This document discusses advertising directed at children in the United States. It notes that billions are spent annually marketing to American youth, especially foods high in sugar, fast food, candy, soda, and toys. While children influence household purchases, they are also easily impressionable. The US government regulates children's advertising through the FCC and FTC to address issues like childhood obesity. The document then provides an overview of advertising techniques commonly used on children internationally and regulations in different world regions.

1. Ithaca College
A Global Perspective of Advertising Towards Children
& The Ethical Issues Surrounding It
Austin Gomar, Chris Falcone, Eric Kraft, Jillian Weidner
MKTG 38000
Dr. Fahri Unsal
December 7, 2016
INTRODUCTION

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We live in a society in which advertising is virtually inescapable. For this reason, most
people would agree that it is important to have a sense of media literacy as to not be easily
seduced by the promotions being thrown at us on a regular basis. An argument may lie however,
in just what age it is acceptable to begin marketing products and services towards children. It is
important to take into consideration that children, though they influence household buying, are
not consumers themselves. In addition, they have difficulty deciphering entertainment from
advertising, and do not yet have the cognitive ability to be savvy consumers and accurately
analyze media. So, is advertising towards children helping to build smart consumers, or are
marketers taking advantage of young, inexperienced minds?
Well, the answer is not exactly cut and dry. Nonetheless, advertising towards children
only seems to be on the rise, as a 2016 report by the American Psychological Association
estimated that over $12 billion is spent annually to reach the youth market, which is a dramatic
increase since the 1970’s (Wilcox 2004). This ad spend has been linked with issues like obesity,
and with children consuming more media than ever before on account of the rapid growth of the
internet, it does not appear that the idea of advertising towards children will be going away
anytime soon.
Of course, the subject is controversial, and the rules and feelings surrounding it vary
across the globe on account of different cultural standards. Because this is a global issue, four
different regions of the world, and their respective views on advertising towards children, will be
discussed. To better understand advertising towards children from an international marketing
lens, this paper will specifically look at the United States, Europe, Asia and South America and
how their cultural norms and communications –related laws and legislations effect
advertisements for children.

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However, before each country is brought into focus, it is best to further discuss some of
the most popular techniques used to market to children. Many advertisers use animated
characters as brand ambassadors to be more appealing to children. This makes it more difficult
for children to distinguish between the cartoon programs they watch for entertainment and
advertisements. Celebrity endorsements are also often used for food advertisements. As a study
in the Journal of Pediatrics reports, the use of celebrity endorsement in advertising ranks as one
of the “techniques to which children and adolescents are more susceptible” (Boyland 2013).
Repetition is also an important tool for advertisers to resonate their message with
children, as it is believed repetition increases familiarity with a product, increasing the likelihood
of purchase. Therefore, many advertisements created for children have catchy, repetitive jingles
(Calvert 2008). This same logic behind repetition explains why integrated marketing campaigns
are popular among advertisers. If a child sees an advertisement or their favorite branded
character across multiple media platforms, such as on television and the internet, they will gain
more familiarity with them.
To continue, another way to integrate branding with children’s entertainment is through
“advergames.” These are video or computer games which feature branded products throughout,
or are sponsored by brands completely, like for example the 1993 McDonald’s Treasure Land
Adventure game (Amirkhani 2013). Another major technique that is popular for advertising to
children is product placement within films or television series. Branded products can easily work
themselves into a story line, and product placements have the potential to be even more effective
than traditional advertisements. Product placements cannot be skipped over like advertisements
can, and when viewers are emotionally swept up in a story, it can be easier to demonstrate a
product’s value (Nathanson 2013).

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So, it is helpful to keep all of these tactics in mind when exploring the effects of
advertising towards children across the globe. It is also helpful for readers to think back to when
they were children, and some of the jingles they heard, their favorite commercials, and the
brands they felt loyal to. Every area of the world, and even every nation, has their own unique
stance on the subject of advertising towards children, be it for ethical, cultural, or economic
reasons. This paper will start off exploring the subject in the area we are most familiar with, the
United States.
UNITED STATES
In the United States, marketing to children is a daily practice for a plethora of large
corporations. Children are commonly targeted due to their avid use of technology and daily
media consumption. Additionally, the overall spending power of children in the U.S. has
continued to increase. Not only do U.S. children have heavy pockets when it comes to how they
spend their own money, but they also have a large impact on their parent’s purchasing decisions.
Thus, it is no question why many companies and ad agencies are continuing to target this
country’s youth. In fact, billions of dollars are spent annually on advertisements to impact the
way in which children in the U.S. spend their money. Today in America, product exposure to
children is greater than ever, and many ethical issues have arisen as a result of companies’
decisions to target children directly. As child-purchasing patterns are influenced by
advertisements, the major issues that arise are a direct result of the fact that the majority of these
products are deceitful, unhealthy, and promote child obesity. It is up to government organizations
such as the Federal Communications Commision and the Federal Trade Commission to limit the
exposure that these ads have on children and ultimately protect them.

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In the 1920s, television began to dominate in American households. U.S. advertisers
quickly realized its potential, and succeeded in using it as a hub for the mass communication of
products to both adults and children. As consumers in the U.S., we are exposed to branded
content at a very young age. In 2004, children saw, on average, “25,629 television
advertisements across all programming,” which adds up to “10,717 minutes of television
advertising annually” (Desrochers 2007). Marketers use things like repetition, animations,
branded characters, and celebrity endorsements on television to target children in the U.S.
directly, and persuade them to spend money. However, children in the U.S. view approximately
40,000 advertisements each year (Calvert 2008), and only a fraction of these advertisements
reach children via television commercials. The remainder of advertisements that children are
exposed to come from other integrated marketing strategies. With constant developments in
technology and increasing use of the Internet, U.S. brands and marketing agencies have done a
good job to maximize exposure by marketing products across multiple media platforms.
In the United States, the most common products whose advertisements target children
include sugary cereals, fast foods, candies, carbonated beverages, and toys. These product
categories have remained fairly consistent over time. With these categories making up the
majority of ad spending, annual marketing expenditures targeting children in the U.S. “were
estimated at some $15 billion” in 2004 (Calvert 2008). In 2009, the Federal Trade Commission
conducted a study to further identify U.S. spending patterns of marketing toward children. The
study included 48 companies who reported spending a combined $1.79 billion on youth
marketing. Of those expenditures, $1 billion worth of marketing strategies were directed at
children ages two to eleven. Furthermore, “[fast foods], carbonated beverages, and breakfast
cereals accounted for $1.29 billion of all youth-directed expenditures, 72% of the total” (Federal

