Effect of Advertisements on Children with Special Reference to Confectionery Products

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1 82 Effect of Advertisements on Children with Special Reference to Confectionery Products Divyang Tiwari, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Management, Shree H.N. Shukla College of Management Studies, Rajkot ABSTRACT Advertising is considered an important variable in the global business. Advertising is, in fact, the most influential and powerful medium in the present commercial society. It creates an entire worldview shaping our attitude and beliefs. Commercial advertisers often seek to generate increased consumption of their products or services through branding, which involves the repetition of an image or product name in an effort to associate related qualities with the brand in the minds of consumers. Different types of media can be used to deliver these messages, including traditional media such as newspapers, magazines, television, radio, outdoor or direct mail. Advertising may be placed by an advertising agency on behalf of a company or other organization. Advertising usually includes the name of a product or service and how that product or service could benefit the consumer, to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume that particular brand. Children s ages are also significant to understand the advertisements. Children s comprehension of television advertising and its persuasive intent increase with age because of greater cognitive maturity and increased experience with the medium. Even a majority of 5-8 years old have only a low awareness of what a commercial really is and although three quarters of 9-12 year old children may demonstrate a medium level of awareness. However it is possible to say that even though they are very young to understand, the most important thing is the advertisements impact on children.` Keywords: Confectionery Products, TV commercials, Marketers, Children, Advertisements INTRODUCTION Marketing through advertising is considered an important variable in the global business. Advertising is, in fact, the most influential and powerful medium in the present commercial society. It creates an entire worldview, shaping our attitude and beliefs. The advertiser s goal is to increase sales of these goods or services by drawing people s attention to them and showing them in a favorable light. The mission of advertiser is to reach prospective customers and influence their awareness, attitudes and buying behavior. They spend a lot of money to keep individuals (markets) interested in their products. To succeed, they need to understand what makes potential customers behave the way they do. Advertisements pervade every aspect of our life and most of us are hardly aware of it. In the movement for equal status and fair treatment to women, an important part is attributed to the mass media, particularly to electronic media. The central position of media in daily life ensures its role in advertising business. The meanings that are created by media are not fixed, but they vary according to cultural, historical and social context of the people concerned. The common man judges the products on the basis of the understanding his society and culture has inculcated into them. Symbolism is one of the major aspects of advertisement and it is to be noted that a change has occurred in this context. Use of women to promote a concept or product is increasing day by day. In the advertisement world, advertisers have picked up women for advertising of consumer commodities. Women are used in TV commercials as weapon of persuasion. Women in many cultures make the majority of consumption decisions; hence they are important target of these advertisers. So the advertisers find it easier to sell the product by using the same gender. INDIAN ADVERTISING INDUSTRY The Indian advertising industry is talking business today. It has evolved from being a small-scale business to a fullfledged industry. It has emerged as one of the major industries and tertiary sectors and has broadened its horizons be it the creative aspect, the capital employed or the number of personnel involved. Indian advertising industry in very little time has carved a niche for itself and placed itself on the global map. The creative minds that the Indian advertising industry incorporates have come up with some mindboggling concepts and work that can be termed as masterpieces in the field of advertising. Advertising agencies in the country too have taken a leap. They have come a long way from being small and medium sized industries to becoming well known brands in the business. Mudra, Ogilvy and Mather (O&M), Mccann

2 83 Ericsonn, Rediffussion, Leo Burnett are some of the top agencies of the country. Indian economy is on a boom and the market is on a continuous trail of expansion. With the market gaining grounds Indian advertising has every reason to celebrate. Businesses are looking up to advertising as a tool to cash in on lucrative business opportunities. Growth in business has lead to a consecutive boom in the advertising industry as well. The Indian advertising today handles both national and international projects. This is primarily because of the reason that the industry offers a host of functions to its clients that include everything from start to finish that include client servicing, media planning, media buying, creative conceptualization, pre and post campaign analysis, market research, marketing, branding, and public relation services. Keeping in mind the current pace at which the Indian advertising industry is moving the industry is expected