to traditional brand marketing messages. Teens spent $12 billion dollars last year according to a recent study of Teen Marketing Trends. Teens not only use their money on small purchases such as music, clothes and food but also have the power to influence high-end purchases of their parents. Every year younger teens are being marketed because that they are the future teenagers and brand loyalty is an important thing to many companies. If you can get an older child hooked on a product, they’ll generally love it for life. These younger age demographics are being marketed to because more and more kids have increasing spending power and authority over what is purchased in their household.
Have you ever noticed walking into a large shopping complex and seeing children as young as 6 years old wearing midriff bearing t-shirts and short skirts? And wondered to yourself why the younger generation of today portray themselves like that and why their parents allow it. It all goes back to the strong impact that sexualization portrayed in media and marketing has on everybody in today’s society especially young children from toddlers to late teens, both girls and boys. They see it everywhere from movies/television shows, magazines, clothing, computer games, toys, the music industry and of course the internet.
Our project research was about how big advertiser target teens and why. The first step that we use we just went to the South Texas College library and research some articles that we need and that will answer our question of why do big companies advertiser why and how they target teens. We choose from five different articles but at the same time it answer why and how they target teen. Which also answered how teens help the big advertising companies. Then it explains all the steps . First they take a group of people who are the coolest of their time and study their every move. The coolest people will most likely will control what the rest most of the population will wear, hear, drink, and eat .
Just how far should advertisers go to sell a product? Individuals are reminded that a new age in advertising has emerged when Britney Spears and Victoria's Secret model Tricia Helfer grace the cover of Forbes, a traditionally mature financial magazine. However, as any good advertiser knows, sex sells; all people need to do is look at a newsstand or magazine rack. But while it sells, it also offends as the promiscuous use of sexual images in advertising rubs many consumers the wrong way. The current increase of sexually explicit advertising, while increasing sales, has many detrimental effects on society. New regulations or other forms of control need to be implemented to protect children and others who are defenseless against the war to win consumers.
In order to generate sales, marketers often promote aggressively and uniquely, unfortunately, not all marketing advertisements are done ethically. Companies around the globe spend billions of dollars to promote new products and services and advertising is one of the key tools to communicate with consumers. Conversely, some methods that marketers use to produce advertisements and to generate sales is deceptive and unethical. Ethical issues concern in marketing has always been noted in marketing practice. According to Prothero (2008), ethics itself has a profound, varied and rich past. It emphasizes on questions of right and wrong or good and bad.
In today’s world, advertising reaches and influences teens in both negative and positive ways. Teens are bombarded with ads through television, teen magazines, radio, and the internet. Advertisers know teen’s buying power and their willingness to spend their money. Many companies even hire teens to be “consultants” and trendspotters. They want to know what teens are thinking and their likes and dislikes. Some feel this is a good thing and that teens are letting companies know what they want. On the other hand, many believe all this advertising to teens has a negative impact on them. Ads show models with “perfect” bodies. “Every year, the average adolescent sees over 5,000 advertisements mentioning attractiveness” (Haugen). Some feel this leads to teens having low self-esteem, while others argue that it does not have an effect. These people believe teens have the power and control in the advertising world.
Across America in homes, schools, and businesses, sits advertisers' mass marketing tool, the television, usurping freedoms from children and their parents and changing American culture. Virtually an entire nation has surrendered itself wholesale to a medium for selling. Advertisers, within the constraints of the law, use their thirty-second commercials to target America's youth to be the decision-makers, convincing their parents to buy the advertised toys, foods, drinks, clothes, and other products. Inherent in this targeting, especially of the very young, are the advertisers; fostering the youth's loyalty to brands, creating among the children a loss of individuality and self-sufficiency, denying them the ability to explore and create but instead often encouraging poor health habits. The children demanding advertiser's products are influencing economic hardships in many families today. These children, targeted by advertisers, are so vulnerable to trickery, are so mentally and emotionally unable to understand reality because they lack the cognitive reasoning skills needed to be skeptical of advertisements. Children spend thousands of hours captivated by various advertising tactics and do not understand their subtleties.
The Shape of America As marketing strategies have evolved, they have enhanced the ability of advertisers to communicate to the "masses" more effectively than ever before. This ability has allowed advertisers to not only reach more markets, but to be more influential in the decision making process of the audience. American society, especially young women, is being influenced more by advertisers now than in previous generations. It is not by accident that teenagers and young adults are targeted by advertisers, especially since their purchasing power as a group exceeds that of any other consumer group. Not only have advertisers learned to identify specific products that appeal to men and women, but they have also found that the "want" of the consumer can be turned into a "need" for the advertised product.
Mass media includes Internet, radio, television, mobile devices, and other communication technologies. The existence and power of media influences are strongly recognized as a significant part of the ecology of the young generation. The media has become an inseparable part of the life of teenagers. Nearly every adolescent growing up in the United States is exposed to various encounters with mass media every day. Considering the current influences, the media plays an important role in forming opinions and dictating the actions of the youth culture. The mass media has tremendously affected people’s lifestyle, living patterns, and socialization. Although many people in today’s society could be affected both negatively and positively, teenagers are more inclined to be influenced by the media and hence, receive the greatest impact. The positive influences of the media might not be talked about often, but positive effects do exist. However, the negative influences of the media are more visible due to the consistency used to elaborate its negativity into people’s minds. Some of the negative impacts of mass media on the young generation involve the increase of aggressive behavior in adolescents. Another aspect is the youth-targeted advertisements that portray ideal body images toward the female demographics, and also the celebrity hype that causes teenagers to demand expensive materials is another disadvantage.