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Trade Commission 2012). Interestingly enough, more than half of those expenditures belong to
the reporting fast food companies who spent a surprising $714 million on marketing to children.
Why spend so much money to target children in advertisements? As mentioned, children
and teens are affluent users of all types of media. Children in particular are easy to deceive and
have very impressionable minds. Thus, they absorb content like a sponge whether they realize it
or not. These reasons for targeting children is common among nations across the globe including
Europe, Asia, and South America. However, spending patterns of children in the U.S. differ from
children across the globe. In fact, U.S. four- to twelve-year-olds spent a combined $30 billion in
2002, and twelve- to seventeen-year-olds spent $112.5 billion the next year (Calvert 2008). One
study showed that U.S. parents supply 87 percent of young children’s income (Calvert 2008). It
is no secret that children and teens in the U.S. are substantial consumers and buyers of goods.
However, the money they spend is only a fraction of a child’s total purchasing power.
Furthermore, youths are increasingly shaping the buying patterns of their families.
In the United States, there are two main regulators of advertisements aimed at children:
the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The
Federal Communications Commission helps to prevent ethical issues in advertisements targeting
children by regulating the media in which children are exposed to. “In the early 1970s, the FCC
initiated aggressive rulemaking to regulate children’s television programming and advertising”
(Cain Reid 2014). They first proposed to ban all sponsorship and commercials on children’s
programming, though after three years, they made the decision to back off the proposal
significantly. The proposed ban was never adopted, and the FCC instead focused on promoting
brand self-regulation.

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The final FFC order of 1974 addressed children’s inability to distinguish programming
from commercials. The order proposed that transitions between an advertisement and the
program content must be distinct. Hence the use of phrases like “After these messages, we’ll be
right back,” and “Stay tuned for more, after these short messages.” Additionally, products being
sold could not be integrated into program content. As such, host selling was not allowed. In other
words, the main character on a television program could not sell products during that program or
during blocks of commercial adjacent to it. Unfortunately, this only prohibited characters from
selling products on, or during, their own shows. However, there was nothing stopping these
actors from promoting and selling products on other programs at other times. In addition to the
prohibition of host selling, “tombstone shots” were required. These shots aided in the distinction
between programming and advertising by “[showing] the unadorned product in a still frame
without all the extra toys that can be purchased with it” (Calvert 2008).
Unfortunately, the 1974 FFC order for mandatory commercial separation was followed
by a major lack of enforcement. Additionally, the rules only applied to children’s programming
and neglected to take into account programs produced for general audiences. In total, “children
are exposed to 8673 advertisements on children’s programs, which is [only] 33.8% of the total
from all programs” (Desrochers 2007). This means that a majority of the exposure is coming
from programming designed for mixed audiences. For example, American Idol is a family show
that is widely view by children throughout the United States. What’s worse is the shows regular
product placement of Coca-Cola and other brands promoting malnutrition.
Today, the FCC continues to regulate children’s television programming and advertising,
under the authority granted in the Federal Communications Act and the Children’s Television
Act of 1990 (CTA). The Children’s Television Act limits advertisements on children’s television

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to 10.5 minutes per hour on weekends, and 12 minutes per hour on weekdays. However, these
limitations are frequently violated. In fact, “one in four of the 900 U.S. commercial television
stations showed more commercial material than allowed by the CTA from 1992 through 1994”
(Calvert 2008). Due to the lack of enforcement, and frequent violation of many of the rules set
into place by the FCC, regulators were in need of a new way to control the exposure of children.
For this reason, Congress passed the Child Safe Viewing Act (CSVA) in 2007. The CSVA
authorized the FCC to investigate marketplace technologies that would empower parents to
control all media children view, from television to the Internet (Cain Reid 2014).
While the FCC is charged with regulating the media, the FTC or Federal Trade
Commission regulates advertising. In 1938, Congress granted the FTC the power to “regulate
‘unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce’ and to prohibit ‘any false
advertisement’ for food products that is ‘misleading in a material respect’” (Mello 2010). Later,
in 1978, the FTC concluded that television advertising to children was unfair and deceptive
because “they did not have the cognitive capacity to understand the selling intent of ads and that
advertising directed to young children should be banned” (Scammon 2014). Similar to the efforts
of the FCC in the 1970s, the FTC proposed a ban on all advertising directed at children younger
than six, and all sugary food advertising directed at children younger than twelve. To their
dismay, the FTC encountered major public outcry in response to its proposal. In response to this,
Congress temporarily suspended all funding for the FTC, “restoring it only after passing
legislation in 1980 that narrowed the commission’s authority to regulate children’s television
advertising” (Mello 2010). The FTC had lost their authority to declare any children’s advertising
rule on the basis of unfairness. However, the organization continued to have rulemaking
authority to declare children’s advertising to be deceptive.