to witness a major boom in the times ahead. If the experts are to be believed then the industry in the coming times will form a major contribution to the GDP. With all this there is definitely no looking back for the Indian advertising industry that is all set to win accolades from the world over. With development in the technology, various avenues are opening up in advertising industry. It is estimated that about 2.2 billion dollars are generated in this industry every year. Be it is print, radio, television or Internet, every medium plays a significant role in the growth of this industry. Today, Advertising Industry in India is surging with revenues. To meet all the demands in adverting sector, many agencies are coming to the scene. India is a hub of creativity and this is evident from the fact that more and more people from Indian advertising industry are being accepted world over and imposing a lot of respect in international advertising community. Visibility is the mantra of success these days and advertising makes sure that your product, service is visible; thus saleable. Today Advertising Industry in India is booming with revenue. It is a very successful industry which generates lot of revenue. The Advertising Industry in India is getting recognized worldwide with its superior quality work and innovation. It ensures tremendous growth and scope for the employees. The key factors which have contributed to growth of the Indian advertising industry include: - Growth in media vehicles leading to increase in media infiltration. - Higher degree of competitive concentration among consumer companies - Entry of global consumer companies with large advertising budgets - Increase in consumer riches. Rapid economic growth of the country on the back of economic liberalization and deregulation are the reasons of growth of Indian advertising industry. The change has been a slow and steady one, but if we look at the advertisements on Indian television nowadays, we will be vastly surprised. Film stars and cricketers are roped it to sell soft drinks to hair oils. Industry experts say humor sells the best. People remember jokes, the humor involved, and it becomes easier to make an impact on the customer. Advertising to children is the act of marketing or advertising products or services to children, as defined by national legislation and advertising standards. Advertising to children is often the subject of debate, relating to the alleged influence on children s consumption. Rules on advertising to children have largely evolved in recent years. In most countries, advertising for children is now framed by a mix of legislation and advertising selfregulation. SCOPE AND FORM OF ADVERTISING TO CHILDREN Advertising to children can take place on traditional media television, radio and print as well as new media (internet and other electronic media). Packaging, in-store advertising, event sponsorship and promotions can also be means to advertise to children. There is no universal definition of a child (although UNESCO - the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, defines early childhood as ages 0 8 years). Children are otherwise defined according to national jurisdictions. For the purposes of advertising law, the definition of a child varies from one jurisdiction to another. However, 12 is commonly used as a cut-off point, on the basis of the widespread academic view that by the age of 12 children have developed their behavior as consumers, effectively recognize advertising and are able to adopt critical attitudes towards it. There is no global data on ad spending directed at children, only data for specific sectors. According to the Federal Trade Commission, food and beverage companies (44 companies reporting to the FTC) in the US spent approximately $2.6 billion in 2014 to promote their products/services to children. MEDIA LITERACY Media literacy is a relatively new discipline, aimed at teaching individuals and children in particular to understand and use the media to their advantage. Media literacy is increasingly recognized by governments and international organizations such as the European Union and the World Health Organisation as a key tool to help

3 84 children understand and deal with today s complex media environment. Media Smart is an established media literacy education program focused on advertising. Launched in November 2002, Media Smart is a non-profit media literacy program for school children aged 6 to 11 years old. Media Smart develops and provides, free of charge and on request, educational materials to primary schools that teach children to think critically about advertising in the context of their daily lives. Media Smart materials use real examples of advertising to teach core media literacy skills. Media Smart is funded by the advertising business in the UK and is supported by the UK government and EU institutions. Since 2002, Media smart has been launched in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Portugal and Hungary. Is it fair to advertise to children unless they fully understand the intent of the advertisers? If young children do not understand that intent, then when do they develop that ability? Is television an effective way to market products to children? Are the products (such as food and toys) typically aimed at children, the type of products that children should be encouraged to buy? Are children encouraged to buy or try unsuitable products (such as alcohol or tobacco) from viewing advertisements even when those advertisements are not aimed at them? Does advertising encourage a more materialistic attitude in children? Or is it appropriate that