Dr. R. Sathya
Abstract: Advertising has become so integral part of our life & society that we cannot imagine any event, newspaper, magazine, TV serial, Cinema etc. without advertising. Advertising is a vital marketing tool as well as powerful communication medium. The basic objective of any advertisement is to stimulate sales, direct or indirect by trying to make tall claims about product performance. The degree of impact of advertising on adults may be problematic but the outcome is devastating for children. Advertisers of children’s television used to appeal to the parents earlier but now they appeal directly to children, who do not have the emotional or cognitive tools to evaluate what’s being sold to them. Television is no more just a source of entertainment for children. They showcase the must haves for a kid making them a consumer even before they have reached the age of 3.
The objective of the study is to find out the social and moral behavior of children and peer group influence due to advertisement.
Keywords: Advertising, cognitive tools, consumer, communication.
INTRODUCTION:
Kids are consumers in a way and have their own purchasing power, therefore represent an important demographic segment to marketers. Since they influence their parents’ buying behaviour and decision making, they represent the future adult consumers. Research has shown that children hold a certain power as consumers, and their influence on family purchases goes beyond the selection of toys and cereals. Whether a company wants to sell electronic gadgets, insurance policies or even cars they fall back on children. These kids have the ability to nag their parents into purchasing items they may not otherwise buy. Children like watching these advertisements and get easily attracted and compel their parents to buy them. Such a gimmick causes a divide among children because not all parents can afford the demanded product. This can influence the kid’s behaviour as well. A young kid being praised by his teacher for his intelligence inspires the child who has been watching the advertisement related to drink or cereal and it becomes a good habit.
Thus the influence of the media on the psychosocial development of children is profound. Thus, it is important for the parents to know their child’s exposure to media and to provide guidance on age-appropriate use of all media, including television, radio, music, video games and the Internet.
LITERATURE REVIEW:
Rozendaal, Buijzen and Valkenburg analysis yielded a significant effect for age on understanding of advertisers’ tactics. Product demonstration turned out to be most difficult to understand. Children’s understanding of ad repetition, peer popularity appeal and premiums reached an adult level at an earlier age. For celebrity endorsement
the older children displayed a better grasp of advertisers’ intentions than did adults.
Nefat and Dujmović studied that children at the age of 5 may tell the difference between advertising messages and the rest of the programme and that at the age of 8 they start to understand complex advertising intents, but it is only at the age of 13 that they can create a spontaneous critical cognitive response to advertising.
Mal, Tripathy, Bhattacharya and Ghosh (2013) examined that the parents of children if their child helps them while making any shopping decision, in 58% of the cases it was found that the child used to influence the buying decision of the parents particularly buying clothes, food items, toys, FMCG items including cosmetics and fashion accessories. It is found that most of the kids buy a particular product mostly because he/she has seen it on TV or some of his/her friend has it. Daily exposure to too many forms of the mass media has a tremendous impact upon thinking, values, purchases, food intake, attitude, and actions of children.
Hassan and Daniyal (2013) found the students are very much influenced by watching different television programs but particularly music and dramas have much more influence than other contents. Viewers especially adolescents have developed strong affiliation and attachment with different television contents because of this television programs have strong impact on youngsters of different age group. Youngster and adolescents are keen to buy the product which is being advertised.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:
- To examine the television advertising and its impact on social and moral behavior of children.
- To find out the impact of television advertising on the purchase pattern of children through peer group influence.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
- For the purpose of study random sampling method is used. The sample size was limited to 200 parents of child aged between 3-12 years. Descriptive analysis and ANOVA are used to analyze the relationship of television advertising and its impact on children.
- The Study area is confirmed to Coimbatore.
- Primary source of data has been collected. The data collected for the study covers a period of one from 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015.
Data Analysis and Interpretation:
Table 1: Influence of advertisement on children’s socializing activities
| No of respondents | Percent |
Strongly | 30 | 15.0 |
Moderately | 82 | 41.0 |
Sometimes | 68 | 34.0 |
Never | 20 | 10.0 |
Total | 200 | 100.0 |
From the above table 1 it is clear that 41.0 percent of the parents feel that their child’s socializing activities is moderately influenced by the advertisement, 34.0 percent of the parents feel that their child’s socializing activities are sometimes influenced by the advertisement, 15.0 percent of the parents feel that their child’s socializing activities are strongly influenced by the advertisement and 10.0 percent of the parents feel that their child’s socializing activities are never influenced by the advertisement.
Majority of the parents feel that their child’s socializing activities is moderately influenced by the advertisement.
