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1.0 PART A VULNERABILITY OF CHILDREN TO INTERNET ADVERTISING
The internet-related advertising topic chosen for this report is the vulnerability of children to advertising on the Internet. This topic was originally suggested by Anu and was considered interesting because it is a contemporary issue, with growing importance due to the rapid change of technology in society.
1.1 HOW THE TOPIC WAS FOUND
A number of different topics were considered before advertising to children was chosen, such topics included
• Internet advertising aimed towards women
• Internet advertising aimed towards men
• "Silver surfers" internet advertising aimed towards the older generation
Internet advertising aimed towards children was eventually chosen because it was not being covered by another research group (other groups had chosen advertising towards women) and enough literature on the topic could be found to successfully complete the report (there was the concern that there would not be enough information about silver surfers).
After searching a number of online journal databases (such as findarticles.com, Factiva and ABI Informit) it was found that a number of the articles about using the Internet to advertise to children focused on the vulnerability of children. This issue mainly focused on a child's inability to clearly distinguish between content and advertising and the way in which advertisers were taking advantage of this.
1. IMPORTANCE OF THIS ISSUE
This topic is important because it is a new issue in the market due to the growing importance of children as not only an influence in the decision making process, but also a consumer group independently,
"Young children are increasingly the target of advertising and marketing because of the amount of money they spend themselves, the influence they have on their parents spending (the nag factor) and because of the money they will spend when they grow up" (Beder 18, pp. 101-111).
The use of the Internet as an advertising medium is also a new concept, with the full extent of its effectiveness yet to be determined. Thus this area is important as it has not been fully investigated and such research would not only be interesting but also enlightening as to how this new medium affects this increasingly important consumer group, "This is a medium for advertisers that is unprecedented... theres probably no other product or service that we can think of that is like it in terms of capturing kids interest" (Beder 18, p.).
The ethical implications surrounding this issue are also important. There has always been debate around advertising methods aimed towards children because "Children lack the analytical abilities and judgement of adults" (Austin & Reed 1 p.55). Much controversy has been based around advertisers using such vulnerability to their advantage. This debate is heightened with the introduction of the Internet as an advertising medium, as the division between content and promotional material is often unclear. "Familiar and unfamiliar forms of adverts are springing up, increasing the commercial pressure on users, including children" (Borch nd. P.1) Through outlining how children react to and are affected by Internet advertising guidelines can be created and practices redefined in order to provide protection to this consumer group.
1. COMPARISON TO NON-INTERNET COUNTERPART
Advertising to children on the Internet has both similarities and differences to traditional methods of advertising. In all advertising mediums there has been controversy when the target group is children. This has much to do with the idea that despite different advertising methods used children are less able identify the selling element in an advertisement, "The notion that children do not understand the selling intent of commercials has been the most widely publicized fact about children and advertising" (Anon 001 p.1). Such a public concern links all advertising mediums when considering the vulnerability of children. The current controversy surrounding internet advertising aimed towards children is reminiscent of the concern expressed when television advertising started targeting children.
Similar to print advertising the messages on the Internet can be focused towards particular consumer groups through ad placement in a particular environment. The Internet also allows advertisers to communicate their messages on both an audio and visual level. This aligns with the effectiveness of television advertising.
The major difference with advertising on the Internet is the level of interaction from the consumer, "it provides strong potential for increasing customer involvement and satisfaction and almost immediate feedback for buyers and sellers" (Belch & Belch 001, p. 516). The Internet is seen as the most interactive medium with users choosing to participate i.e. surfing the net, emails games. The Internet is also considered to allow for a more prolonged exposure to the audience e.g. A user may stay on the Internet for at least 0 minutes with the advertisements present, as opposed to viewing a 0-second television commercial. Advertisements on the Internet can be said to have a longer life than those on other mediums.
Another major difference between the Internet and other advertising mediums is the ability for the Internet to not only be a source of communication but also a "transaction and distribution channel" (Hairong 00). This means consumers are now able to order and pay for a product which has been advertised at the same time and at the one location.
The rapidly changing nature of technology is also seen to differentiate the Internet as an advertising medium. The Internet is the only medium that is expected to continue to change dramatically as technology changes. This provides future opportunities for advertising to reach consumers on different levels and in different settings. The increased interactivity of the Internet has also raised ethical issues different from those found when using other traditional advertising mediums. The major concern focuses on the ability for the advertiser to blur the distinction between content and advertising on the Internet. This difference has brought new controversy to the area and also forced consumers to become more educated "Internet savvy" in terms of distinguishing the difference.