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Congress took additional steps to prevent deceptive practices occurring on the Internet. In
1998, Congress passed the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which placed
rules on online marketing techniques to protect the privacy of children under the age of thirteen.
The law went into effect in 2000, and authorized the FTC to create and enforce rules for data
collection practices at children’s websites. Additionally, COPPA authorized the FTC to disclose
privacy policies about data collection techniques as well as about how that information was to be
used (Calvert 2008).
In 2005 the FTC rejected the notion that undisclosed product placement was deceptive.
They went even further to address the issue from the perspective of an ‘ordinary child’, saying
“‘if no objective claims are made for the product, ...consumer injury from an undisclosed paid
product placement seems unlikely’” (Cain Reid 2014). Ultimately, all practices marketing
products to children have some protection due to “freedom of speech” guaranteed in the First
Amendment of the Constitution. Although advertisers do not enjoy the same freedom as
everyday citizens to speak as they wish, they have considerable leeway to present their choice of
content.
McDonald’s advertisements reach children between the ages of two to eleven more than
twice the amount of its competitors in the United States. They are a perfect example of a fast
food chain that has strategically targeted children in their advertising campaigns. In some states,
McDonald’s hosts an event called McTeacher’s Night (aka McStaff Night). During this event,
school staff work at a local McDonald’s, and a portion of the sales are given back to the school.
These events typically draw a large crowd. Although it seems McDonald’s is hosting these
events for the betterment of a particular community, they reap far more benefits from the night.
In one case in Cardington, Ohio, the school had earned $191 by the end of the night. That seems

10. 9
like a decent take-away, until it’s compared to the $1273 the McDonald's earned from the event.
Not only did McDonald’s profit from this event, but, by forcing children and their families to
think positively about the brand and using teachers to influence their students, they were able to
effectively market and advertise their fast food to children without them realizing that they are
being targeted.
In conclusion, marketing to children is a common practice in the United States, and one
that we will continue to see as time goes on. Children in the U.S. are daily consumers of media.
They view tens of thousands of commercials per year, and with the rise of technology and new
media platforms developing on a regular bases, marketers now have more outlets through which
to target children. Thus, exposure to products like sugary cereals, fast foods, and carbonated
beverages is greater than ever for children in the United States. Companies in the U.S. target
children in advertisements every day due to their disposable income, their influence over their
parent’s purchases, and their overall purchasing power. The majority of children lack the ability
to understand the persuasive intent of commercials, and are unable distinguish between
programming and commercial content. For this reason, government affiliations such as the FCC
and FTC have implemented many laws in attempt to regulate the content that children in the U.S.
are exposed to. However, the lack of enforcement of these rules, along with the freedom of
speech granted by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, has led to the promotion of
brand self regulation and increased parental guidance. While many of the ideals behind
marketing to children in the United States overlap with those in other parts of the world such as
Europe, Asia, and South America, it is important to note that the practices and regulations in the
U.S. are unique to its socioeconomic culture. Advertising to children throughout the continent of
Europe, and the respective issue surrounding it, will now be discussed.

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EUROPE
As early on as 1874, European countries set legislation in place which limited merchants
from tempting children to buy their products (Wilcox 2004). Perhaps this may be seen as
Europe’s original restriction on advertisements directed at children. In general, Europe tends to
be fairly relaxed when it comes to restrictions on television content. Perhaps one of the most
major differences between broadcasting in Europe and the United States is the influence of
public broadcasting. While public broadcasting only captures about 2% of audiences in the
United States, about 30% – 40% of audiences in most of Western Europe tune into public
television (Hallin 2005).
Taking this government-backed media landscape into consideration, as well as the tight-
knit geography of Europe’s many countries, it is logical that the continuing theme in the
regulation of advertising towards children in Europe is self-regulation versus mass organizational
regulation. Things that influence the continuous controversial topic of advertising towards
children include the varying cultures across Europe, how they affect parenting and the media,
and the pre-existing legislations that surround this topic.
It is best to have a solid understanding of the norms surrounding the media in Europe
before delving into how it is regulated. While television has the highest share of global ad spend,
in May of 2016, it was officially reported that in Europe, online advertising dominated the
market with a 13.1% share (Fennah 2016). It is not until 2017 that online advertising is expected
to outweigh television advertising in the United States. (MediaPost 2016).
The BBC reports that the amount of time children spend online now outweighs the time
they spend watching television. When children do watch television, 38% of them do most of it
on demand via commercial-free services like Netflix. Another important aspect to consider is

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that over 67% of children 5 – 16 now own their own personal tablets. This further proves that
advertisers must work to adapt to the changing media landscape (Coughlan 2016). The typical
television commercials they have used to target children for the last 50 years or so are no longer
very effective, seeing as the target audience is simply no longer there.
Marketing in Europe is also generally seen as a bit less “in your face” than it is in the
United States. For example, a blog writer by the name of Maciamo writes that it would be much
less common in Europe to see marketing gimmicks that are common in America like mascots
standing outside stores promoting deals, or outdoor advertisements like billboards (Maciamo
2015). Another thing to keep in mind is that products that are typically promoted towards
children are things like toys and sugary cereals. Most of the sugary cereal brands in Europe are
owned by US-based companies, like Nestle, so it is understandable that many European brands
have not developed a distinctive voice when it comes to advertising towards children, but instead
rely heavily on the more obnoxious American style.
As the impact of media legislation in Europe is discussed, it is imperative to keep the
geographical layout of Europe in mind. Because of how small many of the countries are, some
do not find it worth the time and effort to set up their own national broadcasting systems. Due to
the close proximity of the countries, many stream in channels from neighboring countries via
satellite. This somewhat pan-European system is why organizations that encompass all of
Europe, like the European Union, have taken up this issue, rather than simply leaving it up for
each country to decide (Kang 2001).
In 1989, the European Union implemented a set of laws to regulate all television in
Europe called “Television Without Frontiers.” The laws have been amended over time but are
still in place today. Article 16 of the Television Without Frontiers Act specifically targets

