The Influence of the Media on Children.
Enthusiastic about the vast potential market that children represent.
2. Encourage all advertisers to go after children in their marketing.
3. View children as consumers in training.
B. Radio .
1. Media influenced children as early as the days of radio, when marketers pushed Ovaltine toward children. .
2. Ads were kept mild, since advertisers were worried that parents might be listening.
3. It was at this time that the potential of marketing to children was realized.
C. Television.
1. Television was even more effective at marketing to children, as children want what they can see.
2. Sales of grape juice to families with children went way up after Welch's Grape Juice became the official sponsor of the Howdy Doody Show.
3. Parents increasingly left their children alone to watch television, leaving advertisers uninterrupted access to the children.
4. Advertisers now talk amongst each other about getting children to increase their "nag factor" with their parents in order to get their parents to buy them things.
5. Parents want their children to have what their friends have, so buy things their children want.
II. Parents and Advertisers at War.
A. What Can Parents Do?.
1. Representatives in Washington have shown little interest in protecting children from advertisers.
2. Advertisers get in between children and their parents.
3. Parents deserve respect.
4. It is time for a parents' bill of rights regarding advertisers.
5. This bill of rights can be used to protect children from the influence of advertisers.
It is true that advertisers have a huge influence over children. As the author points out, this influence has its beginnings in the very early days of radio programs. The fact that sales of Welch's Grape Juice went up when it was advertised during a children's television show is a testament to how well marketing to children works. Representatives at Grey Advertising, according to the article, talk about how it is important to reach children during every part of their day.