The internet also brings a new perspective to the idea of advertising regulation. Traditional methods such as TV, print advertising and radio have to conform to the Australian Advertising Codes. These codes ensure a standard is maintained within the advertising and takes actions to protect the consumer. As the internet is a global communications medium, enforcing such guidelines on internet advertising is difficult. Major issues focus around the lack of ability to enforce such regulations and prosecute those who violate them. Standards have been set in different countries, however the extent of their effectiveness is limited in the very fact that they only apply to resident companies of that countries. The issue of regulation makes the internet a much more controversial advertising medium.
The global nature of the internet also makes those who use it (in this case, children) more accessible to a larger range of information sources. Advertising to children on the internet has no geographical boundaries as opposed to traditional mediums which can only be viewed where they are broadcasted, transmitted to or sold. This also raises the issue that the internet makes children more vulnerable to messages and executions which may be considered inappropriate in their home country but acceptable in the country in which it was produced.
The internet also makes children more vulnerable to advertising as there is limited parental supervision, compared to traditional mediums. The internet is available on demand and children can access it at any time. This contrasts with traditional mediums, particularly broadcast where advertising to children is limited to a particular time slot (am 11am and pm 5pm). The internet also limits a parent's ability to control their child's response to advertising. Where a child may ask their parents to call a hotline for a competition or for a stamp to send in an entry form, they are able to email and submit personal details immediately and without parental consent. Such opportunity places more pressure on parents to monitor internet usage and educate children about internet advertising. Such measures are not needed to such a degree with traditional advertising methods.
.0 PART B ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHIES
.1 ARTICLE ONE ‘CHILDREN IN THE DIGITAL AGE'
Author Kathryn C. Montgomery
Source Media Awareness Network The American Prospect, No. 7, Jul-Aug. 16 http//www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/articles/internet/kids_digital_age.cfm
Date accessed April 5th 00
Issues raised
The article focuses on inconsistency in multimedia technology's primary aim to enhance children's drive to learn and access information that transcends traditional settings by interactivity. It highlights how these vital advantages are counteracted by perils such as manipulative forms of advertising targeted at children which further generates problems in the existing media culture. It states how commercial forces contradict the initial claim for public benefit and use of civic values to gain support in exploiting this new medium. It also emphasises that related legislation, such as the 16 Telecommunications Act, are not central to the interests of children and are inadequately addressed for its long-term effect. Controversial issues such as how the advertisers' techniques shape the virtual landscape for children & their prime focus to be a separate set of experiences and values from adults are posed. This is elaborated by the advertiser's encouragement to get kids to develop ongoing cyber relationships with the brand to fulfil ‘micro-targeting' approaches. The article raises the need for strategic understanding in implementing an ideal approach to maximise benefits and minimise related concerns in regards to children vulnerability on the Internet. Concluding suggestions to guide public and private voluntary efforts involve ensuring universal access and creating a non-commercial children's civic sector to create a rich electronic legacy by developing safeguards for egregious advertising practices.
Critique
The article's outline of the initial impact from emergence of online media and assumptions in ‘potential' challenges are already confirmed and/or met by other present issues. It is also support by statistics of an outdated quality- eg. figures from a 14 survey of access to the Internet. Reference to legislation may have also been reviewed. There also appears to be a question of invalidity of arguments due to insufficient details and direct referencing from exemplified substantiation. In addition, the article would have been more informative if it lifted its narrow focus that solely addressed issues in the context of the United States. Despite the article's lack in current relevance, it presents a comprehensive illustration of advertiser's aim for seamless integration of content and advertising in a virtual environment for children. It then appropriately offers suggestions to address the posed predicament in regards to the blurred lines of advertising, information and entertainment. In this regard, it efficiently delivers foremost insight in "lucrative cyber-tot category" exploitation within the highly commercialised children's media culture.
. ARTICLE TWO ‘HEY, KIDS! LET'S PLAY ADVER-GAMES!'