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television advertising directed towards children. The act basically states that advertisers have to
be ethical when marketing towards children, and cannot exploit trust that children place in
parents or teacher, directly urge them to buy a product or service, prey on their inexperience,
show minors in dangerous situations, or urge minors to nag their parents for a product or service
(Kang 2001). The act works to prevent commercials from interrupting the ultimate goal of
television, which is to entertain and inform viewers.
However, many of the attempts taken to limit advertising directed at children in certain
countries are actually quite political and backed in economic reasoning. For example, Greece has
banned the advertisement of toy weapons since 1987. More recently, they even banned all toy
commercials from being aired between the hours of 7pm and 10pm (Kang 2001). While at first
glance this is an initiative to protect children viewers during primetime, Greece has a little more
stake in it than that. In an effort of protectionism, Greece was attempting to limit the demand for
toys, as the vast majority of toy manufacturers are not Greek. This effort was serious enough that
Greece was accused of violating the Treaty of Rome, which calls for the free movement of goods
and services across the borders of countries within the EU. Though no punishment came of the
accusation, this scenario goes to show what a political statement advertising bans can be.
Taking a look at other European nations, some handle self-regulation incredibly well. For
example, the United Kingdom legislates its advertising industry with an independent regulator,
the Advertising Standards Authority, which works alongside quasi-government agencies to
provide a series of checks on the advertising industry. Guidelines on advertising to children are
also set by Britain’s Independent Television Commission, red flags in commercials are checked
for by the Broadcast Advertising Clearance Center, and as a final step, independent television
broadcast companies check ads before airing them. Britain’s layered regulation system is perhaps

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one of the best in the world when it comes to restricting children’s advertising through self-
regulation (Kang 2001).
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Scandinavian countries like Norway and Sweden
have strayed from self-regulation and have instead appointed a consumer ombudsman as a
governmental official to receive and resolve or litigate complaints relating to their consumer
industry. The countries actually both implement a complete ban on advertising to children aged
12 and under. Both countries also ban all commercials during, and immediately before and after,
all children’s television programs. Interestingly enough, most of the advertising agencies in these
countries are in agreement with the bans, as in these very liberal nations, advertising towards
children was always seen as unethical, so there was never a large market for it (Kang 2001).
In 2001, Sweden led an effort to encourage the European Union to pass a Pan-European
ban following in their footsteps, and ban all advertising aimed at children aged 12 and under in
all EU member states. Countries on board with Sweden in the effort included Denmark, Greece,
Belgium, Norway, and Italy (Kang 2001). For context as to why Sweden is so passionate about
this cause, it is important to look at the De Agostini court ruling. In this case, Swedish
advertisers who were targeting children had been blocked on Swedish channels. So, they went
through channels in the United Kingdom (where rules regarding advertising to children are much
more lax) that were also aired in Sweden to advertise their products to Swedish children. The
Swedish Consumer Ombudsman sought to find out if these advertisements were to be controlled
under Swedish or English law. The European Court of Justices found that because the broadcasts
were coming out of Britain, they were subject to Britain’s advertising laws. This loophole
encouraged Sweden to push for the Pan-European ban (Kang 2001). As is obvious, the Pan-

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European ban did not pass, and though some countries have cracked down on legislation a bit
more regarding advertising towards children, there is not a complete ban on it across Europe.
Continuing on, perhaps one of the gravest issues Europe is dealing with that relates to
advertising towards children is an increasing childhood obesity rate. While it is difficult to prove
a direct correlation between food advertisements and an increase in the obesity rate, it has been
shown that commercials can influence what children think about food, and their feelings towards
it (Terlutter 2008). It seems to be a trend that food with poor nutritional value is marketed most
towards children. In fact, a 2010 study found that across the globe, children’s programs had the
highest proportion of commercials for non-core foods (junk foods). Specifically, 80% of food
advertisements shown during children’s programs were for junk food (Kelly 2010).
Unhappy with the rising numbers of childhood obesity in their populations, European
countries including Germany, England, and Ireland are now taking initiatives to fight back
against junk food marketing geared towards kids. In 2005, the EU launched a “platform for
action” to fight obesity, gathering advertising industry representatives to voluntarily join in the
fight against obesity by marketing things like physical activity, nutrition values, and portion
sizes. In 2007, Germany launched its own national campaign with similar goals that is set to
continue through 2020, called “FITT STATT FETT”, meaning “fit instead of fat” (Terlutter
2008). Countries like Ireland and the UK have recently taken more direct and intense measures
against junk food advertising directed at children. In 2005, Ireland banned all fast food and
candy commercials, and mandated that wrappers must contain warnings like, “ "Fast food should
be eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet," or, "Snacking on sugary food and drinks can
damage teeth” (Rosenthal 2005).

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If one European country is at the center of the childhood obesity fight, it is England. As
of 2005, about 20% of ten year olds, and 10% of six year olds were fighting obesity. In the five
years from 1996 to 2001 alone, obesity rates in England increased 7%. These rates increase
steadily alongside the growing amount the ten biggest food advertisers in England spent on ads
from 1995 – 2005. In those ten years, the companies increased their collective yearly budgets by
50 million pounds. England even reflects back on the fact that Burger King was the main sponsor
of the children’s program, “Teletubbies”, and how sponsors like that for children’s programming
will be unacceptable in the future (Rosenthal, 2005).
In conclusion, it is clear that as of the early 2000s, European nations have amped up their
game when it comes to controlling advertisers who target children. Though the ideologies and
intensity of laws vary between countries, with the existence of the European Union and
broadcast channels spanning multiple nations, controlling this issue is something that spans the
continent. Because the government has employed so much of the media to join in the fight
against heightening obesity rates, and has realized the error of the media’s previous ways (in
advertising junk food), it only makes sense that regulations on advertising towards children will
continue to increase in Europe. However, it is important to note that this task will only become
more difficult as digital media usage rises, and eventually cancels out television, in Europe.
Now, advertising standards regarding children across Asia will be discussed.
ASIA
As a world region, Asia is the world’s largest and most diverse continent. Asia contains
around 30% of the world's land area and 60% of the world's population (Asia Geography for kids
n.d). Asia is home to two of the three largest economies in the world: China (2nd largest) and
Japan (3rd largest) (Asia Geography for kids n.d). Asia has some unique characteristics from the

