Do Advertisements Aimed at Teenagers Work and Are They Ethical?

Questions to research: Are advertisements aimed at teenagers effective? And, are they ethical? My Response: Most advertisements aimed at teenagers are effective, but usually are not ethical. Most marketers have many ways of gathering information on teenagers spending habits and what is most important to teens. With this information they’re able to create advertisements that will appeal to most teens and create profit. Many people argue that some or most of these ads aren’t ethical because they will create a problem or insecurity and then give the solution to that problem in the form of their product.

Central Idea: The most effective ads show teens using and enjoying a product. The least effective were those that caused an emotional response. A teen’s acceptance of ads varies according to the media platform. The medium with the lowest teen ad acceptance was texting. The “Teen Advertising Study”, compiled with the help of the University of Massachusetts, showed that teens were more susceptible to online ads if they could relate to it and if they found it funny.

Central Idea: Marketers love teens because they easily spend money on “luxury” items such as clothing, electronics, and music. They mostly make their purchase decisions independently, have significant influence on family purchases, and companies know that once they have “branded” a child, they are likely to be customers for life. They reach kids by advertising in magazines, movies, TV shows, and on the internet. Companies get info about kids spending habits from internet “quizzes” and “surveys”.

Marketers know how to capitalize on important teen issues and anxieties, like body image, peer acceptance, coolness, and need for power. Marketers often use a theme or attitude like sex or alcohol and drug use that seems to raise the “coolness factor” of their product. Advertising is so effective because it creates insecurities about things such as appearance. Successful ads convince the viewer that they have a problem and then offer the solution, which is the product they’re selling. This gives off the messages that teens aren’t good enough the way they are and many kids unwillingly buy into that message which is causing kids to grow up in the most materialistic society we’ve ever had. Most of the things that are advertised to teens do not promote healthy development.

Central Idea: In one year, teens view more than 40,000 ads on TV alone while also being exposed to ads on the internet, in magazines, and in schools. Teens are often the main target for marketers because they are always willing to spend money on the newest “luxury” items. Teens strive to have the newest electronics, clothing, and other overly advertised items. Marketers know how to target teen issues such as body image, peer pressure, and the need for acceptance. On average, teens are exposed to 3,000 ads per day.

Teenagers, on average, spend $155 billion per year on advertised products, also influencing their parents to spend another $200 billion per year. Recent studies have shown tobacco companies use their ads to target teens as young as 13-years-old. Another major advertiser is the alcohol industry, using ads that feature young, attractive people drinking or posing with their beverages. Ads affect teen psychologically by exposing them to ads that suggest they are not what the entertainment business considers attractive. Ads can be harmful to teens by lowering their self-esteem.

Children, Adolescents, and Advertising http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/118/6/2563.full Central Idea: Children and teens view 40,000 ads per year on TV alone even though the Children’s Television Act of 1990 limits advertising on children’s programming to 10.5 minutes/hour on weekends and 12 minutes/hour on weekdays. M-rated video games, which are not recommended for children younger than 17-years-old, are frequently advertised in movie theaters, video game magazines, and publications with high youth readership. Young people see 45% more beer ads and 27% more ads for hard liquor in teen magazines than adults to in their magazines.

An increasing number of web sites try to get teens to make direct sales. More than 100 commercial websites promote alcohol products. Most advertisers use techniques that children and teens are more vulnerable to, like product placement in movies and TV shows, action figures, kid’s clubs, and celebrity endorsements. Sex is used in commercials to sell almost anything now. American ads constantly use thin female models, which contribute to the development of self-esteem issues in young girls.

Thesis Statement

With marketers aiming their advertisements more towards teens every day, researchers are looking into how effective and ethical these advertisements really are.

Outline
The Ethics and Effectiveness on Advertising toward Teens
Thesis statement: With marketers aiming their advertisements more towards teens every day, researchers are looking into how effective and ethical these advertisements really are.