children learn to be effective consumers from an early age? Does encouraging children to buy products lead them to pester their parents and cause family disputes? Does television advertising present an accurate or misleading image of the world to children? Should advertising aimed at children be regulated? If so, how strict should that regulation be and, in a global market place, should regulators draw up common guidelines across different countries and cultures? Should we educate children about advertising, and if so, who should take on the role of educator? These are the questions that require having a proper look at. Children aging around 15 in India are having spending power. It is from their own allowances and earnings. Almost 30 percentage of Indian population belongs to this age group, and called to be the future of India. But the fact is that out of every rupee the government spent, only five paisa went to child related programmes. In Bihar, spending on per meal per child is about 15 paisa. Now can anyone explain that what kind of nutritious food can be supplied at that rate? When we talk of the Indian economy it is vastly segmented in different age groups with different spending powers. Most of the Indian people live under the poverty line. But the others are having a huge spending power with large amount of selection in the product basket. The children from these segments are being targeted by the companies to generate the sales. The market for selling products to children is potentially immense, and it is not surprising that in those countries that have established traditions of advertising, much of that advertising is aimed at children, often via television and other media. MARKETING PROMOS TARGETING CHILDREN Children play an important role in the household decision making process by attempting to influence their parents acquisition, usage and disposition behavior. The most common is that children nag until their parents finally give in. Research finds that success of such attempts on the type of offering, characteristics of the parents, age of the child and stage of the process. Children are more likely to influence the parents for the purchase of child related products as cereals, cookies, snacks, car vacation and new computer technologies. For clothing and toys, children often use that argument that Everyone else has one and because parents want to avoid being identified as scrim piers they will often given in. Interestingly, children consistently overestimate how much influence they have in most of the decisions. Working and single parents on the other hand are more likely to give in because they face more time pressures. Another important finding is that the older the child the more influence he/she will exert on the parents. Marketers are increasingly targeting the young children because of the influence that these kids have on their parents; buying decision. Advertisers are influencing the kids through various educational programs, games and certain other promotional events. The promos aim at increasing the brand visibility and developing an emotional connect with the kids. In India, kids have a considerable amount of demographic representation which marketers want to capitalize on. Marketers are targeting the kids because kids influence buying decisions, they exert pressure on the parents for a certain product purchase and they are the future adult consumers. In the earlier days, marketers aimed at influencing the parents for purchase related to kid s products. Of late, marketers are trying to influence the kids directly through various promos and contests that provide them with lots of fun and adventure. By doing so, marketers are aiming to occupy the young minds successfully.

4 85 Generally, the contests are specially designed to target a particular age group of kids. The response from the kids is usually high because of the emotional tie-ups which is generated by the promos. This is the major success factor for the marketers. The common thing in all these promos is that they provide fun and adventure to the kids. POSITIVE EFFECTS OF ADVERTISEMENTS ON CHILDREN Advertising makes the kids aware of the new products available in the market. It increases their knowledge about the latest innovations, in the field of technology as well as otherwise. Convincing ads, which center around healthy food products, can help improve the diet of a child, if they are attractive enough. NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF ADVERTISEMENTS ON CHILDREN Advertisements encourage the children to persuade their parents to purchase the products shown in the commercials, whether useful or not. The little ones tend to get adamant, if they are not bought the product. Children often tend to misinterpret the messages conveyed in commercials. They overlook the positive side and concentrate more on the negatives. Many advertisements in the present times include dangerous stunts, which can be performed only by experts. Even though the commercials broadcast the statutory warnings with the ad, the kids often try to imitate the stunts at home, with fatal results. The flashy advertisements broadcast in television generate impulse shopping in children. Children, after watching the glitter of commercials, often lose the ability to live a life without materialistic joy. The kids usually get more attracted towards the costly branded products, such as jeans and accessories. They disregard the inexpensive, but useful, ones that are not shown in the commercials. Advertisements have an indirect effect on the behavior of children. They might develop temper tantrums, when deprived of the