SubscribeIf you look closely at this law it states that TV can not, take a break in children's programming to show adverts, nor "book-case" a childrens TV show such as the telly-tubbies with adverts before it begins and after it ends. This applies to television that is broadcast to Sweden from Sweden. However, the popular channels TV3 which first broadcast on new years eve in 1987, and TV 5 which was born in 1989 are both aired from the United Kingdom, and thus follow UK advertising laws.Even got into an argument with the director of ANA here about this as that "ban" is far too often used as an example to support the idea that ad bans have no effect. If the ban doesn't actually do anything of course it has no effect. Do'h.
In other words, children's programming has been intertwined with advertising aimed at children for the last 18 years. [in Sweden]
Children may not show their gratitude like adults, but they tell us they like those who give them things and are fondest of the biggest giver.By the way, another thing that struck me was something we haven't mentioned here yet, which is the unbridled consumerism of parents themselves, or first world culture as a whole, but especially America. In fact, my whole interest in this thing began with the PBS Affluenza documentary (interesting quiz-type overview here).
The Kids Market: Myths and Realities
James U. McNeal, Ph.D.
• Clothes, mobiles, crib toys and even diapers featuring brand logos or licensed media characters such as Elmo or Spiderman are now commonplace.
• This type of marketing helps ensure that babies will recognize and request similarly adorned products ranging from cereal to stuffed toys as their verbal skills evolve. According to marketing industry research, babies are requesting brands as soon as they can speak.
Companies sometimes hire influential, trendsetting young people to promote products among their friends— spreading the word like a virus. In order to find these “alpha kids,” as they are known, companies scour public places where kids congregate, such as playgrounds, malls, coffee shops, and arcades. They study kids’ behavior and conduct interviews with them, their teachers, and parents to identify the coolest kids.40 Companies then recruit those alpha kids to tout products among their peers by word-of-mouth. The recruits are typically paid or given other compensation (such as free products or coupons), and are not required to inform their peers that they are serving as de facto salespeople. Viral marketing promotes the exclusivity of a product and heightens children’s desire to be among the first to have it. This technique is often used on older children and teens who are generally skeptical of, or likely to ignore, TV or print advertisements and are more likely to view their peers as credible and honest sources. Other viral marketing techniques include using online chat rooms to push a product, or giving free samples, especially clothing, to celebrities or other respected figures to wear or “flash” in public.
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From the AAP page: More about The Nag Factor: "For parents of so-called "tweens," the problem is particularly severe - amazingly, more than ten percent of 12-13 year olds admit to asking their parents more than fifty times for products they've seen advertised".
As if modern families weren't already in enough peril. But in the eyes of kid marketers, "fractured families" are not so much a bad thing, as an opportunity:Shouldn't something be done? From "Catch 'em Young": Also see Bush's War on Children: "When kids are pitted against corporate big money in Bush's Washington, it's the kids who lose. Kids are the new frontier of corporate marketing," and Does the US Chamber of Commerce Support Any Limits on Huckstering to Kids in School? (more on ads in schools.)
So, make no mistake. There are lots of people with power and money who are thinking about the children 24/7. For only $3,500 US, you can take advantage of some of that brain power to cash in using such neo-"baby-boom" facts as " Toddlers Use TV on Their Own" and " Boys Wield More Pester Power".
Or, if you are a concerned parent, you can check out the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and peruse the Parents' Bill of Rights (pdf, related article here.)
posted by taz at 1:46 AM on September 19, 2005