Author Snider, Michael
Source Maclean's, December 00, Vol. 115, Issue 51, p. 6
Ephost@epnet.com
Date accessed April 11th 00
Issues raised
The article suggests that children today are becoming more technologically inclined "Generation Y Kids" and that advertisers are now using technology (the Internet) to target this group. Marketers feel that they need to be sly in their approach to create a relationship between the consumer and the product, as this group does not respond to traditional Internet advertising methods such as banners and pop-ups. ‘Immersive advertising techniques" are being used to blur the lines between content and advertising. Such techniques include freebies, contests and games.
It is being recognised that the Internet is a more lasting advertising medium and that children are unable, at times, to distinguish between content and advertisements. Pressure is being placed on parents to educate and monitor their children in order to protect them. Parents, however claim that some responsibility should be placed on the advertisers to act ethically.
Critique
The article mentions Internet usage by children in North America and the impact on their purchase habits. The article does not acknowledge that the effect of Internet advertising may differ with different cultures and social classes. Similarly websites are global communication tools but there is no mention of the effects on children globally. The article could isolate different trends amongst such groups.
The article does not identify the effects on children who have prolonged use of the Internet and prolonged exposure to advertising messages. This should be considered and the effect on children in terms of their later, adult consumer lives. Education is highlighted as an important way to ensure children are protected, however no information on how to educate children is given.
. ARTICLE THREE ‘SEEKING SEPARATION ARE KIDS PROTECTED FROM THE INTRUSION OF ADVERTISING ON THE INTERNET?'
Author Lehrer, Jeremy
Source Shoot, May 14th 1
http//www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0DUO/1_40/547776/p1/article.jhtml
Date accessed April 1th 00
Issues raised
The article raises the issue of whether children who use the Internet are able to distinguish between entertainment (games) and advertising as clearly as adult users. Children are seen as a major influence in the family decision making process and are assumed to be more easily ‘lured' by advertising, particularly on the internet, where boundaries between content and advertising are becoming more unclear.
Disney and Nickelodeon have addressed this issue on their websites through clearly labelling advertising, placing interstitial ‘bumper' pages between content and advertising and eliminating all advertising from areas used by children under five.
The role of the parent is very important in decreasing the vulnerability of children, but the question of just how much children can be protected is raised when considering that the characters and stories viewed on these websites are the marketable product.
Critique
The age group of the children referred to in this article is 6 to 14. This is a large bracket and different age groups may react differently. Similarly the effect of culture, class and gender are not discussed when considering how children are affected by advertising on the Internet. The article also does not mention how children can be protected by their parents and through education.
The article does provide practical examples of what companies are doing to try and make children more aware of advertising, showing how such concerns are echoed in society.
.4 ARTICLE FOUR ‘JUNIOR'S GOT MAIL- FROM A PITCHMAN'
Author S.G.T.
Source U.S. News & World Report, November 15 1, vol. 17, issue 1, p.110
http//bll.epnet.com/citation.asp?tb=0&_ug=in+en%Dus+sid+60BDBFA%D0EB4%
Date Accessed April th 00
Issues raised
The article identifies the guidelines established by the Federal Trade Commission to protect children's privacy on the Internet. The guidelines are covered under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (18) however critics believe there are shortcomings to the guidelines and that they do nothing to protect children from targeted marketing campaigns.
The article mentions how children are particularly vulnerable to campaigns that contain characters in which the child has formed a relationship with i.e. Cartoon characters and are more likely to be influenced by such messages. The antisocial effect of prolonged exposure to such messages on the Internet is also a concern not addressed within the guidelines.
In this context a comparison can be made between Internet advertising and television advertising. Similar concerns were expressed when television advertising started to focus on children.
Critique
The article mentions the guidelines created to protect a child's privacy on the Internet but there is no mention as to how these guidelines will be enforced and the consequences for a breach of the guidelines. The guidelines were created in the United States but there references as to how they will deal with the global nature of the Internet.
A comparison is made between the Internet and the initial concerns raised when television first started to target children. This comparison could be further investigated and presented. The article is quite dated and investigation into the areas outlined in the article could be used to identify the results on implementing such guidelines.
.5 ARTICLE FIVE ‘PIED PIPER EFFECT'
Author Dan Kaufman
Source Icon, Sydney Morning Herald, May 1st 00
http//www.smh.com.au/articles/00/05/1/1056815.html
Date accessed May 1st 00
Issues raised
The article outlines the findings of a study conducted by Jakob Nielsen on how Australian children under 1 years old use the Internet. The study found that these children were unable to tell the difference between advertising and content, particularly in terms of banner advertising. The study found that websites often identified advertising but children could not recognize the identification as much as adult users.
