Effective Communication through TV Advertisements to Children
A Term Paper
Presented to
Ms. Mylene Manalansan
Department of English and Applied Linguistics
De La Salle University – Manila
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for
ENGLRES
Second Term, SY 2009-2010
By
Irene Pang
Nicole Uytengsu
December 16, 2009
Thesis Statement: Television advertisements communicate more effectively to children by
overcoming the abstraction problem, memory problem, and consumer satisfaction problem.
I. Introduction:
A. Attention Grabber: Examples of TV Commercials for Children
B. Overview of the Evolution of TV Commercials
C. Advertising’s influence on children
D. Thesis Statement: Television advertisements communicate more effectively to
children by overcoming the abstraction problem, memory problem, and consumer
satisfaction problem.
II. Body:
A. Elimination of Abstraction Problem
1. Product-Commercial Separation
2. Characterization of products emphasizes unique attributes
3. Concept Testing as a useful way to present a product
B. Overcoming the Memory
1. Memory Development of children
2. Individualization of products to give a clear identity
3. Picture rather than words
C. Consumer Satisfaction applied to Children
1. Motion pictures to attract children’s attention
2. Realistic execution of advertisements
3. Motivating scenes to entertain consumers
III. Conclusion
A. Restatement of the Thesis: TV Advertisements encounter difficulties in
communicating to children such as abstraction problem, memory problem, and
consumer satisfaction problem.
B. Closing Grabber: No learning takes place in a vacuum. Although many TV
commercials convey communication problems to children, they still serve as a
learning channel to their growth development.
Television advertisements are crucial to children’s mental and intellectual
development. Research shows that children who tune in to the popular TV show,
Sesame Street, have a greater and faster learning capacity compared to children who do
not (Wright, 1979). This proves that whatever is shown in the television becomes a part
of the children’s knowledge and sometimes even forms the principles and values that will
later develop in them. Television, being one of the biggest and most influencing type of
media, provides the earliest and most crucial things put in the children’s minds since a
child of young age who has not yet started schooling usually starts learning by turning to
the television at home. From the book of Wright (1979), he concluded that a conducted
research provides vital information to advertisers on whether children respond positively
to instructional or entertainment objections shown on television (Wright, 1979). Children,
being and acting their age, will give the most natural reaction to the objects in the
television. It is not in the advertisers control whether or not the children react positively to
their concepts. Thus, advertisers must be attentive to the need of programming
modifications to consider the influence of television programs and commercials to
children.
Uplifted from White’s book (1986), television commercials started to spread
rapidly into the media market in the late 1940’s. The development of this form of media
was so fast that it dominated the corporate world of television media. In their early
stages, commercials looked like a radio with pictures. They were not yet made in film,
but instead, with actors and actresses relying on cue cards as an aid to remember their
lines and acts. The downside is that every mistake that these artists had said or done
will be seen clearly. Nothing could be taken back, and undo’s and redo’s were not yet
allowed by technological limitations. In the later stages, film production was introduced.
During that time, radio shows had their versions of television programs. Television
commercials also started to dominate the world of television through the gaps of several
television programs, where these would be shown to avid television viewers. The very
first film commercials were animations arising from storyboards, scripts, and sound
tracks developed by the advertising agencies. For thirty years, television commercials
have reigned as one of the best medium in advertising. Techniques in these productions
are still continuing to change for a better advertisement (White, 1986).
Television advertisements are one of the biggest influences to children’s
intellectual and emotional maturity. According to the Kunkel and Wilcox’s (2004) report,
more than forty thousand television commercials are watched by the average child per
year. Thomas (2000) said, “the lesson children learn over the years result from…
watching television.” (p. 89) Children at a young age start learning from family members
in the household and from whatever is shown in the television, because they usually
spend most of their time watching television before going to school at a later age.
Children observe actions and behaviors of other people, which they will usually see from
the television, the first form of media they encounter at a young age aside from books.
