Kid Kustomer Eric Schlosser Analysis

Schlosser refers to the Joe Camel ad campaign, which used a “hip cartoon character to sell cigarettes.” A 1991 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that nearly all of America’s six-year-olds could identify Joe Camel, who was just as familiar to them as Mickey Mouse. Interestingly enough, another study found that one-third of cigarettes illegally sold to minors was in fact Camels. Not only do advertisers need a way to get kids to want their product, they also need children to be able to persuade their parents into buying them that product. The concept of children persuading other people to buy them what they want is known as the “surrogate salesmen.” James U. McNeal’s, professor of marketing at Texas A&M University, classified kids nagging tactics into seven major categories; pleading, persistent, forceful, demonstrative, sugar-coated, threatening, and pity based appeals. Kids learn what appeal or style works best on their parents and stick to that ploy whenever they want something.

In today’s media obsessed society, youth is greatly influenced by advertising. For example, Marketing to kids gets more savvy with technologies is how they ,“Online games like Webkinz show ads on the site draw youth to buy the product or just to look at it for ‘money’”. Because this tactic works, the ads are an excellent at make youth to talk about this and be annoyed. In Facts about Marketing to Children, it says, “Children pack 8.5 hours of media a day’, is what the Facts about Marketing to Children says.” Because children are on the media so much it is easy for marketers to advertise and get children to buy the product. “ Anne Lappe says that when her daughter grows up, and goes to a movie, the character might have a soda or fast food.”

Some companies even target little children just because they know that they are innocent and that they are most likely going to go to their parents to buy them the product that they want. In some occasions the parents are going to buy the product because they want the best for their children; which might not be the right thing in these type of situations. Most parents do not know that the companies are targeting their children and they give no importance to what they are doing. The only thing that the parents are thinking are that they are choosing the best for their children by satisfying them. Most children in this century already know what each brand is or what is trending before even learning how to add or subtract. In this type of situation I strongly agree on what Barber said that “... parents can refuse to relinquish their gatekeeping roles and let marketers know they won't allow their kids to be targeted anymore.” Moreover it explains that parents should not let their children believe what social media or producers say that they need. It is their job to teach children to know what they need on their own and not what producers tell them they

Teenagers have a “... need for independence, rebellion, and personal control,” (Source F). Marketers can use this in many ways. They can use it to their economical advantage by manipulating teenagers into buying their goods. But, PSA’s can really show teenagers the facts and promote good morals. Recent studies look into how advertisements affect adolescents, “... these studies show that social marketing has successfully changed health behavior such as smoking, physical activity, and condom use, as well as behavioral mediators such as knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to these behaviors,” (Source F). While it's true that it's easy for teenagers to be manipulated by commercials, a lot of other commercials can be a strong influence in building better lives for them. If people could focus on the pros rather then the cons, then they could see the big picture of marketing to

Whose fault is it? Every day children are sucked into marketing ads and techniques created by multi-million dollar companies. Is it right for companies to target children who cannot think for themselves? Or should parents and guardians be at fault for their child’s engagement with certain foods or product. Multi-million dollar companies have the power to change the world with their advertising of certain products, however, responsible parents also have the power to change their child’s life.

In the essay “Kid Kustomers” by Eric Schlosser, the author addresses how companies use advertising as a way to lure children into buying their products. The author eventually convinces the reader that children then influence their parents into buying the product as well. Schlosser incorporates statistics about how much McDonald's sold their happy meals to children between the age of three and nine. This is simply because children watch more tv and go on the internet more; therefore, they are more likely to see more advertising, and eventually pursue their parents to buy them the product. In an informative tone, the author is speaking to parents with young

As people continue to live with advertisements, they may alter who we are in some aspects of life. In Eric Schlosser's acclaimed book, Fast Food Nation, the "Kid Kustomers" chapter puts the spotlight on children's advertising, how it affects them, and what Madison Avenue does to achieve in such a field. Schlosser notes that advertisers persuade children by convincing them into various nagging tactics [to be continued]. [Elaborate on Schlosser's excerpt in no more than 2-3 sentences; reflect back to my early years of computer use, notably when my parents scolded me for going into a questionable site]. Keep in mind that kids are not the only ones to be easily persuaded by advertisements. The most vital weaponry advertisers use to snatch kids and adults likewise are — simply put — words. American linguist William Lutz presents "weasel words" in his article, "With These Words, I Can Sell You Anything," and how advertisements use these manipulative words to cheapen the lives of consumers. Words like "help," "virtually," "new," and much more to list, easily convince people to believe that some products will do as advertised. For the most part, the ads for those products are dishonest as their words mean nothing in truth. The trick with "weasel words" is they lead consumers into a fantasy, and typically they will not be able to make this distinction. Companies can be hit by lawsuits depending on the context of their ads, however they will continue to trick consumers into believing the life-changing, but hollow potential of their products in any case. On the whole, advertisements shape us as individuals in some circumstances as we regularly take them for

their ads. With technology, it is much easier for advertisers to target children. Kids from the ages