The article also accuses advertisers of being aware of their unethical approaches taken to target children with Internet advertising. It is possible for ethical advertisements to be created, but it is unlikely that advertisers would do so. It is believed that children are able to learn how to understand Internet advertising and be wary of approaches but it requires parental guidance. An example is that children have become aware of privacy issues on the Internet and disclosing personal information as a result of parental concern and action.
Critique
The article provides findings of study conducted solely on Australian children. To provide an international perspective results from similar studies conducted in other countries could also be presented and a comparison made. The article could also make reference as to how culture, social class and gender affect the results and children's responses to Internet advertising.
The article is quite recent providing an insight into the issue at present. References could be made as to how the results have changed from past studies and be used to make predictions as to how this issue will develop in the future.
.6 ARTICLE SIX ‘FOR KIDS ON THE WEB, IT'S AN AD, AD, AD, AD WORLD.'
Author Ellen Neuborne
Source Business Week, August 1th 00, Issue 745, p108, p, 1 Chart, c
Date accessed May 10th 00
Issues raised
This article reports on the different Internet advertising techniques aimed towards children such as, Product placement in online games; children are e-mailing advertisements to each other; the use of online chat rooms and bulletin boards by companies to advertise. The article also provides Advice to parents on how to respond to such advertising.
The article also points out that advertising which utilises changing technology, particularly wireless technology is having a greater impact on children, compared with traditional methods. An example of this is how many companies today such as, FoxKids.com, Burger King and McDonald's are using online games containing branding to promote their products and increase product recall.
Although under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, forbids companies are forbidden to use e-mail to sell to kids under 1, promoters are still doing so through sending e-mail or e-cards with icons or hyperlinks their website.
The article ends with advice given to parents on what to do to prevent their children being taken advantage of from online advertising.
Critique
This article talks about the current trend of the wireless technology and also provided the methods for parents to keep watching of their Kids' while they are in the World Wide Web (WWW). It talks more about the Kid's playing Internet games than other way. It may better to include some other way of the Kids by visiting WWW, for example, downloading and searching.
.7 ARTICLE SEVEN ‘CHILDREN AND ADVERTISING ON THE INTERNET ‘
Author Anita Borch
Source http//www.norden.org/nicemail/issues/twelve/advertising.htm
Date accessed May 5th 00
Issues raised
This article raises the issue of the sort of commercial influence to which a child can be exposed to on the Internet. It focuses on the typical forms of advertising rather than on "illegal" advertising, such as commercials for alcohol and tobacco.
It highlights to what degree and in what way can various forms of Internet advertising be identified and recognized as targeting children. Some examples include banners and incentive advertisements, text commercials, sponsorship and many others, which not only act as commercials but also function as gateways linking directly or indirectly to advertiser's home page. This type can be especially appealing to young people, a user group that generally responds positively to advertising and is characterized by strong buying preferences and weak purchasing power. These commercial homepages seem to be the most widespread form of Internet advertising targeting children. It suggests that these commercial home pages (hyperlinks) have an obvious potential side effect. Not only do they encourage non-linear reading, but can also enhance the effect of advertising that targets children.
Another issue raised is the advertising conveyed through news groups and email. This type of volume of advertising aimed at children is expected to grow as Internet improves and more children get their own Internet addresses.
However, in a present study investigators still do not know which messages children see through as Internet advertising, that is, whether they more readily see through spam than through newsletters. Also, they still do not yet know whether children can distinguish the differences between information, entertainment, market analysis and product ordering.
Critique
This article provides findings of children's usage of the Internet in Norway and how various forms of commercials can have an impact on the children. This study not only focuses on the senders of the advertising but also the receivers (children). But it is not yet known whether advertising works as intended. The age of the child and form of the advertisement are decisive for children's understanding of advertising, yet, investigators do not yet know whether these criteria apply equally to children's understanding of Internet advertising.
