Consuming Kids Media Education Foundation Documentary Questi

Consuming Kids Media Education Foundation Documentary Questions Due Th

Consuming Kids – Media Education Foundation Documentary Questions Due Thursday 4/09/2020 – emailed to me by the end of virtual class on 4/. At the time this documentary was released, how much money per year did the advertising industry make from advertising to children? 2. Why do they market to/target children? 3.

Where do children get their money? 4. How do advertisers/markets mainly target kids? 5. What are touchstones, and how do advertisers use them in ads targeting kids?

6. As of 1980, what was the primary tool marketing executives used for targeting kids? 7. Relate this phenomenon to Leonard’s discussion of planning and perceived obsolescence? 8.

What is “product placement†and why is it important in children’s advertising? 9. What is the “nag factorâ€? How do advertisers capitalize on that phenomenon? 10.

How many ads of all kinds are kids potentially exposed to on a daily basis? 11. How are kids influenced by advertisers to get parents to buy products for them? 12. How do the makers of the documentary explain that kids are multi-tasking with media?

13. What is the ultimate goal of targeting kids in ads? (Beyond getting kids to buy the products in the ads.) 14. In 1980 President Reagan “deregulated†American manufacturing industries. How did that affect adverting and marketing laws concerning children? How does that relate to Leonard’s explanation of “planned†and “perceived†obsolescence?

15. How do advertisers use “touchstones†in children’s ads? How does that tap into their emotions and them wanting the products being marketed to them? 16. What is “product placement†in children’s ads and how does it work on them? Give an example. 17. How do marketers/advertisers sell their products in video games? 18. What do the documentary narrators claim about “ads as entertainment†and “entertainment as adsâ€? 19. How do websites operate to get kids to buy products? How do they get kids to give up their personal information? 20. How do marketers/advertisers use the knowledge educators and/or psychologists have gathered about kids to market to them? What do educators/psychologists claim about this practice? 21. What are “focus groups†and how to they “work†on kids? 22. What is the GIA and how does it work? 23. What is neuro-marketing? 24. How to corporations justify marketing to kids? What is their end-goal for children? 25. What is “symbolic addiction†in children’s advertising? 26. One educator claimed that advertisers are selling more to children than products—they are selling values to children in order to make them life-long consumers—how does this relate to the quote used in Shames’ article “The More Factorâ€? 27. Comment on the educator’s remark that the affect of marketing to kids is that they become shallow, develop low self-esteem, are self-indulgent, need instant gratification, and are materialistic, and mostly, that they are becoming “Me, Me Now, Me and These Thingsâ€. How do “simple†ads do this to kids? 28. Comment on the fact that since the 1980’s kids claim they want to be rich and have things rather than anything else. Is this a result of commercialization changing kids’ psyches? Explain. 29. What do the narrators mean by “selling down to young kidsâ€? 30. What are 10-year olds being shown in ads that were previously marketed to 17-year olds? What values are they selling, especially to young girls? 31. What are “tweensâ€? Why are they an important focus group for advertisers? 32. The narrators suggest that ads are teaching young girls to be sexy. Relate that to Kilbourne’s claims. 33. How were Barbie dolls different than the current Bratz dolls? What are the differing values being sold? 34. What adult messages do boys get from ads? Relate these to Katz. 35. What did the narrators claim about the counter-program “Baby Einsteinâ€? 36. How do these programs and others “trick†the brains of children? What is the long-term effect on children’s brains? Relate this to Carr. 37. What does the American Academy of Pediatrics claim about children between the ages of 6 and 8 and those of 9 and 12? 38. Why do child experts claim that “creative play†is vital in child development? What is one of the important emotions it helps children develop? 39. How does “creative play†help with critical thinking? What does “planned play†or that based on media characters take away from children? 40. What excuse do advertisers use to justify what they do? How/why do they get away with it? FYW 100P – Consuming Kids Documentary 2

Paper For Above instruction

The documentary’s exploration of children’s exposure to advertising reveals a troubling industry that has deeply integrated into their daily lives, affecting their development, perceptions, and value systems. As of its release, the advertising industry generated billions of dollars annually from marketing to children, illustrating its extensive reach and influence. The primary motivation for targeting children lies in their vulnerability and impressionability, as well as their potential as lifelong consumers. Children’s disposable income, often derived from allowances, gifts, or earnings from tasks, makes them attractive targets for marketers looking to establish brand loyalty early.

Advertisers primarily target children through media strategies that include television commercials, digital platforms, product placements, and increasingly interactive environments like video games and websites. Touchstones—emotional or cultural touchpoints—are used to forge a quick, relatable connection with children, making advertisements more memorable and persuasive. Since the 1980s, marketing tools shifted towards sophisticated techniques like product placement and the “nag factor,” where advertisers engineer products and ads to compel children to persuade their parents to purchase them. This phenomenon relates to Leonard’s discussion of planned and perceived obsolescence by highlighting how marketers sustain desire and consumption by continuously renewing product relevance and appeal.

Product placement plays a crucial role by embedding branded products within entertainment media, subtly influencing children’s preferences. The “nag factor” refers to children’s persistent requests for advertised products, an effect exploited by advertisers to drive demand. On a daily basis, children encounter dozens to hundreds of ads across media, shaping their desires and perceptions from a young age. Through repeated exposure, children are influenced not just to want specific products but to adopt consumerist values—believing that happiness and status are tied to material possessions.

