Question 1
Owing to the undeniable fact that the lower age groups, mainly children, are considered the most potent market for selling commodities, advertising has evolved to target this market in order to fully exploit its potential. However, there should be a legal age limit that states the allowable age to which corporates can advertise their products. Even though most corporates do not follow this ethic in their adverts, there is a minimum allowable for which advertisers can expose their product ads to.
A good example is the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark and Greece, where advertising is highly restricted to 12 years. Any adverts that are targeted to children below this age limit are considered illegal and as such the company is liable to legal repercussions.
In the European Union, member nations adhere to the EU Audio Visual Media Services Directive which maps out specific rules and regulations regarding advertising to children. Even though there is no age limit set to govern advertisements, the directive does set the ethical grounds on which advertisements should be founded.
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I believe that there should exist a minimum age for which advertisements can be made. I believe the minimum age should be set at 13. This is because at this age, an individual can make rational decisions that are in their best interests.
Question 2
Advertising is perceived to be an exceptional advertising strategy. However, this advertising strategy has its own drawbacks as well as its benefits.
Multiple Demographics
While the main demographic for advertisements in schools are the students, there are other demographics that are exposed to these adverts. These include teachers and parents. By virtue of exposure to these adverts, they may be influenced in one way or another into purchasing the advertised commodities. Furthermore, school events will expose an even wider demographic in the form of family, relatives and friends to the students.
Positive Publicity
When companies purchasing advertising slots in schools, they gain positive publicity by helping the school gain crucial funds that were needed to fund its programs. This is a positive spin that companies can employ to justify buying advertising slots in schools.
Increased School Program Funding
Most schools that are budget conscious will tend to cut funds for programs that may not be considered as essential. Such programs include the art-related programs. In a bid to maintain these programs to encourage innovation, schools will offer advertisement slots to companies who will in turn pay to keep these programs afloat.
Increased Brand and Sales
According to a 2006 study conducted by the American Academy of Pediatrics, brands that opted to advertise on the Channel One News Program were likely to have their products purchased within three months of launching the given advertisement. Furthermore, students tend to remember advertisements more than they do the news. As a result, the sales and brands of companies advertising in schools significantly increase.
Disadvantages
Advertising in schools target the individuals in the society that are susceptible to persuasion. This is because children tend to believe almost anything they hear on television, and especially on advertisements.
Question 3
In order to make a well informed decision, there is need for the following information:
The demographics of the school within which the company’s advertisements would be aired
The nature of the content of the product that is being advertised
The messages that would be embodied in the given advertisement, both on face value and subliminal
The decision to accept r decline an advertisement to be aired in a school would predominantly be determined by the nature of the advertisement, i.e. the artistic form that would be employed in the advert and message that it will embody. This would help the stakeholders be socially responsible for the material that corporates expose children to.
- Hartman, L. P., & DesJardins, J. R. (2008). Business Ethics: Decision-making for personal integrity & social responsibility. Boston: McGraw Hill.