The following table 2 states the opinion of the parents on improvement of moral value learning process in children through TV advertisements.
Table 2: Opinion on improvement of moral value learning process in children through TV advertisements
| No of respondents | Percent |
Strongly disagree | 19 | 9.5 |
Disagree | 67 | 33.5 |
Neutral | 82 | 41.0 |
Agree | 27 | 13.5 |
Strongly Agree | 5 | 2.5 |
Total | 200 | 100.0 |
From the above table 2 it is clear that 41.0 percent of the parents neutrally agree that there is improvement of moral value learning process in children through TV advertisements, 33.5 percent of the parents disagree that there is improvement of moral value learning process in children through TV advertisements, 13.5 percent of the parents agree that there is improvement of moral value learning process in children through TV advertisements, 9.5 percent of the parents strongly agree that there is improvement of moral value learning process in children through TV advertisements and 2.5 percent of the parents strongly agree that there is improvement of moral value learning process in children through TV advertisements.
Majority percent of the parents neutrally agree that there is improvement of moral value learning process in children through TV advertisements.
The following table 3 portrays the different forms of advertisement which creates a greater impact on your child.
Table 3: Form of advertisement which creates a greater impact on your child
Form of advertisement | Yes | No | Total | |
The Text | No | 41 | 159 | 200 |
% | 20.5 | 79.5 | 100.0 | |
Sounded words | No | 53 | 147 | 200 |
% | 26.5 | 73.5 | 100.0 | |
Music with lines/words | No | 71 | 129 | 200 |
% | 35.5 | 64.5 | 100.0 | |
The act of people | No | 33 | 167 | 200 |
% | 16.5 | 83.5 | 100.0 | |
The graphics / pictures | No | 30 | 170 | 200 |
% | 15.0 | 85.0 | 100.0 | |
From the above table 3 it is clear that 20.5 percent of the respondents state that the text displayed in advertisement has greater impact on child, 26.5 percent of the respondents state that the sounded words displayed in advertisement has greater impact on child, 35.5 percent of the respondents state that the music with lines/ words displayed in advertisement has greater impact on child, 16.5 percent of the respondents state that the acts of people displayed in advertisement has greater impact on child and 15.0 percent of the respondents state that the graphics/ pictures displayed in advertisement has greater impact on child.
Majority of the respondent’s state that the text displayed in advertisement has greater impact on child.
The following table states whether the child’s shopping practice is influenced by peer group.
Table 4: Child’s shopping practice influenced by peer group
| No of respondents | Percent |
Yes | 120 | 60.0 |
No | 80 | 40.0 |
Total | 200 | 100.0 |
From the above table it is clear that 60.0 percent of the respondents have stated that the child’s shopping experience is influenced by peer group and 40.0 percent of the respondents have stated that the child’s shopping experience is not influenced by peer group.
Majority of the respondents have stated that the child’s shopping experience is influenced by peer group.
Age And Influence of Advertisement on Child’s Socializing Activities:
Table 5: Descriptive Statistics- Age and Influence of Advertisement on Child’s Socializing Activities
Children’s Age | Mean | N | Std. Deviation |
3 – 5 1/2 Years | 2.64 | 39 | .811 |
5 1/5 – 7 Years | 2.27 | 70 | .916 |
7 – 9 1/5 Years | 2.33 | 46 | .798 |
9 1/5 – 12 Years | 2.40 | 45 | .863 |
Total | 2.39 | 200 | .862 |
From the above table it is clear that the mean values range from 2.27 to 2.64. Lowest mean value of 2.27 is found in the children who belong to the age group of 5 1/2 to 7 Years. Hence it is understood that they have high influence of advertisement in socializing activities when compared with others.
ANOVA test has been applied to find out if there is any significant difference in the influence of advertisement on child’s socializing activities among the age groups of the children.
Ho: “There is no significant difference in the influence of advertisement on child’s socializing activities among the age groups of the children.”
Table 6: ANOVA- Age and Influence of Advertisement on Child’s Socializing Activities
| Sum of Squares | Df | Mean Square | F | Sig. |
Between Groups | 3.589 | 3 | 1.196 | 1.624 | .185 |
Within Groups | 143.617 | 196 | .736 |
|
|
Total | 147.206 | 199 |
|
|
|
The ANOVA result table shows that at 5% level of significance, the significant value is 0.185. As the significant value is more than 0.05, the null hypothesis is accepted and the result shows that there is no significant difference in the influence of advertisement on child’s socializing activities among the age groups of the children.