Advertisers consider children as consumers. They consider producing television
commercials to fit the highly-classified demographics of a child. Most advertisements for
children include encouraging them to buy advertised products or to influence their
parents on buying those products for their use. But according to Leiss, Kline and Jhally
(1997), there are a lot of criticisms on TV advertising, one of which is creating false
needs in people. Wright (1979) said, “Television is the candy the child molester gives
your kids”. (p. 223) The advertisers believe that television commercials only influence
children to buy products, while the opposing group argues that advertising to children is
morally wrong because children cannot interpret and respond as what the normal group
of adults would to messages in the television commercial. Because television
advertisements are mostly viewed by children at young ages, they serve as one of the
foundations in the child’s mental and emotional development. Values, messages, and
actions shown in advertisements will form principles in the intellect of children. These
television commercials might create false needs and messages to children. There are
certain government and media agencies that discuss the impacts of television
advertising on children, which are mostly the negative effects.
The Action for Children’s Television (ACT) proposed that parental guidance is
important to control the children’s exposure to these advertisements. It also said that the
media people should be responsible for putting out relevant, important and non-
exploiting effects on these advertisements. Unfit children television commercials’ airing
time was also changed for a better influence to parents, the real purchasers of
advertised products, than to children. Advertising agencies also consider putting
educational and socially accepted motifs in product advertising when communicating to
children through commercials (Wright, 1979).
Television advertisements have both positive and negative effects to consumers,
especially to unique demographics like children. It depends on the child on how he or
she will respond to the messages and concepts of these television commercials.
Parental guidance is highly recommended for a better understanding, but it is mostly
advised that media producers be responsible and communicate effectively to children
through ethically right produced television advertisements.
Television advertisements communicate more effectively to children by
overcoming the abstraction problem, memory problem, and consumer satisfaction
problem. Advertisers must be alert to what children want to see on the screen. They do
not like unrealistic fantasies and static pictures. They cannot interpret exactly in the way
that advertisers thought they would. They will not remember the product and brand
name. Emphasis on product individualization must also be done for children to
successfully remember the product and not only the personality associated with it
(Wright, 1979).
One of the hardest dilemmas in communicating with children through TV
advertisements is their incapability to understand abstract concepts, thus losing the
opportunity for them to express on the matter evidently. From Kunkel & Wilcox (2004),
critical comprehension of advertising messages cannot be done by children especially
those under the age of eight. Thus, children just absorb and do not criticize those
televised advertising messages. It was also found by the APA Task Force, together with
Kunkel and Wilcox, that children of these ages “lack the cognitive development to
understand the persuasive intent of television advertising and are uniquely susceptible to
advertising’s influence”. (par. 3) They just put all the information they see from the
television and follow it, not being able to distinguish whether it was good or bad.
Advertisements should be as concrete as possible. Children have a hard time separating
their response on the commercial itself and the product being advertised. The findings of
the study of Kunkel and Wilcox (2004) show that children recall content from
advertisements which they have seen and are exposed to and shown many times to
them. But they are still having problems on connecting these contents to the product and
brand names. The only possible solution for this is to ask them questions that help
differentiate the commercial from the product. Questions that compare the product from
its competitor and why it is better are common examples for children to find reason as to
why they enjoy that certain product being advertised.
A more permanent solution for eliminating the abstraction problem is associating
the brand with a fun personality children love. They respond positively to purchasing a
product because it is identified with a character they are likened to. This style will
continue on successfully as long as the personality remains popular. Another way of
characterizing the product is associating it with someone or something unique, even
though it has little or no relevance to the product category. According to Wright (1979),
advertising a secondary distinction, as long as it is distinction, is much better than
advertising a primary characteristic which all brands possess.
A useful way to present a product is concept testing by placing meanings in
context formed by memories of other experiences. This is a hard task for children to
grasp. Young children do not have the intellect maturity to grab the essence of a verbal
statement. They lack the cognitive skills for this. And even though they want to say
something, they still have a hard time forming the words to tell it due to their lack of
vocabulary. One of the recommendations presented by Kunkel & Wilcox (2004) is to
guarantee the language and message used in the advertisement is comprehensible for
the intended audience, which in this case is for the children. By making television
advertisements as concrete as possible, the abstraction problem might be completely
avoided. Advertisers must make commercials that are not only kid-friendly but assuring
that children really understand the message in the commercial as well. Using pictures or
models help interpret product samples better than plain text and commercials with
storyboard frames and sound effects makes the concept understandable to viewers.
One effective way to communicate to children through television advertisements
is by overcoming the memory problem that both children and advertisers encounter.