.8 ARTICLE EIGHT ‘ONLINE ADVERTISERS TARGETING PARENTS TO REACH KIDS'
Author Michael Pastore
Source http//cyberatlas.internet.com/markets/advertising/print/0,541_45681,00.html
Date accessed May 7th 00
Issues raised
The article raises the issue that, according from a report by AdRelevance, on the first quarter of 000, marketing advertisers want to reach kids online will start shifting their focus from children to both kids and families. At the same period, online advertising by companies are targeting to children declined 56% as targeting to families grew 6% between May 000 and August 000. In the article, it attached a clear table to show the percent share of impression to kids and family-focused advertisers. Apart from the Internet advertising, television, entertainment and movie have 0% of advertising targeted to kids and family-focused advertising.
The overall industry trend is to target or reach parents and kids at the same time. According from the AdRelevance report, the advertisers are going to protect children by ensuring that advertising content is distinguishable from editorial. "We're seeing more and more ads on these sites flagged with text or graphics to make it clear to both parents and kids that banners are paid advertisements" Buchwalter said. Anther example from Fleetkids.com, they try to build the Fleet Brand as a source of knowledge for children to learn financial responsibility, helping the parents to educate their kids. In the article it also provide an interesting founding is that kids aged between to 11 click on Webs ads more than any other age group, while teens age at 1 to 17 click at a lower rate than the other age groups due to teens are only click on ads that are highly targeting to their interest, such as ads that provide useful information or offer free samples.
Critique
The article mentions that the overall children advertising industry trend is switching from just reaching kids to both parents and kids. The highest click on Web ads age bracket are kids age to 11, the article should explain more on why the companies have that switching action. Because kids still have a higher clicking rate.
The article also provides the Web page's percentage of targeting to the kids ads and family ads. It can help the family to choose which web pages are suitable for their children. Because nowadays, children can surf or browse some adult's Web site, therefore, parents have to protect their children by choosing some educated and suitable Web sites for them.
. ARTICLE NINE ‘DOING IT FOR THE KIDS ONLINE BRANDING'
Author Louise van Rooyen
Source http//www.bandt.com.au/articles/e/0c004e.asp
Date accessed May 5th 00
Issues raised
The article addresses the fact that building brands online is a difficult and challenging task for companies who wish to shift their current branding success offline, into the World Wide Web. It is thought that previous and current online branding and advertising were unsuccessful due to their inefficiencies or their potential not being maximised. Marketers are now seeking creative methods of branding products online that not only grab attention in the marketplace, but also are also ‘cost-effective and measurable.'
This sudden course of action is now receiving more attention because marketers have realised the role and importance of branding, and only recently begun to assess the effectiveness of online advertising.
The article gives several suggestions on how to effectively convey brands online. To begin with, the brand must be honest and passionate. Then, the website must be user-friendly, that is, free from clutter and easy to access. The website should also be clear, relevant and possess valuable content, as opposed to being flashy and over-animated. Kid's brands such as Tonka and Barbie are said to have successfully conveyed their brands online because their website designs have applied the previous suggestions. Furthermore, the article suggests that in order to have a well conceived website, marketers should ‘profile the needs of the greatest common denominator of the internet audience', which is believed to be the casual browser.
Critique
One of the major issues that this article fails to realise is that the Internet is a global communication system, therefore, it is much harder to cater for everyone's needs as these differ from country to country. What can be seen as a user-friendly website in one country, may be viewed as confusing to another due to different levels of education. Also, who's to say that the ‘greatest common denominator of the internet audience' are casual browsers, and also, what constitutes as casual?
Also, some of the references and ideas given are fairly ambiguous. For example, a study conducted by Forrester Research was used to justify a notion, however, there is no specific indication of when it was conducted because their idea of recent could be a span of 10 years. The way the study was conducted could also have been biased, yet this remains unknown as details were not specified. The same problem lies with stating an idea that was proposed by author, Rita Clifton. No details are given as to who she is or if they are her professional opinions, and if so, is she qualified to do so.
.10 ARTICLE TEN ‘TARGETING CHILDREN ONLINE INTERNET ADVERTISING ETHICS ISSUES'.
Author M. Jill Austin, Mary Lynn Reed
Source Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 16 No. 6 1, pp. 50-60
http//www.ies.luth.se/home/mf/tim/html/Consumer/Targeting%0children%0online.pdf
Date Accessed May 4th 00
Issues raised
This article as the title suggests, is about how advertisers target children online through their website and also addresses what constitutes as ethical when advertising to children via the Internet. The paper is essentially divided into 4 main parts
1. An examination of child behaviour.
. Rules and regulations that have been established to protect children from inappropriate advertising.