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point of view of the advertising industry. Asia is said to be the world’s largest advertising agency
because of their gigantic advertising markets such as Japan, China and India (Sinclair 2007).
These three countries have many major cities for advertising such as Tokyo, Japan, Delhi, India,
Mumbai, India, Shanghai, China and Osaka, Japan (Asia Geography for kids n.d). The
advertising market has grown rapidly in Asia over the past couple of years with all the new
technological advances in the world. Advertising to children in Asia is a sensitive and
emotionally-charged issue because children are easily influenced and like to experiment with
new things. There are many cultural norms, laws and legislations and controversial cases towards
advertising to children in Asia.
First cultural norms in Asian countries are very unique. Chinese preferences, tastes, and
interpretations are different from those of other cultures. China is a very large country, and the
customs and traditions of its people vary by geography and ethnicity. There are more than one
billion people who live in China, according to the Asia Society, that represent 56 different ethnic
minority groups (Zimmermann 2015). Confucianism plays a large role in ancient tradition upon
which Chinese culture is derived (Xu n.d). In Chinese culture there are four basic virtues which
are loyalty, respect for parents and elders, goodwill, and righteousness (Xu n.d). Education is
most highly esteemed in Chinese society and Mandarin is the main language (Xu n.d). China is a
high context culture meaning cultures communicate in ways that are implicit and rely heavily on
context (Sinkula & Olson 2014). Also China is a collectivist country meaning groups make
decisions, not individuals (Sinkula & Olson 2014). In Chinese culture, successful Chinese and
foreign advertisers use a “soft sell” approach which uses image oriented messages which provide
better implicit and symbolic information (Sinkula & Olson 2014). As well, advertisers receive
many strong negative attitudes from Chinese parents when they advertise to their children,

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especially the mother. Parents believe advertising should be banned during the normal hours of
the day and parents rely on the Chinese government to enforce those rules and control
advertising aimed at children. Chinese parents do not perceive themselves of having the
knowledge or ability to mediate effects of advertising on children as there is a lack of child
advocacy groups in the country. The Chinese parents try to have full control of all their
children’s medias. Parents want full control so their children can focus on their studies and
continue to think independently without having to watch advertisements. Parents use media as a
reward system so children would have to do their homework before they can watch TV or play
videogames (Chan & McNeal 2004).
Much of the culture of Japan has been adapted from that of China, although it has also
been greatly influenced by Western countries over the past century. The Japanese family is the
basic unit of society and there is great appreciation and respect for elders. Family communication
is key in Japanese culture. Education is highly valued in Japanese society, and academic
achievement is held in great esteem. The importance of hard work and perseverance is put into
Japanese children from an early age and will remain a fundamental belief throughout adulthood.
The Japanese tend to be more formal and polite and less physical and personal in their everyday
dealing than "westerners". Japan’s youth are increasingly westernized, but the older generation
may still follow their cultural traditions (Cultural Norms and Traditions in Japan n.d). Like
China, Japan is a high-context culture. Japanese marketers and foreign countries marketing to
Japan typically use emotional rather than informational appeals (Hermeking 2005). This will
allow advertisers and marketers to avoid mentioning product benefits, guarantees, and safety.
Along with China, it is important for Japanese marketers on stressing a company’s reputation
and image is more crucial and an effective way to transfer feelings to consumers and gain

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preference. A company’s image is critical for Japanese ads and the imagery is communicated
through a “soft sell” approach, which will get consumers trust and respect, especially children.
Advertising in Japan relies heavily on celebrities, catchy slogans, trendy music and imagery to
sell products and services (Gaumer & Shah n.d). Lastly, anime in Japan is widely used by
advertisers because Shintoism a (Japanese religion) has strong references to the concept of
animism. Animism meaning the worldview that non-living things possess a soul and are
therefore a very important part of life (Thomson 2015).
In Asia there are various laws and legislations regarding advertising towards children. In
China, advertising is a carefully regulated but dominated industry (Hawkes 2004-2006) (Chan &
McNeal 2004). In 1980, the Chinese Council announced the State Administration of Industry and
Commerce (SAIC) would be the official body in China to monitor advertising (Jin 2016). China
announced its first advertising law in 1994 on October 27 which was adopted at the Tenth
Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People's Congress. Before this law
was passed, all regulations in advertising were made by the local governments (Chan & McNeal
2004). In 1982, the SAIC made their first set of national advertising laws. The goals of the new
set of advertising laws was to 1. clean up the advertising market environment, 2. suppress unfair
competition, 3. protect consumer’s rights and 4. protect domestic products. Along with this first
set of advertising laws, in 1994, the SAIC implemented Censorship Standards to all types of
different medias (Chan & McNeal 2004). In article 5, of the Censorship Standards specifies the
regulation of children’s advertising. The Chinese definition of advertising is broader than in the
Western societies as it includes adult products that use children as models in advertisements. The
specifics of the Censorship Standards focus more on the cultural impact of advertising to
children (Chan & McNeal 2004). The advertising law does not have separate articles dealing

20. 19
with children specifically, however the protection of children is directly implied under Article 8
which states the advertisement may not be harmful to the physical or mental health of minors
(refers to under age 18) or the disabled (Lam & Chatterton n.d). In addition, China came up with
a new advertising law in September 2015, that imposes much stricter controls on advertising than
in the past for online advertising. The new regulation clarifies what content is considered
“internet advertising,” lays down rules for “publishers” of online advertisements, and outlines
investigation measures and penalties for violators. Also, the amended law introduces more
controls on advertising aimed at children. All advertising in schools and kindergartens is
prohibited, as is advertising in textbooks and exercise books and on school uniforms and school
buses (Lam & Chatterton n.d). Children under the age of 10 cannot be used to endorse products
or services. The Amended Law also prohibits the advertising of cosmetics, medicines, medical
apparatus, online games, alcoholic beverages and tobacco to children (Lam & Chatterton n.d).
In Asia’s largest advertising market, Japan, the Japan Advertising Review Organization
(JARO) strives to protect consumers and ensure fair advertising and labeling practices (Japan
Advertising Review Organization n.d). If an advertisement in Japan is targeting a specific group
of consumers, such as children, “it is desirable that the impact of the commercial practice be
assessed from the perspective of the average member of that group. Specific features such as age,
physical or mental health or credibility make consumers very susceptible to a commercial
practice or to the underlying product and the economic behavior only of such consumers is likely
to be distorted by the practice in a way that the trader can reasonably foresee, it is appropriate to
ensure that they are adequately protected by assessing the practice from the perspective of the
average member of that group” (Japanese Consumer Law Article 2010). Japan has very limited
regulatory controls on advertising aimed towards children. But, advertisements are banned in the