Children have a sharp memory. They can memorize the Barney song by heart, or even
recite lines of children’s poetry word for word. The problem is that the television
advertisements are not good enough to be included in the free recall of children. They
are drawn to catchy phrases and tunes not because they understand the meaning but
simply because they remember. (Wright, 1979) This is not one reason for advertisers to
exploit the minds of children, since the latter will mumble or sing without understanding.
Television advertisements should be worth recalling to children when they provide easy-
to-read slogans and catchy jingles.
Children find it hard to recall brand names associated with the advertised
products. Usually, the reason why children remember the commercial but not the
product name or the brand name is the concepts for the advertisements overlapping the
information shown. Children recalling the general product are not much of a help to the
advertisers because they might buy the product in other brands. The advertisers should
show and popularize the personality of the advertised product in the advertisement. By
excluding the product from the other brand names, it outstands by recognizing and
accentuating unique characteristics that the product has. Brand names and product
names can be stressed by composing catchy slogans and jingles around them.
One way to help children remember brand and product names is to rely on virtual
interpretations through logos, cartoons, and pictures. Graphic identification aids by
letting the children see and demonstrating instead of verbal messages for a faster recall
and imprinting in the minds of these young children. This is also useful for children who
do not know how to read and write yet. Children at their young age usually learn to see
pictures and draw first before learning the basics of ABC’s. Having brand names or
product names with literally drawn logos is the best way for children to individualize a
product. They also get easily obsessed to these characters and claim them as their
favorite. Once advertisers are able to achieve that, it will be easy to communicate to
these children already.
Children, being considered as one of the consumers and respondents of
television advertisements, should gain satisfaction in the production and persuasion
directed to them. They should be pleased in order to get their attention and influence
them to buy the advertised product. The use of motion pictures rather than still ones
capture their attention especially on how they describe a scene or event in the television
commercial. They want to see not just merely pictures and logos, but product
demonstrations. According to Wright (1979), children like to talk about scenes and not
the product which sits still. This shows that for a television commercial to be effective to
children, it should contain a lot of motion pictures and scenes.
Children are not satisfied by the unrealistic executions which some of the
television advertisements show. “Monster pictures, science fiction show, and shows
which feature cartoon characters are among the best liked and best remembered.”
(Wright, 1979, p. 172) Children, at a young age, can already criticize unrealistic
illustrations and scenes. One letter of a seven-year-old child to a television network
proves this fact. From Winick (1964), a child was correcting the television network about
supposed name of a cowboy. The child also suggested some points on how to make the
television program more real. The letter just shows that the child was not satisfied and
opinions and suggestions were still needed in order to meet his or her satisfaction.
Advertisers must realize that even though they know what children like, it is best to
always screen commercials to kids before airing them, just to be sure the children really
do watch those shows.
Motivating scenes draw the child’s attention into a television commercial. These
motivating scenes do not just entertain them, but also make them want the advertised
product. According to Wright (1979), examples of motivating scenes are the Presidents’
pictures on packages and other limited offerings of the brand. Relaying concepts to
children is not the best factor to advertise new products to children. They want to know,
identify, and remember the product. One type of motivating scene is showing that
someone wants the product. The demonstration of desire in the commercial itself
captures the want of the children for the product. Seeing someone enjoy the product
motivates the children to try the product especially when it is someone they admire.
According to Tang Min of China Daily (2004), “When a commercial is telling kids that it is
better to drink this or eat that, and they do so by showing other children seemingly
enjoying it, the kids most likely fall easy prey to it.” (par. 14) This gives them the
mentality to aspire their own enjoyment of the product. Finally, demonstrating the
product is the most important motivating scene since the children will not only remember
the actions shown in the advertisement, but also will make them want to imitate the
actions. DJ (2007) stated that the only reason the child wants the product is that he or
she is convinced of its ability to satisfy his or her needs and wants. Through use of
graphic and motion pictures, demonstrations can be shown in a television commercial.
Children could have difficulty interpreting abstract concepts and messages but they will
surely not be misled by direct instructions with actions in the television commercials.
Television advertisements encounter difficulties in communicating to children such as
the abstraction problem, memory problem, and consumer satisfaction problem. In order
to overcome these dilemmas, advertisers must be cautious to what children are drawn
to. Being able to identify the things children want to see in television commercials and
what they do not want to see as well, will be of great help in achieving their objective.