. Concern over the various tools that are used by advertisers and marketers to target children online.
4. Recommendations to both companies and parents who wish to protect children's interest.
It is stated that surfing the Internet is fast becoming a favourite pastime for many American children, with 6 million now online. Children are entertained by interactive games and chances to win prizes, however many wonder if advertising to children online is appropriate due to their vulnerability and lack of ‘analytical abilities and judgment'. As a result, legal and regulatory limits have recently been placed on Internet advertising directed at children. The Federal Trade Commission Act prohibits any misrepresentation of products that are advertised to children as they can be easily misled. Furthermore, according to the Communications Decency Act, it is a crime to use indecent or offensive language on a website that may be viewed by children.
The article also gives readers insight to the various methods that are employed by advertisers on their website that may concern parents. These include creating kid's club- where children must enter their details before they can enter, the use of unsuitable language, content or terminologies, information disguise- where the website lures children into filling out forms in turn for free gifts, and finally, one-on-one marketing practices. Recommendations are then made to parents and advertisers to help them overcome the problem of explicit exposure. It is suggested that parents regularly monitor their child's Internet usage, teach their children to make judgements on websites or use software than enables them to block access to various websites. The advertiser's responsibility to act ethically is reinforced and they are reminded that children of all ages are vulnerable to all sorts of online advertisements.
Critique
Although the article is very informative and thorough, it possesses the same problem that many other articles have, which is the emphasis on only the American culture in its research and references. The whole article only refers to the behaviour of American children and fails to recognise that the internet is a global communication tool, therefore the company's website is also targeted at many other countries whose culture is vastly different to America's. Due to this culture clash, it is hard to find a suitable level of action towards the online advertising approach, as the level of acceptability in each country is different.
Due to its emphasis on America, all the rules, regulations and law mentioned only apply in America. Also, many of these laws and regulations were established five years ago which may seem sufficient, yet the government and committees must remember that the internet is constantly growing and changing, and loop holes are always being discovered which allow advertisers to bend the rules and deceive children through its online advertisements, without breaking the law.
Finally, many regulated issues are subject to change from country-to-country, and also person-to-person. For example, there might not be an agreeable standard for offensive speech, language, content or the use of ‘freebies' or other incentives. Some parents may find them innocent and harmless, while others may perceive them as misleading and deceptive. There were also unspecified details that were important to differentiate, mainly, between what ages did the children have to be in order to be classified ‘children'. Also, the article recommends parents to monitor their children, yet to what extent do parents have to supervise their child's internet usage in order for it safe for their children to surf the internet, especially considering the fact that the internet is seemingly endless and close to impossible to regulate.
.0 PART C SUMMARY & CRITIQUE
Research Articles
1. Children in the Digital Age
. Hey, kids! Let's play adver-games!
. Seeking separation Are kids protected from the intrusion of advertising on the Internet?
4. Junior's got mail- From a pitchman
5. Pied piper effect
6. For Kids On the Web, It's An Ad, Ad, Ad, Ad World.
7. Children and advertising on the Internet - Summary
8. Online Advertisers Targeting Parents to Reach Kids'
. Doing it for the kids Online branding
10. Targeting Children Online Internet advertising ethics issues
.1 CHILDREN AS THE CONSUMER
A major issue raised in articles 1 and is the idea of the importance of children as consumers. The articles identify that children are important due to the power of their influence in the family decision making process. This trend is evident through the comment made by Reyes when describing the child consumer market in the United States in 000,
"Some 41 million individuals age 5-14 live in the U.S., according to the 000 Census, versus 17 million in 10. Though small in stature, their buying power is huge more than $100 billion spent annually across all categories, with about $10 billion on food and beverages alone. As the number of single-parent households and working moms has risen, so too has the influence of children, contributing to some $500 billion in household purchases" (00 p.1).
It is now also being realised that children are important as consumers for other reasons. Two main reasons include the growing size of the adolescent market and also the idea that adult consumer behaviour is a direct result of child consumer behaviour (Berey, L. & Pollay, R. 168). This belief provides a motive as to why children have been and continue to be targeted in advertising. It also suggests why advertisers are changing their techniques and practices to further reach this evolving market segment. This is reflected again, in article 1 where it is seen that internet advertisers are adapting "immersive advertising techniques" to appeal to the child consumer who does not respond to traditional approaches such as banners and pop up advertising.
