Consider The Regulations That Govern Marketing To Children

Consider The Regulations That Govern Marketing To Children And Explore

Consider the regulations that govern marketing to children and explore the Internet for a marketing campaign that you believe violates those regulations. Select a campaign and provide two solutions to revamp the selected marketing campaign in order to bring it back into ethical compliance. Determine two sacrifices that the selected company may have to make in order to regain ethical compliance. Watch the video titled “Ethical & Unethical Target Marketing in Business” (5:45 minutes), located here. Determine which of the 4 P’s (product, place, promotion, price) in marketing is most likely to be vulnerable to ethics violations. Provide a rationale for your selection. Provide two solutions to the potential lack of ethics you have discussed.

Paper For Above instruction

Marketing to children represents a highly sensitive area governed by strict regulations designed to protect young audiences from exploitative or manipulative practices. Despite these regulations, some campaigns have attempted to target children in ways that violate ethical standards, especially on the internet where oversight can be inconsistent. One such campaign involved a fast-food company's advertising strategy that used bright, cartoonish characters and interactive games on social media platforms to appeal directly to children, encouraging them to purchase unhealthy meals. This campaign has come under scrutiny for potentially violating regulations aimed at shielding children from advertising that promotes unhealthy food choices.

To bring this campaign into compliance with ethical standards and regulations, two key solutions can be implemented. First, the company should revise its marketing content to focus on healthier food options clearly suited for children, emphasizing nutritional benefits rather than using engaging but potentially deceptive characters or themes that appeal solely to impulsive purchasing behaviors. This shift aligns with regulations that restrict marketing unhealthy foods to children and moves towards promoting better dietary habits. Second, the company could restrict the channels and times at which such advertisements appear, ensuring they are not broadcast during children's programming hours or on platforms primarily used by children, thereby reducing exposure and respecting regulatory guidelines designed to minimize marketing influence on impressionable age groups.

However, implementing these solutions may require the company to make sacrifices. One significant sacrifice could be a reduction in marketing engagement and sales volume derived from targeted campaigns that employ highly appealing, although ethically questionable, content. This could lead to a temporary decline in customer interest or brand visibility among children. Another sacrifice might involve increased costs related to creating segmented marketing strategies, which are more resource-intensive, or the loss of certain platforms or media partnerships that were previously effective but were also prone to regulatory violations. These sacrifices are necessary trade-offs to uphold ethical standards and comply with regulations, thereby protecting the company's reputation and ensuring long-term sustainability.

In the context of marketing ethics, the 'Promotion' element of the 4 P’s is most vulnerable to violations. Promotion involves advertising and sales tactics that directly communicate with consumers, often influencing purchasing decisions. It is susceptible to ethical breaches because advertising strategies can be manipulated to target vulnerable populations, such as children, using deceptive, exaggerated, or overly persuasive messages. As shown in the video “Ethical & Unethical Target Marketing in Business” (2019), unethical promotion can include false claims, misrepresentations, or targeting susceptible audiences with messages that exploit their lack of critical judgment.

To counteract these vulnerabilities, companies should adopt transparent and truthful promotional practices. Two solutions include developing clear guidelines for advertising content that prioritize honesty, especially when marketing to children, and establishing internal review processes to evaluate advertisements for ethical compliance before public release. These measures can help uphold ethical standards and prevent the dissemination of potentially harmful or misleading promotional messages.

References

• American Psychological Association. (2012). Ethical guidelines for marketing to children. APA Publications.
• Hastings, G., Stead, M., & Gordon, R. (2008). The ethics of food marketing to children: A review and critical analysis. Journal of Public Health Policy, 29(2), 148–174.
• Kunkel, D., et al. (2018). Public health and marketing: Ethical considerations in advertising to children. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 54(3), 375–383.
• Livingstone, S., & Helsper, E. (2006). Does advertising literacy mediate the effects of advertising on children? Journal of Communication, 56(3), 516–531.
• Nelson, M. R., et al. (2016). Protecting children from obesogenic marketing: Regulation and ethical practices. Journal of Business Ethics, 135(3), 423–441.
• Powell, L. M., & Han, E. (2018). Ethical challenges in marketing foods to children. Public Health Nutrition, 21(2), 209–215.
• Reisch, L. A., & Thøgersen, J. (2015). Ethical consumerism and marketing to children. Journal of Consumer Culture, 15(2), 120–138.
• Smith, G., & Callaghan, J. (2020). The impact of internet marketing regulations on advertising practices. International Journal of Advertising, 39(1), 107–126.
• United Nations. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. United Nations.
• World Health Organization. (2010). Marketing of unhealthy foods to children. WHO Report.