Parents, often unaware of the extent of advertising influence, are targeted indirectly by marketing strategies designed to appeal to children’s desires—prompting them to buy products their kids request. The documentary emphasizes that children are multitasking with media—watching TV, playing video games, browsing websites—which amplifies marketing’s impact on their subconscious. The ultimate goal extends beyond immediate sales: advertisers aim to shape children’s identities, values, and perceptions of self-worth, fostering brand loyalty that persists into adulthood.

The deregulation of advertising laws in the 1980s under President Reagan facilitated more aggressive and pervasive marketing to children, correlating with Leonard’s concepts of planned and perceived obsolescence. Reduced legal restrictions made it easier for marketers to push products directly to children, contributing to a culture where consumption becomes an intrinsic part of childhood identity. Touchstones—emotionally charged symbols—are strategically used to create emotional bonds with target audiences, making marketing messages resonate on a deeper level.

In children’s ads, product placement is used to subtly embed brands within relatable contexts, such as popular cartoons or media characters, influencing children’s preferences without overt commercial intent. For example, placing a toy within a children’s program or associating a snack with a beloved cartoon hero. Marketers also promote their products in the context of video games—through in-game advertising or branded virtual items—where children spend significant amounts of time, blending entertainment and advertising seamlessly.

Reviewers argue that advertising functions as entertainment itself, blurring boundaries between play and marketing. Websites aimed at children utilize immersive environments to promote products, often incentivizing them to share personal information in exchange for access or rewards—thus increasing their marketing reach. Using insights gained from psychologists and educators about children’s developmental stages, advertisers craft messages that are particularly persuasive, exploiting children’s natural vulnerabilities and developmental needs.

Focus groups help advertisers gain insights into children’s preferences and susceptibilities, working by showing children products or media and measuring their reactions. The Global Insight Agency (GIA), a marketing intelligence organization, collects and analyzes vast amounts of data on children’s behaviors and preferences to inform targeted advertising strategies. Neuro-marketing employs neuroscientific techniques to understand children’s subconscious reactions to advertising stimuli, allowing for even more precise targeting.

Corporations justify their marketing practices by claiming they are catering to children’s desires and preferences, with the end goal of fostering lifelong brand loyalty. This process is often criticized for creating “symbolic addiction”—a term describing how children develop emotional attachments to brands, viewing them as symbols of identity or status. The educator’s claim that marketers sell values rather than just products aligns with the broader concern that children are being conditioned to value materialism, shallow self-esteem, and instant gratification, as highlighted by Shames’ “The More Factor.”

Simple ads reinforce these messages by portraying possessions as sources of happiness and self-worth, contributing to a consumer culture that prizes material goods over intrinsic values. Since the 1980s, children’s aspirations have shifted towards wealth and possessions, likely a consequence of relentless commercialization and targeted messaging. The narrators’ phrase “selling down to young kids” refers to how marketing increasingly targets children at younger ages with content previously intended for older children or teenagers, emphasizing values related to appearance, materialism, and status, especially among young girls.

“Tweens,” or pre-adolescents aged roughly 8–12, are crucial focus groups because they are forming identities and are highly impressionable. Ads directed at them often promote sexuality, aligning with Jean Kilbourne’s analysis of how media images promote unrealistic and sexualized ideals, particularly for girls. While historically Barbie dolls represented traditional, idealized femininity, modern dolls like Bratz promote more overt expressions of sexuality and rebellion, reflecting shifting cultural values and marketing agendas.

For boys, ads often emphasize strength, masculinity, independence, and success—messages analyzed by Katz to understand gendered marketing. The documentary discusses “Baby Einstein” as a counter-program designed to promote “educational” content for young children, but critics claim such programs manipulate developmental neural processes, encouraging passive consumption over active learning. This “tricking” of the brain can result in decreased critical thinking skills and shortened attention spans, as proposed by Carr, suggesting long-term developmental impacts. The American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that children between 6 and 12 are particularly vulnerable, urging limits on screen time and promoting creative, unstructured play for healthy emotional and cognitive development.

Experts argue that creative play is essential for fostering emotional resilience, especially in developing qualities like empathy, imagination, and problem-solving skills. Planned or media-based play often limits these opportunities, substituting passive entertainment for authentic, imaginative engagement. Advertisers justify their practices by claiming they are merely meeting consumer demand, but their manipulation techniques often exploit children’s developmental vulnerabilities, resulting in a culture of overconsumption, materialism, and emotional shallow-ness.

References

• Kilbourne, J. (1999). Can't Buy My Love: How Advertising Changes the Way We Think and Feel. Simon & Schuster.
• Katz, E. (1994). Advertising and the Construction of Gender. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 11(2), 148-163.
• Leonard, D. (2004). Advertising and the Creation of Childhood. Routledge.
• Carr, N. (2010). The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. W.W. Norton & Company.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics. (2016). Media and Children: The American Academy of Pediatrics’ Policy Statement. Pediatrics, 138(5).
• Shames, L. (2002). The More Factor: How the Pursuit of Material Wealth Is Changing the World. HarperOne.
• Media Education Foundation. (2010). Consuming Kids: The Commercialization of Childhood.
• Gentile, D. A., et al. (2009). "The Impact of Advertising and Commercialism on Children and Adolescents." Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(4), 397–412.
• Harrison, K., & McDaniel, B. (2007). "Children and Advertising: How Young Is Too Young." Journal of Advertising.
• Kilbourne, J. (2004). Deadly Persuasion: Why Women and Girls Must Fight the Addictive Power of Advertising. The Free Press.