latest toys and clothes that are shown in the commercials. The personal preferences in clothing, toys, food and luxurious of children are altered by the advertisements, to a great extent. Junk foods, such as pizzas, burgers and soft drinks, are heavily promoted during children's TV viewing time. This develops a craving for fatty, sugary and fast foods in kids, thereby affecting their health adversely. LITERATURE REVIEW A number of reviews have examined the research on advertising to children and conclude that food advertising leads to greater preferences and purchase of the products advertised (Hastings et al., 2003; IOM, 2006; Story & French, 2004). In addition, as assessed through co relational and quasiexperimental studies, heavier media viewing often predicts more unhealthy diets and higher body weight among children. A few studies have also examined effects of food advertising on actual eating behaviors, usually assessed by food choices following exposure to advertising (Hastings et al.2003; IOM, 2006). One study with high ecological validity exposed children at an overnight camp to a daily cartoon with candy or fruit advertising, PSAs, or no ads (Gorn & Goldberg, 1982). Over a 2-week period, children who saw the candy ads selected fruit and orange juice as a snack less often than the other children. The literature reviews also highlight, however, the need for further research specifically, more studies that establish a direct causal link between food advertising and unhealthy diets. To begin to address this need, Halford and colleagues recently demonstrated that groups of children eat more immediately after viewing a series of 8 10 children s food commercials than after watching commercials for other products (Halford, Boyland, Hughes, Oliveira, & Dovey, 2007; Halford et al., 2008; Halford, Gillespie, Brown, Pontin, & Dovey, 2004). RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Design Descriptive Data Collection Method Primary and secondary Sampling Design Population Children with age of 8-15 and their parents Sampling Frame Rajkot city Sampling Method Convenience sampling (Non Probabilistic) Sample Size 200 children RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 1. To study the impact of advertisement of confectionery Products on children. 2. To study the relation between advertisement and purchasing behavior of confectionery product. HYPOTHESIS Ho: All factor of advertisement have equal impact on children to buy the confectionery product.

5 86 H1: Some specific factors of advertisement have more impact on children to buy the confectionery product. Table 1: Time spent for watching TV No. of Hours No of Respondents Less than 1 hour hours hours 32 More than 3 hours 28 Table 2: Different factors of ad liked by children (Based on Rank*) Factor No. of Respondents Celebrity 72 Jingle 36 Cartoon Character 28 Animation 64 *Considered first rank Table 3: Children insist parents to purchase the product after watching the ad (Based on Rank*) Frequency No. of Respondents Often 36 Sometimes 112 Rarely 40 Never 12 *Considered first rank KEY FINDINGS From above survey, it is found that most of the children watch TV less than 1 hour. As far as watching any particular program on television is concerned, children like to watch music channel, cartoon and movies on television. Most of the children like to watch advertisement on TV because they like to watch celebrity, cartoon, and jingles. Among selected confectionery products from Biscuits, Wafers, Chocolates, Noodles, children like to watch ad of Chocolates more than other confectionary products. Majority of children like to buy confectionary products because they like the taste of confectionery product. There are some children also who like to buy confectionary products just because they like the ad of that product. After watching advertisement of confectionary products children sometimes insist their parents to purchase that product for them. When children insist their parents to purchase confectionary product after watching its advertisement, parents generally do agree with them. SUGGESTIONS To some extent children have limited understanding so advertisers should not directly persuade children to buy the product which is shown in the advertisement. Advertisers must not misuse children s relative inexperience. Children can be easily attracted by the cartoon and jingles so, as far as confectionary products are concerned children should know all the pros and cons of that particular product. It is the duty of parents to see what their children are watching on television and if they are highly influenced by the advertisements especially of confectionary products then parents should try to explain them what are the pros and cons of that product by using it. CONCLUSION Today children play an important role as consumers. Especially confectionary products (Biscuits, Chocolates, Wafers, Noodles) are concerned they do not care price of which they want to buy. Also they do not care whether these products are good for them or not. While they are shopping, the first thing comes in their mind is to purchase the advertised products. Children are mostly influenced by celebrity, jingle and cartoons so when they see any ad and like celebrity, jingle or cartoons they directly go to purchase the product without getting any information. Nowadays it seems that children s impact on family decision in shopping has been steadily increased. Children s ages are important to understand the television advertisements. Children's comprehension of television commercials increases with age. REFERENCES [1] [2] [3] s [4] Almance)\ [5] Telecommunication Union) [6]