Many people believe that everything is black and white, especially when it comes to advertisements. What many don’t understand is that everything has an underlining meaning. Every advertisement has been thought out thoroughly to catch the attention of the consumers it is aiming towards. Advertisements aiming towards children has definitely been a topic that many people can’t seem to wrap their mind around. It’s been a topic that many have exposed because of the way marketers are willing to manipulate children in ways that only benefit their own. This whole issue began after the progression of marketing to children during the late 70s and early 80s with the advertisers’ intentions of making children lifelong consumers of products.

Since the dawn of radio, large corporations have exploited this vulnerability by spending large amounts of money on advertisements aimed at convincing youths and teenagers that they need their products in order to be happy. When successful, these corporations unrealistic expectations of the value of consumer products, as they convince children they will find happiness through obtaining the latest Power Ranger action figure or eating a Big Mac. The graph (Source A) demonstrates how media is targeted at various types of audiences segmented by age, like kids, teens, and adults. It is particularly telling that commercial advertisements about foods are particularly geared towards children. This may be because children are the most impressionable in this area, or this may be because children at that age develop lifelong eating habits. One would expect children to have too little purchasing power to make their own food choices, Benady suggests a possible rationale for this targeting: children have a substantial “pester power” to pressure their

With the use of behavioral psychology corporations are able to manipulate children by using market techniques aimed at attracting young children’s attention. Veldboom highlights the fact that even adults fall prey to such marketing tactics which promote impulsive spending. Young children who are not yet mentally developed have no defense against these motives. The paper goes on to site Psychiatrist Susan Linn who describes the marketing tactics as “precisely targeted, refined by scientific method, and honed by child psychologists...”. It is made clear by Veldboom that children are not only falling prey to tactics used on adults but that they are being exploited directly because of their inability to reason properly. According to Juliet Schor, an expert on consumerism and economics, children aged four to twelve account for nearly $670 Billion dollars of revenue. With such a large bulk of revenue in one area corporations based on the ideals of consumerism are motivated to attack these children in order to sell their

Statistics show that today companies spend nearly $17 billion annually marketing to kids. This paper will explore the effect that advertisements have on the growing mind of a child. It paper will support the view of the video “Consuming Kids” in the context that yes in fact advertising to children is a social problem and that adults should understand the seriousness of this matter; and they should also take steps to help the change the environment that their children are part of in-order to build a healthier future for them. The first section of the paper will take glimpses into early, tween and teen ages of a child and examine the social effects of technology and advertisement. The second section of the paper will discuss the

Although Lewis’ study showed this message strategy to be most compelling especially in advertising, it bears the weight of finding a corporate conscience as in the case of Kraft Foods and their issue of targeting children in their ads (O’Rourke, 2013). Kraft Foods ads were effective in convincing children to want sugary items on a daily basis but failed to inform the young consumers of the health concerns with the product especially related to daily

Marketing is a more powerful force in the lives of children growing up today than ever before. Today, in society, companies market products to children, especially through television commercials shown with children’s programming. These commercials are designed to appeal to children, and these advertisements prompt products like toys and snacks. Others may say that companies should be approved to market to children; however, companies should not be allowed to market to children. Firstly, children are susceptible to being exploited and harmed. Secondly, marketing teaches children the improper way to learn. Lastly, marketing affects children’s relationships. Therefore, companies should not be permitted to market to children.

Barber states that “kids and teen are now the epicenter of American consumer culture.” It is even being said that Marketers are targeting kids as young as 4 years old. It was stated that advertisements are marketed the most toward the youth. It is even see that marketers are even targeting other countries making them into global consumers, trying to figure out ways in which they can turn them in consumers, while trying to accommodate to the cultural differences of those countries, and marketers are successful in these strategies because kids generally all want the same things. They make all these kids feel confident and empowered as they have their parents buying them these things, or even buying these things themselves to turn them into consumers as they reach that market age. And that’s another thing, there’s a pattern of the marketer making the kids feel as of the need to grow up, and make the adults feel dumb down, and more child