CSR issues
Topic: Advertising to children: is it ethical? With the technology development and progress of the times, advertisements appearing in every corner of the commercial world, the topic of advertising has become a controversial discussion in the recent two decades. There are lots of arguments on “is advertisement good or not?” If let me to answer this question, I would probably say advertisement makes shopping convenient for people under no subconscious mind control. (Adam) That is to say it is not good for advertisement to control customers, especially children.
In my opinion, the way that advertising manipulates children into buying the products is unethical. In this situation, advertisement becomes a tool to control or manipulate customers instead of a media to spread shopping information.
Advertising is a medium which convinces people to believe they need to buy things to be happy. Meanwhile, advertising is a marketing method that is having a great influence on children development. The volume of advertising is skyrocketing and invading almost all areas of childhood, such as children’s food, clothes, educations and toys.
For some reason, advertising brings people a lot of choices and information. However the current advertising which is made by psychologists is much more sophisticated and pervasive, especially for children whose brains have not grown to full size. (Rebecca) That is to say the advertising made by psychologists is not to spread products information but to misguide customers to make wrong consumption decisions.
Due to children being easier to be misguided by the information than adults, children are not rational consumers therefore they cannot take responsibility for themselves. At the same time, almost all the information psychologists make for advertisers is being used to maximize interests rather than help children. So the companies do not take the corporate social responsibility when they use these advertisings to control
In my opinion, the way that advertising manipulates children into buying the products is unethical. In this situation, advertisement becomes a tool to control or manipulate customers instead of a media to spread shopping information.
Advertising is a medium which convinces people to believe they need to buy things to be happy. Meanwhile, advertising is a marketing method that is having a great influence on children development. The volume of advertising is skyrocketing and invading almost all areas of childhood, such as children’s food, clothes, educations and toys.
For some reason, advertising brings people a lot of choices and information. However the current advertising which is made by psychologists is much more sophisticated and pervasive, especially for children whose brains have not grown to full size. (Rebecca) That is to say the advertising made by psychologists is not to spread products information but to misguide customers to make wrong consumption decisions.
Due to children being easier to be misguided by the information than adults, children are not rational consumers therefore they cannot take responsibility for themselves. At the same time, almost all the information psychologists make for advertisers is being used to maximize interests rather than help children. So the companies do not take the corporate social responsibility when they use these advertisings to control
Cited: The Corporation. Dir. Jennifer Abbott, Mark Achbar. Perf. Michael Moore, Ray Anderson. Manufacture Consent, 4 June 2004.Film. Adam, Dachis, “How advertising Manipulates Your Choices and Spending Habits (and What to Do About It)” http://lifehacker.com/5824328/how-advertising-manipulates-your-choices-and-spending-habits-and-what-to-do-about-it Rebecca A.Clay, “Advertising to children: Is it ethical?” Some psychologists cry foul as peers help advertisers target young consumers, September 2000, Vol 31, No.8, pg52.Print Nichols, Shaun, “Apple coughs up 7 hours of profit to refund kids’ $32.5m app spend spree.” 15, Jan, 2014. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/15/ftc_apple_in_app_purchases_settlement/