I. Teens are being exposed to advertisements more each day.
a. . Companies gather info about teens’ spending habits from internet “quizzes” and “surveys”. b. Children and teens view more than 40,000 ads per year on TV alone. c. More than 160 magazines are now targeted towards teens.

II. Different factors will make an ad effective.
a. Teen’s acceptance of ads depends on the media platform. i. Sponsorships of live events had the highest level of acceptance. ii. Text messaging had the lowest level of acceptance.
b. Least effective ads were those that caused an emotional response. III. The advertising strategies marketers use have been shown to be unethical. a. M-rated video games are frequently advertised in movie theaters, video game magazines, and publications with high youth readership b. Young people see 45% more beer ads and 27% more ads for hard liquor in teen magazines than adults to in their magazines. c. Advertising is so effective because it creates insecurities about things such as appearance. i. American ads constantly use thin female models, which contribute to the development of self-esteem issues in young girls. ii. Gives off the message that teens aren’t good enough the way they are.

Body Paragraphs

I believe that the advertisements aimed at teens are effective, but unethical. Through a number of research tactics marketers are finding ways to keep up with the ever changing trends in teen culture. With the information they gather they’re able to produce advertisements that ultimately pressure their audience into buying their product. With marketers aiming their advertisements more towards teens every day, researchers are looking into how effective and ethical these advertisements really are. Technology based advertisements are effective among teens because of how often they are exposed to ads, the ads appeal to their lifestyles, and even sometimes pressure teens into buying their products.

Advertisements have rapidly been integrated into the world around us. “Young people view more than 40 000 ads per year on television alone and increasingly are being exposed to advertising on the Internet, in magazines, and in schools.” (pediatrics.aappublications.org) Teens are heavily influenced by these ads because of how often they are exposed to them. Marketers are gathering information about teens’ spending habits through quizzes and surveys. ‘Teen Advertising Study’, which was compiled in conjunction with the University of Massachusetts, revealed that teens were more susceptible to online advertising if they could relate to it and if they found it funny.” (utalkmarketing.com) With information like this they’re able to determine what type of ads would be effective on the teens of today.

Different factors can make an ad effective, such as how they’re viewed and if it’s relatable to their audience. The most effective ads showed teens using and enjoying their product. For example, in this PlayStation 4 Interface commercial, you’re shown teens happy with their product and you’re given a glimpse of some features. This is considered an effective ad because it features the newest upgrade of their product, they’re being shown new features and games, and seeing other teens happy with the product would give them a positive feeling about having it. This ad also shows both genders enjoying their product, suggesting they support both genders using the PS4. An example of an ineffective ad would be the Microsoft Surface commercial, in this commercial you can see people enjoying their product but you’re not given a look at what their product can do. It’s a fun ad to watch, but it doesn’t provide enough information for a teen to considering buying their product.

Lastly, many advertisements aimed at teens have been said to be unethical in order to be effective. Marketers will bring up a problem in their advertisement; this problem might be based on social status, then they will provide a solution in the form of their product. For example, in this Samsung Galaxy S4 commercial you see only younger people using their product while the older people are just learning about this product. This suggests that if you have their product you’d be cool and up to date with the world around you. This ad seems to guilt the target into thinking what they have isn’t good enough and their product would make them cooler.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I think advertisements aimed at teens are effective, but unethical. Teens are being exposed to advertisements more each day. Advertisements can be found all around them, in schools, online, through T.V., etc. Marketers are constantly doing research to improve ads to be more appealing to their target audience, teens. Through the information they gather, they can create advertisements that will persuade their audience into buying their product. An effective ad would feature other teens enjoying their product. An effective, but unethical ad, would be an ad that brings up a problem, such as a teen’s social status, and then present a solution in the form of their product.

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Do Advertisements Aimed at Teenagers Work and Are They Ethical?. (2016, Aug 07). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/technology/

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