Age and Influence of TV Advertisements on Children:
Table 9 and 10 indicates the influence of TV advertisements based on the age groups of the children, its mean value and ANOVA results.
Table 9: Descriptive Statistics- Age and Influence of TV advertisements on children
Age | N | Mean | Std. Deviation |
3 – 5 1/2 Years | 39 | 2.41 | .910 |
5 1/5 – 7 Years | 70 | 1.99 | .970 |
7 – 9 1/5 Years | 46 | 2.20 | .991 |
9 1/5 – 12 Years | 45 | 2.96 | 1.224 |
3 – 5 1/2 Years | 39 | 2.41 | .910 |
5 1/5 – 7 Years | 70 | 1.99 | .970 |
7 – 9 1/5 Years | 46 | 2.20 | .991 |
9 1/5 – 12 Years | 45 | 2.96 | 1.224 |
Total | 200 | 2.34 | 1.083 |
From the above table it is clear that the mean values range from 1.99 to 2.96. Lowest mean value of 1.99 is found in the children who belong to the age group of 5 1/2 to 7 Years. Hence it is understood that they have high influence of TV advertisements when compared with others.
ANOVA test has been applied to find out if there is any significant difference in the influence of TV advertisements among the age groups of the children
Ho: “There is no significant difference in the influence of TV advertisements among the age groups of the children”
Table 10: ANOVA- Age and Influence of TV advertisements on children
Sum of Squares | Df | Mean Square | F | Sig. | |
Between Groups |
26.909 |
3 |
8.970 |
8.510 |
.000 |
Within Groups | 205.533 | 196 | 1.054 | ||
Total | 232.442 | 199 |
The ANOVA result table shows that at 5% level of significance, the significant value is 0.000. As the significant value is less than 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected and the result shows that there is significant difference in the influence of TV advertisements among the age groups of the children.
SUGGESTIONS:
- Parents may be educated and they educate their children about advantages of eating healthy and disadvantages of unhealthy food.
- Government may insist on companies to print statutory warnings on junk food & carbonated drinks like tobacco products.
- Government may develop advertisement laws.
- Government may also take care while formation of rules and regulations in advertisements taking.
- ADs should be scrutinized with regards to the claims they are making and the food ingredients should meet some standards laid down by recognized organization like WHO.
- TVs should be poses a limit on advertising time.
CONCLUSION:
Advertising makes the kids aware of the new products available in the market. It increases their knowledge about the latest innovations, in the field of technology as well as otherwise. Convincing ads which centre around healthy food products can help improve the diet of a child, if they are attractive enough. On other side advertisements encourage the children to persuade their parents to purchase the products shown in the commercials, whether useful or not. The little ones tend to get adamant, if the products are not bought. Children often tend to misinterpret the messages conveyed in commercials. They overlook the positive side and concentrate more on the negatives. Many advertisements in the present times include dangerous stunts, which can be performed only by experts. Even though the commercials broadcast the statutory warnings with the ad, the kids often try to imitate the stunts at home, with fatal results.
REFERENCES:
- Vilanilam, J. (1989).Television advertising and the Indian poor. Media, Culture and Society. London. 11, 4, pp. 485-497.
- Rozendaal, E., Buijzen, M. and Valkenburg, P., “Children’s understanding of advertisers’ persuasive tactics”, Amsterdam School of Communications Research, ASC International Journal of Advertising, 30(2), pp.329-350.
- Pieters, Rik G.M. and Tarn. H.A. Bijmolt Consumer Memory for Television Advertising: A Field Study of Duration, Serial Position, and Competition Effects,” of Consumer Research, 23 (March), pp. 362-372.
- Reid, Leonard N. “The Impact of Family Group Interaction on Children’s Understanding of Television Advertising”, Journal of Advertising, 8 (summer), pp. 13-19.
- Nefat, A. and Dujmović, M., “Children’s advertising on television and their consumer socialisation: parents’ attitudes”, Ekonomska istraživanja, 25(1).
- Mal, S., Tripathy, S., Bhattacharya, P., Ghosh, B. (2013), “A Critical Analysis of the Prevalence of Effects of Advertisement on Children of Midnapur Town, West Bengal”, Journal of Business Management & Social Sciences Research (JBM&SSR), 2(7).
- Hassan, A. and Daniyal, M. (2013), “Impact of television programs and advertisements on school going adolescents: a case study of Bahawalpur city, Pakistan”, Bulgarian Journal of Science and Education Policy (BJSEP), 7(1), pp. 26-37.
