Advertising

Children's advertising covers all types of media outlets from newspapers to television stations.
By the time most US children start school they will have spent 5000 hours watching television.
They will spend more time watching television than they spend in class for their entire
schooling. Similarly in Australia, where in one in four homes children have their own television
sets, children spend an average of a quarter of their spare time in front of the television.

A version of the infomercial aimed at children is the television show whose main characters
are modelled after toys. By 1988 64% of television toy advertisements were for toys related to
children's television programmes. Often cartoon characters would be launched as movies, be
followed up by television series and then be merchandised on hundreds of products from t-
shirts to toys. The head of Disney explained to Advertising Age in 1989 how the Disney
Corporation's activities all reinforced each other: "The Disney Stores promote the consumer
products which promote the [theme] parks which promote the television shows. The television
shows promote the company."

Advertisers not only feature (destacam/exibem) cartoon or other characters from children's
television programmes to gain their endorsement (aprovao) for their products (known as
host selling) but they sometimes even place those advertisements in the breaks of the
television programmes about those characters, thus blurring (esbatendo) the distinction
between programming and advertising and taking advantage of the affection children feel for
those characters.

Television advertising makes up about 70% of the total amount spent on advertising to
children in the US but total advertising expenditure (despesa) makes up only about 15% of the
total amount of money spent on marketing to children. In fact much marketing to children
now consists of sales promotions such as direct coupons, free gifts and samples, contests and
sweepstakes, and public relations such as using celebrities and licensed characters which visit
shopping centres and schools. New technologies have also provided new opportunities such as
the Internet and telephone services that enable "new, personalized promotions" aimed at
children. Marketing in schools is also a rapidly growing arena.

Kids clubs, organised by retailers, producers and media outlets, have proliferated in recent
times. They offer an opportunity to develop a more personal relationship with each child, get
information about the children for marketing purposes that can be used for mailing lists and
data bases, and to promote products to children of particular age groups and geographical
locations.
Their aim however is the same as advertising, to create brand loyalties and customers amongst
children. Also, those wanting to sell goods recognise that some older children become
somewhat cynical of advertisements and therefore publicity in children's newspapers and
magazines as well as other marketing strategies are alternative ways of reaching these
children.

Advertisements actively encourage them to seek happiness and esteem through consumption.
It is for these reasons that marketing to children should be carefully restricted. In particular
advertisements aimed at children under the age of 9 years old, including on the internet and
during children's television programmes, should be banned. The future of the planet is at stake
if we allow advertisers and marketers to turn children into hyper consumers of the future.

Paragraphs:

1- The emphasis lay nowadays on the creation of a more personal link between the
advertisements and the child.____________________
2- The love children develop for their characters play a very important part in the way
products are advertised.__________________
3- The impact of advertising on children is mainly due to the huge amount of time they
use watching TV. ________________
4- A more effective way of reaching children is to put ads in newspapers and magazines
aimed at them. ________________
5- Since advertisements have a huge impact on children, it should be carefully monitored.
_______________.
6- Childrens programs and advertisements aimed at children are inseparable.
_____________
7- Lately, the advertising techniques targeted to children have been diversified.
______________

Complete the sentences according to the text:

1- Not only the internet _____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

2- Either we protect our children from marketers who try to turn them into super
consumers _____________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Find evidence of the following sentences in the text. Quote:

1- Kids are spending more time in front of the TV screen than they spend in class:
____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

2- 25% of these children have their own TV set and spend one fourth of their free time
watching TV.
______________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________
 3- The commercials only slightly represents over one tenth of the amount of money
spent on ads targeted at kids.
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Find the synonyms:

- Represents
- Is made out of
- offered
- Make possible
- increasing

Complete the text with the words given:

Offering of for instance familiarity are attracted friendly with

Whether grows focus

As the number of teens and kids on the internet ____________________ the focus on online
marketers intensify. Children __________________ to internet commercial sites because they
are designed to be child ___________________. They are colourful and engaging
___________________ games, information and items and products the children recognize.
Major companies ____________________ on the teen and younger markets to build brand
____________________. Branding consists ________________ building a positive impression
of a product by linking its name or logo _______________ a positive image or feeling in the
mind of the buyer. _______________, by placing successful cartoon characters, companies are
able to increase sales, _________________ they are selling breakfast cereal or shampoo.

Writing - Write a complaint letter for the following situation:

You bought your dream cell phone in a big department store two days ago. After using it,
youve come to the conclusion that it doesnt have all the functions the ads said it would have.
Furthermore, youve tried to contact the store through the phone number you found on the
receipt, but youre always kept on hold. Now, youre really disappointed! You want a solution
for your problem as fast as possible.