. THE AGE CLASSIFICATION OF CHILDREN
All articles discussed refer to how "children" are affected by Internet advertising. There is however, inconsistency in terms of the age bracket in which children are defined. Article 1 defines children as 14 yrs old, while article, 6 14 yrs old and article 5 under 1 yrs old. This point should be taken into consideration as different aged children may be at different levels of psychological development and react differently to the advertising techniques used.
. THE EFFECT OF CULTURE
Nearly all the articles analysed discuss the effect of Internet advertising in a Western context, focused on the market in the United States. Article 5 provides an analysis of children in Australia, this is however again limited to the western culture. A possible area of research could be into how different cultures react to Internet advertising and provide a comparison of results. Such an example of a cultural comparison can be seen in the article by Duff, reflecting a demographic comparison of results in terms of children's privacy on the Internet in the United States,
"According to a new report by ePrivacy & Security, 75% of children are willing to share personal information about themselves and their family on line in exchange for goods and services. The report also reveals that, demographically, the highest percentage of users concerned with on-line privacy is AfricanAmerican. Conversely, Net users with the lowest percentage of concern are younger Americans and veteran Net users" (Duff, M 001 p. 8)
This idea is further strengthened when considering the Internet as a global communications medium, "the Internet has made borders disappear and time has become irrelevant" (Marken G, 00 p. 8).
.4 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LEGISLATION AND GUIDELINES
The international context in which the Internet is set also limits the ability for guidelines and legislation created to be enforced. This idea is highlighted in articles and 4 which outline guidelines created in an attempt to protect the rights of children on the Internet. Both articles outline guidelines created in the United States. The question is then raised as to how to enforce such guidelines, particularly when the creators of the advertisements are established in different countries. Are these bodies then exempt from such legislation?
.5 OTHER THAN WEBSITES AND EMAIL
Internet advertising consists of not only website advertising but also chatrooms, news groups and personal website emails. All articles except for 7 focus on the websites and email campaigns. Article 7 states as this form of the Internet will be expected to grow with more children having their own web addresses, advertising volumes will also grow. Children are particular vulnerable and naive in chatrooms with the lack of monitoring and can only rely on the individual website's regulator and not industry regulation.
.6 DIFFERENTIATING ADVERTISING FROM CONTENT
Previous research indicates that the age of the child and the type of advertisement are decisive for a child's understanding of advertising. Children understand the point of advertising when they are 8 or years old, but even 14 to 16 year olds may have problems identifying and recognising ‘covert' kinds of television advertising that deviate from the TV commercial's traditional characteristics.
With traditional media, advertisements are clearly differentiated such as with television, advertisements run groups of allotted breaks. The same can be said for print and radio where the advertisement is clearly differentiated from the editorial content. Any print advertisement that looks remotely like editorial must have the word ‘advertisement' or ‘special promotion' above the copy.
The internet ‘adver-games' (article ) or use of familiar characters such as cartoon characters (article 4) can blur the distinction between advertising and content thus making it difficult for children to determine the difference.
.7 RESPONSIBILITY
Traditional media's have standards and follow the advertising code of ethics. If an advertisement was not suitable for children and ran, complaints can be forwarded to the advertising standards board which can have the advertisement removed. With Internet advertising, it is not determined who should be responsible for ethically advertising towards children.
With the Internet, as article and suggests that parents should claim some responsibility to place pressure on advertisers whereas article 1 and 4 suggests that the Government should have stricter rules and regulations. Article 5 and suggests it should the role of the advertiser. Only article 10 suggests the Government, advertiser and parents to be responsible.
.8 EFFECTIVENESS
Article, , 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10 all suggest that advertising to kids on the Internet is an effective medium. Articles mentions concerns that the vulnerability of children is much higher than adults and are more likely to respond to the advertisement.
. FURTHER AREAS OF STUDY
Why does the Internet allow for advertisers to cross the content line. Is it because there is no control and they can or because they are more desperate for advertiser dollars?
Any traditional media that blurs the line between content and advertising instantly lose credibility and will receive outrages from parents. But why does the Internet seem to be more accepting of advertising crossover with children?
Are children more internet savvy than parents?
What differences are there with children in different social classes? Or is Internet aimed for children only a particular social class?
What are the long term effects on children being exposed to higher levels of advertising and commercialism from such an early age?
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