summary and response

Bijaya Bista                                                                                               03/04/2015

Engl 1100

                                   Summary and response

Eric Schlosser, a journalist and a writer, in his incisive account, Kid Kustomers, published in 2001 in his book ‘Fast food nation, addresses the topic of ‘the explosion in children’s advertising’ and argues that the marketers are directly and vigorously targeting TV ads to children and the advertising has direct impacts on children and their choices, behaviors and time management. He supports this claim by giving various examples of studies carried out on children, then he mentions how McNeal has taught the children about the nagging tactics, and finally illustrates the data related to the amount of time the children are spending on televisions.  

Schlosser wishes to convey to readers, especially the parents, about the importance of the awareness they need to know related to the effects of advertising on their children, in order to cope with the children’s changing behavior, time management and the choices they make at present and in future. He adopts formal, concerned and inspirational tones for his readers of Kid Kustomers and others interested in the topic of the explosion in Children’s advertising.

   Schlosser begins his writing by stating the fact how the advertising companies have expanded and grown significantly over time that targeted and focused solely on children. Schlosser mentions how the ‘children’s advertising has been carrying out dramatically not only focusing on the present context but also for the future consumption too. And they term these strategies as “cradle to grave”. I completely agree with Schlosser and support his claims of how the children advertising has been driven out so rapidly and the children are treated as their important customers for present and also for future. I can relate his claims in the real life. He has mentioned his examples carefully that everyone can easily agree to. As we know, the children are dependent solely on their parents and other seniors, therefore learn from their older, and believe everything they are taught and said. Playing with these immature brains is repugnant. Schlosser has mentioned about this very well.

    As Schlosser states, today the children’s advertising has been intended towards ‘immediate goals’. Schlosser also mentions that the marketers imply the term like “pester power” in their ads and they teach the children about the nagging tactics. Schlosser gives the example of ‘James U. McNeal, a professor of Marketing at Texas A&M university and is considered America’s leading authority on marketing to children, who, in his book Kids As Customers (1992), has written many nagging tactics. Everybody can agree on this part about nagging tactics. And I am sure that almost everyone one of us has used several nagging tactics in order to get something when we were kids. Schlosser states that today the market researchers not only conduct survey but directly try to approach the children by ‘organizing focus groups for kids’, study and understand them better and thoroughly to collect the ideas and techniques for their future advertisements. Marketers and advertisers are using children as a tool and medium to earn money. It’s a sad but a true dogma that people are doing anything to earn more and more. Schlosser has mentioned very well about how the children are being used.

    Schlosser also mentions that the internet has become another influential medium to gain children’s attention and advertise the products. Schlosser argues that before the implication of the ‘Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in 2000, the fast food websites would collect all personal information from children. I agree that, in today’s perspective, without the ‘Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act in 2000’, there would be a lot of cyber-crimes where the children would be victimized.  On the other side, the approach of ‘the Federal Trade Commission to ban all TV ads directed at children seven years old or younger’ was unsuccessful although ‘supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Congress of Parents and Teachers, the Consumer Union and the Child Welfare League among others.’ Others that were benefitted by children advertising only voiced against the proposed ban. Schlosser states that ‘many studies show that children could not distinguish between television programs and television advertising and they were not able to comprehend the purpose of television commercials and they believed the advertising claims.’ And still, if we ask our brothers, sisters or cousins that are less than around 8 years old to distinguish between TV ads and programs, they won’t be able to distinguish.

   Schlosser is agitated with the fact that the TV advertising is gradually increasing its hours of broadcasting. He is also saddened to mention that the children are spending most of their time watching commercials and other television programs rather than doing other activities and being creative. Schlosser believes that the children’s advertising has more negative impacts rather than the positive. Not only the children but everyone fit in this category. Children, teens and adults are spending most of their time watching televisions and using internet. In his writing, I like the way he supports his claims by mentioning the facts from various important studies. Even though, Schlosser has only pointed out the negative impacts of advertising on children, there are also the positive sides of it, but these immature brains are too young to judge and understand them. So, they should be let free from the advertising world. Overall, I liked the opinions of Schlosser but it would have been better if he could also mention the alternative to advertising for children.