21. 20
public school systems. Over the past decade the Japanese government has taken no action to
further regulate advertising towards children (Hawkes 2004-2006).
In Asia, companies featured in this report offered a number of globally recognized food
products to children below 16 years’ old that are unhealthy based on the UK Food Standards
Agency criteria for what is high in fat, sugar and/or salt (Robinson 2008). These multinational
companies are heavily marketing their unhealthy food products to children below 16 years old.
Some of the marketing techniques these multinational companies are using to market their
products to children include: sponsorship of children’s sporting activities in schools, television
advertising, interactive websites, sports-themed contests and competitions, discounts, use of
cartoon characters, on-pack games and promotions, movie tie-ins, children’s clubs, free toys,
children’s meals, celebrity endorsements, posters and many more. In Fiji for the past 35 years
Coca-Cola has been the main sponsor of the Coke Games. The Coke Games is an athletic
competition for 120 secondary schools in Fiji. Coca-Cola is a spreading awareness about their
high sugar products to children and are giving children contradictory messages about what a
healthy lifestyle consists of (Robinson 2008). In India, Kellogg’s TV advertisements use a ton of
animation, such as Kellogg’s repeatedly using their own brand cartoon characters such as Tony
the Tiger and Coco the Monkey to market their high sugar products to children (Robinson 2008).
As well, in these advertisements they have parents and children consume their products together,
or show them somehow benefiting from the breakfast cereals. This conveys to children that if
their parents are eating Kellogg’s cereal, they should follow. Another multinational company,
KFC, has children’s chicken meals. Each meal comes with a toy varying in accordance to KFC’s
current marketing tie-ins with movies, cartoon characters, or popular toy figures, in Malaysia
(Robinson 2008). In Hong Kong, India and Thailand, McDonald’s advertises their Happy Meals

22. 21
on mainstream television channels during weekday afternoons and weekend mornings (Robinson
2008). These advertisements are about children playing with the Happy Meal toys (Robinson
2008). Multinational companies advertising unhealthy processed foods to children is a huge issue
in Asia as well as westernized countries. There is a variety of marketing techniques that are
becoming very sophisticated when it comes to promoting food to children.
Large multinational companies are continuing to target children residing in the Asia
Pacific area, as children are most vulnerable when they are young. These companies know Asia
is the largest continent with the biggest population, which gives advertisers the most potential to
spread brand awareness and get rich quickly by advertising towards children. In addition,
multinational companies’ advertisers are conveying particular advertisements in specific
countries to reach the consumer by using their cultural norms in the advertisement. Lastly,
multinational companies’ are continuing to use marketing techniques in a wide variety of ways
and get away with advertising to children, even though there are many laws and regulations in
Asian countries prohibiting advertising to children. The continent of South America, specifically
the nations of Brazil and Argentina, will now be focused on.
SOUTH AMERICA
Advertising in South America is an emerging market, and as the shift towards a
globalized economy becomes more apparent, many South American countries are looking to
develop their laws and regulations that control advertising. The two countries that will be
primarily discussed in this section are Brazil and Argentina, South America’s two largest
countries. Advertising spending within these countries has grown rapidly over the past decade;
Brazil is expected to spend $22.6 billion this year while Argentina is estimated to spend $6.34

23. 22
billion (Statista n.d.). Both of these countries are currently applying more ‘westernized’
standards to their advertising markets in an effort to self-regulate the industry, protect vulnerable
consumer groups and minimize risks as multinational firms begin to operate within these
countries. This section will discuss both Brazil and Argentina separately and describe cultural
attitudes towards the advertising industry and its regulation, organizations responsible for
enforcing regulation, current laws and regulations that protect vulnerable consumers such as
children, and various case studies that demonstrate how regulations are put into action.
BRAZIL:
As previously discussed, advertising is a quickly developing market in Brazil. The
country, in recent years, has become one of the top five biggest advertising markets in the world
and the top spender in Latin America (Cassim 2007). This has made it an attractive place for
multinational advertising firms to come and do business. Many of these firms, for example
Ogilvy and Mather, are large U.S. firms that have large operations within the country. To protect
the interests of media firms, the advertising industry, media professionals and sometimes the
public lobby against many of the government’s attempts at controlling media content,
specifically content that is promoted in advertisements (Shaver 2014). However, the industry
does not believe that they should be allowed to regulate themselves; rather, they are afraid of
being censored by the government.
In many democratic countries including Brazil, the regulation of media content by the
government is commonly viewed as a threat to every citizen’s right to freedom of speech and
expression (Shaver 2014). However, Brazil was not always democratized; the country endured a
military dictatorship for nearly 20 years. Under this type of leadership, censorship of the press is
a common practice. It wasn’t until 1988 that the laws allowing the government to infringe on the

24. 23
media’s freedom of expression were ruled unconstitutional in the Federal Constitution (Shaver
2014). Today, the Brazilian people remain very passionate about freedom of expression and are
quick to dissent when the government makes an attempt at imposing new restrictions. It is also a
common trend across this region of South America.
Although the Brazilian people hold fairly negative opinions towards governmental
regulation of media content and advertisements, they are very much aware of the need for
regulation in the industry. The National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation, commonly
known as CONOR, is a non-governmental agency that imposes self-regulation upon the
advertising industry. The main responsibility of CONORis to uphold the Brazilian Advertising
Self-Regulation Code, which was created in 1978 (Shaver 2014). This code lays out general rules
regarding ethics in advertising in addition to specific rules relating to advertising of specific
products considered to be sensitive for children. The agency receives consumer complaints about
questionable advertisements that have aired or been published. CONORhas the power to
suspend an ad campaign or impose content changes if an ad is in violation of the self- regulation
code. In general, most advertisers in Brazil respect the decisions handed down by the regulating
body because it is seen as the ethical thing to do (Shaver 2014). However, there are no legal
requirements for an advertiser to obey the decisions handed down by CONOR, meaning that
many current advertisers are not afraid to push the limits and publish racy content.
The Brazilian attitudes toward the regulation of advertising that were discussed above
had a direct effect on the way advertisers were targeting children in recent years. Studies began
to show that the lax attitudes toward regulation were starting to have adverse effects on children
because they were being exposed to messages that were too inappropriate for their age. A 2006
study conducted in Brazil revealed that adolescents (that participated in the study) were being