Knowing that children at a young age lack intellect maturity, advertisers must learn to
communicate using the former’s vocabulary, frame of mind, and comprehension scarcity.
What adults are likened to are very much different to what kids enjoy watching. Kids
have a different understanding to what adults comprehend and could interpret it in the
wrong or negative way. Associating the product with a fun character or using catchy
jingles, as a means of advertisement will help them remember the specific commercial
shown to them. This will eventually lead to product and brand identification whenever
children are recognizing and wanting to buy the kind of product. Children have an active
and playful imagination, which advertisers must use to make certain their advertisements
are full of motion pictures. This makes them want to imitate, thus remembering the
instructional and entertainment factors produced in the television commercial. Realistic
executions should also be seen to stir the emotions and minds of the children.
Advertising to a highly-specialized demographic of a target market like to children is hard
to accomplish effectively. The key is to make the advertisements as concrete as possible
to channel that communication to children.
Advertising, especially television commercials influence greatly the attitudes and
behaviors which shape our culture through changing times. (Pontifical Council for Social
Communications, 1997) They reach the consumers in the state when they are most
focused to listen and see the products. (All Business Company, n.d.) Television
commercials are very crucial not only to the image and sales of the advertised product,
but mainly to the target market which are the viewers of these advertisements.
Therefore, producing an advertisement is the most important part to make it effective to
the consumers. The most vital factor is to consider the audience, creating the idea and
concept suitable for the target market, and choosing the right air time so as not to target
for the wrong market or influence the wrong audience. Given these facts and
conclusions, advertisers should not oversee this important role of advertising to the
media and people. Instead, they should see this as a big opportunity to give positive
influences by placing right media content in the advertisements. This can be achieved by
putting intellectual, artistic, and moral contented acceptable and comprehensible to the
public viewers. (All Business Company, n.d.) With a target market like the children, it
should be the advertisers’ responsibility to include moral and educational values that are
applicable to their age and lifestyle, and at the same time consider concepts and
entertainment suitable for the satisfaction and positive response of the children to the
advertised product. Whatever is shown in the television advertisements targeting the
children will shape their values and basic knowledge. After all, as said by Pollard (1969),
“No learning takes place in a vacuum.” (p. 110) Although many TV advertisements
convey communication problems to children, they still serve as a learning channel to
their growth development. That is why these advertisers and television commercial
producers should start on studying and evaluating the present problems of these
advertisements for an improved result of children’s responses not only for the betterment
of the advertising and corporate industries, but also for the society. Commencing from
the Pontifical Council for Social Communications (1997), advertising can help develop a
better society through stirring and inspirational concepts and messages that will prompt
them to benefit themselves and the others.
Bibliography:
Books:
Leiss, W., Kline, S. & Jhally, S. (1997). Social communication in advertising: Persons, products
& images of well being. (2nd ed). London: Routledge.
Pollard, M.B. (1979). The growing children in contemporary society. USA: The Bruce
Publishing Company.
Thomas, R.M. (2000). Comparing theories of child development. USA: Wadsworth.
White, H. (1986). How to produce effective TV commercials. Illinois: NTC Business Books.
Wright, J.W. (1979). The Commercial connection. New York: Dell Publishing Co. Inc.
Winick (1964)
Internet:
All Business Company. (n.d.). Television advertising pros and cons. Retrieved December 3,
2009 from the World Wide Web: http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing/advertising-
television-advertising/2592-1.html.
DJ. (2007, May). The effect of television commercials on children. Retrieved December 1, 2009
from the World Wide Web: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/239904/
the_effect_of_television_commercials.html?cat=39.
Kunkel, D., PhD & Wilcox, B., PhD. (2004, February). Television advertising leads to unhealthy
habits in children; says APA task force. Retrieved December 1, 2009 from the World
Wide Web: http://www.apa.org/releases/childrenads.html.
Min, T. (2004, May). TV commercials targeting children. Retrieved December 1, 2009 from the
World Wide Web: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-
05/13/content_330518.htm.
Pontifical Council for Social Communications. (1997, February 2). Ethics in advertising.
Retrieved December 3, 2009 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/pccs/documents/rc_pc_pccs_doc_
22021997_ethics-in-ad_en.html
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