Ethics in emerging media.
Children develop a sense of brands from a very young age. According to NameWire.com, a Swiss study has found that when sufficiently exposed to child-friendly brand jingles, tunes and spoken messages during pregnancy, up to 77% of all newborns not only recognize these brand markers, but develop a brand preference that could last until puberty, and probably into adulthood (final results are not yet available as the project only started two years ago). Furthermore, an astounding 23% of infant participants could indicate at least 9 out of 12 favorite brands using rudimentary hand signals.” According to the Center for a New American Dream, babies as young as six months of age can form mental images of corporate logos and mascots. Brand loyalties can be established as early as age two, and by the time children head off to school most can recognize hundreds of brand logos.
I find myself in the middle of the road on this one. I think everything can be good or bad for you, the key is moderation. The question of ethical marketing on children makes me think of McDonald’s and how they target children. Their legendary “Happy Meal” has been a marketing tool for many years and locks in children whom relay their wants to their parents; thus, McDonald’s is their meal choice! There are many ethical questions that arise when considering fast food promotions. I think everything can be bad for you, the important thing to consider is moderation. Recently, many fast food restaurants have been promoting healthier meals that still come with the same great incentives for children. McDonald’s, for example, offers “apple dippers” instead of fries and milk instead of soda with their meals. I don’t think restaurant managers should be concerned with their promotion tactics because healthy eating habits start from the source, their parents, not commercials. Parents should be educating their children on moderation and healthy substitution or should view places like McDonald’s as a treat and not an everyday meal option. So are children able to differentiate between what is good and bad? Are they merely targets in the marketing world? I think the responsibility lies in those who teach children wrong from right and who monitor their exposure.
