media studies gcse - Institutions children and advertising

Children and Advertising

Advertising Standards Agency

Learning Outcomes

All (C) : I can research and plan appropriately. My findings are well presented and I can identify the target audience

Most (B) : I can research successfully. My findings are presented effectively and I can understand the needs of a target audience

Some (A): I can research independently. My findings are presented imaginatively and I can understand how ads are tailored to audiences needs

What do they do?Common issues surrounding children and advertising are:

• Making children desire things they cannot afford or would not be able to use

• Pester power: encouraging children to pester their parents for advertised products or services

• Showing children in unsafe or dangerous situations that other kids might emulate

• Making children feel inferior, especially if they don’t buy the products or services shown in the ads

• Showing children in a sexual way. I.e. wearing make-up and glamorous clothes

• Advertising soft drinks & high fat / sugar foods to children

Activity

• Find a range of ads featuring children: what do they have in common? How, in general, are children REPRESENTED in advertisements in the UK?

• Some charities have used the same sort of shock tactics that commercial advertisers use.

• For example, what do you think about this government campaign using babies and children to persuade people to give up smoking?

Activity

• In a campaign, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children produced a series of posters that included the ones on the next slide. The strapline was “Real children don’t bounce back”. The campaign was designed to encourage people to report suspected child abuse.

• Look at the ads on the next slide and discuss the points below:• Do you think the posters are effective? • Are the NSPCC justified in campaigning against the effects of

violence using such imagery? • What is the evidence?

Learning Outcomes

All (C) : I can research and plan appropriately. My findings are well presented and I can identify the target audience

Most (B) : I can research successfully. My findings are presented effectively and I can understand the needs of a target audience

Some (A): I can research independently. My findings are presented imaginatively and I can understand how ads are tailored to audiences needs

Reasons why children appreciate or reject adverts. What do they reveal about their ability to read advertisements?

Appreciated features Rejected Features

•Humour•Cartoons•Slogans or songs•The presence of animals•Action or their favourite heroes•Reinforced myths•The presence of older children or anolder person•A well known star or celebrity

•“Idiotic” adverts•Claims that appear too amazing to betrue (even if they are true)•Exaggeration of the qualities of products•Adverts that are too long or slow•Unoriginal arguments•Ads where the link between the imagesand the product is not direct or seemsconfused•Abstract adverts•Frightening adverts•Serious statements that remind them ofschool•The use of reference

Analyse the way that it has been constructed to persuade its target audience

• What effect does the water have? • What atmosphere does it create?• How effective is the slogan: new

thinking, new drinking ? • What does it suggest?• Can you think of any consequences

of trying to drink underwater?• How does the layout lead the eye of

the consumer and link the product to the activity?

• What is the name of the product? Is it effective?

• Why might this advertisement be more problematic if displayed in a leisure centre?

Activity

Parents and people generally agree that it is very important for the intellectualdevelopment of children to read as much as possible. Penguin Books haveharnessed this idea in the advertisement on the opposite page. However, theadvertisement itself was judged to be ambiguous and possibly harmful tochildren. The complaints against it were upheld.Do you agree with this adjudication?

Analysis and discussion

• What is the effect of the black and white photography?• Where are the two young people? What kind of location?• Look specifically at the younger of the two boys. What is his ethnicity? • How is he behaving?• Look at the layout of the advertisement: the gun is absolutely in the middle of

the frame. What is the effect of this?• What references are there to books in the advertisement?• The meaning of the advertisement relies exclusively on understanding the

logo. How likely is it that children will recognize it and therefore understand the intended meaning?

TV Advertising

Find three thing that’s wrong with this TV advertising

•it was inappropriate to show children being coerced into doingsomething illegal

•parents and children might emulate the activity •the ad trivialised gun culture

The Kellogg's advertisement featured on the previous slide is attempting topersuade children and young people to eat cereal for breakfast rather than

snacking on less healthy food. How successful do you think it is?

Analysis and discussion

• What is the effect of the black and white photography?

• What kind of location is this?• What is the effect of isolating him

from anyone else?• How does the slogan work?• How effective is what the

advertisement says about the problem?

• Does it convince you, for example?

Learning Outcomes

All (C) : I can research and plan appropriately. My findings are well presented and I can identify the target audience

Most (B) : I can research successfully. My findings are presented effectively and I can understand the needs of a target audience

Some (A): I can research independently. My findings are presented imaginatively and I can understand how ads are tailored to audiences needs

Children and Food advertisingThe ASA has had to look into the issue of how advertisers address

children’s diets on a number of occasions.

Research and presentation activity

• Find at least 3 advertisements for food that feature young people. Analyse the target audience.

• How are they represented?• Where is the location? What does it suggest?• What is the appeal of the product to the target group?• What techniques does the advertiser use e.g. photography,

colour, slogan, celebrities, logo or brand name, layout?• Do you think that the advertisement is responsible or

misleading?• You are to make a short presentation of your findings to the

class.