25. 24
exposed to alcohol advertisements at an equal or sometimes higher rate than young adults who
were the intended target audience of this messaging (Pinsky 2010). Similar studies with other
sensitive products like fast food also found that advertisements were reaching a younger
audience and influencing the purchase decisions of children and their parents. It became clear
that some regulations needed to be put into place to protect children, who tend to lack adequate
judgment and experience as consumers.
As far as regulations specifically aimed at advertising toward children go, there are not
many, although there are proposals are still awaiting approval. There are however, many
restrictions on the marketing of products like alcohol, tobacco, medicine, chemical products, etc.
For example, the advertising of alcoholic beverages and other sensitive products in Brazil is only
permitted between 9:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. (Shaver 2014). These are times when a large percentage
of children are supposedly not watching television or listening to the radio. The Statute on
Children and Adolescents created in 1990 states that broadcasters who don’t abide by terms laid
out in the statute could be fined or suspended if there was proof of a violation (Shaver 2014).
There is also Article 37 of the Brazilian Advertising Self-Regulation Code that regulates
advertising to children. This article specifically encourages respect for the inexperience and
loyalty commonly observed in children as well as truth and honesty in advertisements targeted at
them (Shaver 2014). CONOR’s regulations explicitly state that target audiences must be made up
of adults, products cannot be advertised for consumption by children and images and sounds
considered to be appealing to children could not be used in advertisements (Shaver 2014).
Children and adolescents are also not permitted to appear in any type of advertisement promoting
a product deemed inappropriate for their age group (tobacco, alcohol, firearms, lottery, etc.).
Failure to abide by these regulations could result in proposed content changes, hefty fines, or a

26. 25
suspension of the ad campaign altogether (Shaver 2014). Again, it is important to note that none
of these regulations have the force of the law behind them, as a self-regulating body enforces
them. This means that while an advertiser who violates these regulations will likely face one or
many of the repercussions discussed above, legal action cannot be taken against them.
To provide some context as to why regulations protecting children from advertising are
necessary, we can refer back to the 2006 study previously discussed, which was called
“Exposure of adolescents and young adults to alcohol advertising in Brazil.” Again, this study
found that many adolescents were being exposed to alcohol advertising at rates equal or
sometimes higher than that of young adults. This insight was a major concern in Brazil given the
prevalence of alcoholism in the country (Pinsky 2010). It is because of studies like this that
alcohol advertisements are now strictly regulated in Brazil. New regulations, such as time
limitations for alcohol advertisements and warnings, are seeking to combat alcoholism by
preventing the promotional messages from reaching children that are too young to understand
that advertisements are trying to influence purchase and consumption decisions. As more
information about children’s unintended exposure to advertisements become available, the
perceived need for stricter regulation increases.
ARGENTINA
Argentina is the second largest country in South America (behind Brazil) and is also
experiencing vast and rapid growth in the advertising industry. Similarly to Brazil, Argentina
returned to a democratic form of government after being ruled by a military regime from 1976 to
1983 (Shaver 2014). Under the regime, censorship of media content was commonplace, so
citizens nowadays tend to be skeptical of government regulation of media content. This is the
same trend we observed in Brazil. Nonetheless, Argentinians are well aware of the harms that

27. 26
can be caused by deceptive and inappropriate advertising and recognize the need for regulation.
Argentina’s recently democratized society is increasingly open to participating in the global
economy, which is leading to the adoption of westernized policies regarding advertising
regulations (Shaver 2014). In recent years, Argentina has passed many regulations specific to the
advertising of socially sensitive products to children such as alcohol, tobacco, and food. In fact,
Argentina takes a slightly tougher stance on the advertising of socially sensitive products as
compared to Brazil.
Argentinian law 24.334 regulates the advertising of tobacco products. It specifically
requires warning labels to be placed on product packaging and prohibits tobacco advertisements
from being played 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on radio and television (Shaver 2014). Tobacco ads are also
prohibited in publications for minors, educational institutions and at any activity where children
are expected to be present. Additionally, minors cannot be depicted in tobacco commercials.
Similar regulations have been put into place for alcohol advertisements. Law 24.788 prohibits
advertisements that encourage the consumption of alcohol and, like the tobacco laws, prevents
children from appearing in alcohol advertisements (Shaver 2014). The law also prevents alcohol
advertisements from airing on television before 10 p.m. All alcohol advertisements must include
the words “drink in moderation” and “not for sale to persons under 18”. Law 26.396 regulates
the advertising of fast food, which is seen as a way to control increasing obesity rates in
adolescents (Shaver 2014). All advertisements promoting food with high calorie content and low
nutrients are required to have a warning stating, “Excessive consumption of this product can
damage your health” (Shaver 2014). Aside from these very specific laws, there is a general
regulation that limits the amount of advertising that can be broadcasted on the radio and
television. Radio has a maximum of 14 minutes per hour to broadcast advertising while

28. 27
television has a maximum of 12 minutes per hour. Paid television is given 8 minutes per hour to
advertise (Pardo 2011). This is part of an overall effort to prevent long commercial times for
audiences. This also limits the amount of messaging they are exposed to.
As far as the enforcement of these regulations goes, Argentina utilizes some government
regulation in addition to self-regulation. Government agencies only become involved when an
advertiser refuses to abide by the self-regulators rulings on questionable commercials. The self-
regulating body in Argentina is known as CONARP. The organization's main objective is to
uphold the Advertising Code of Ethics, which, among many things, has specific standards
designed to protect vulnerable consumer groups such as children and the elderly (Pardo 2014).
The Code of Ethics specifically states that advertising aimed at children “must not exploit their
naivety or lack of experience” and “should not present information or images that might result in
their physical, emotional, or moral harm” (Pardo 2014). CONARP receives complaints about
advertisements deemed unethical or inappropriate and conducts a review before determining if
the accusations are true. If there is evidence of a violation, CONARP has the ability to request
content changes or cancel the advertisement altogether. If the advertiser chooses not to obey the
ruling handed down by the self-regulating body, government agencies will step in to ensure that
consumers, especially children, are protected (Shaver 2014).
A recent example of the government intervening after receiving complaints is
Argentina’s decision to ban sex ads in newspapers. In 2011, the Argentinian president banned the
publishing of sex ads in all newspapers and some Internet sites (Goni 2011). Prostitution is legal
in Argentina, however, many government leaders were opposed to the selling of ads in media
easily available to the general public such as newspapers and internet sites. Free speech
advocates, who commonly oppose the government any time they attempt to regulate the media,

29. 28
argued that this ban was unconstitutional because it violated the free expression rights of the
media (Goni 2011). Many supported the ban because they believed that the advertisements were
inappropriate as well as contributing to the sexual exploitation of women in the country (Goni
2011). This case reflects the constant struggle to implement advertising regulations in South
America, specifically in Argentina and Brazil.
The importance of regulation is well understood in the countries I have discussed, but the
remnants of non-democratic governments still exist. In turn, consumers in this region are quick
to protect their rights to free speech and expression before concerning themselves with
advertising to vulnerable consumer groups like children. While we are seeing regulations
constantly being adopted and altered in these countries, there is still much work to be done in
ensuring that children are being protected from the influence of advertisers. As western societies’
model for regulating advertising becomes the standard in the South American region, regulations
are getting more precise. The overarching takeaways and key insights from this paper will now
be summarized and discussed.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, though this paper touched upon cultures and locations all over the planet,
there are still conclusive themes that can consistently be taken away from each region discussed.
To begin, digital is overtaking all other forms of media consumption on a global level. Due to
economic situations and import laws, the rate at which digital media is taking over traditional
entertainment mediums varies between areas of the globe. However, it is clear that the whole
world is becoming more and more digitized. With this increase in digital media comes
entertainment and gaming geared towards children that is more difficult to regulate, especially on
personal devices. No longer is it as simple as parents turning off the television when something

30. 29
they don’t want their kids to see comes on. On the topic of media landscapes, another takeaway
is that countries with less developed media landscapes, like Argentina or Brazil, have more
progressively changing laws regarding advertising towards children. This is logical, seeing as
the more new technologies are introduced into these areas, the more laws need to be quickly
established on how to handle them.
Moreover, this discussion has shown that the debate of advertising towards children is not
only one of ethics versus economics, but often, one of self-regulation versus big government. It
is interesting to look at how various regions take ethical issues like children being targeted by
marketers far more seriously (like Scandinavian nations) than others who focus on economic
prosperity and the revenue advertising to children brings in (like the United States). Like any
regulatory issue, self-regulation by independent agencies is in opposition with regulation by
large government entities.
In addition, from an international marketing standpoint, agencies have large takeaways
from this discussion. Of course, agencies must be always work strategically and think on their
feet. If advertising towards children is banned in a country, this point is further proven, as
agencies must be quick to retarget their marketing efforts. Finally, as has been the on-going
theme of not only this paper, but of the international marketing course, is that when operating
internationally, marketers and agencies must be aware of the cultural norms and legislations of
the countries they are operating in. Failure to do so could lead to failed or offensive marketing
plans, a decline in sales, or even a lawsuit. So, though it is important for all humans to be
conscious of international customs, laws, and news, it is especially important for those looking to
be successful in the marketing field. Also, it is urged that advertisers everywhere think twice

31. 30
about not only their legal abilities to market towards children internationally, but the social and
ethical responsibilities they hold when dealing with children.
Global Regions Cultural Norms Laws & Legislations Case Studies
United States - Marketing to children is
a common practice
- Children view 25,000
TV commercials/year
- Children view 40,000
ads/year
- Children have strong
purchasing power
- FCC regulates media
- FTC regulates
advertising
- 1st Amendment granting
freedom of speech
protects many
advertisements
- Many laws are poorly
enforced and often broken
- McDonald’s McStaff
Night
- Teachers sell food
- Proceeds go to the
school
- Generates large crowds
- McDonald’s reeps most
the of the benefits
Europe - Less obnoxious
marketing tactics
-More popular public
broadcasting
- Heavier cross-country
influences due to
geographical proximity
-Television Without
Frontiers
- De Agostinicourt case
- 2001 Swedish push for
total EU children’s
advertising ban
-Self-regulation v.
Governmental regulation
by country
- Fight against the obesity
epidemic in Europe
-Platforms of action being
taken by Ireland,
Germany, EU, & UK
- Correlation of obesity
rates & food
advertisements
Asia - High context culture
- Company's image is very
important
- “soft sell approach”
- Relies heavily on
celebrities, catchy
slogans,trendy music and
imagery to sell products
and services
- Parents try to have full
control of children's
media
- China SAIC was formed
for advertising
- SAIC implemented
censorship standards
- Article 8
- Japan Advertising
Review Organization
(JARO)
- Japan limited regulatory
controls on adv. to
children
- Fiji and the coke games
- China, India and
Thailand with Mcdonald's
happy meals
- India and Kellogg's
brand cartoon characters
-Malaysia and KFC movie
tie-ins
South America -Advertising is a quickly
emerging market in the
region
-Self-Regulation preferred
over government
regulation
-Dynamic regulations
towards advertising to
children
-CONOR-Brazil’s self-
regulating body
-CONARP- Argentina’s
self regulating body
-Brazilian Constitution
& Argentinian
Constitution (rights to free
expression)
-Advertising Code of
-Adolescents & Alcohol
advertising in Brazil -
2006 study
-Banning of sex ads in
Argentinian newspapers
and websites

32. 31
-Shift toward westernized
standards
Ethics (Brazil &
Argentina)
-Brazil’s Statute on
Children and Adolescents
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