DISSERTATION REPORT

ON

INFLUENCE OF T.V ADVERTISEMENTS ON CHILDREN

(In Partial fulfillment of Master Business Administration)

(MBA-E&L)

Faculty Guide: Prof. B. Ray

Made by: Neha Khemka

             MBA (E&L)

               A0102106023

AMITY UNIVERSITY

-------------UTTAR PRADESH-------------

AMITY BUSINESS SCHOOL

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am thankful to Prof. B. Ray, my Faculty Guide for guiding me in my efforts to structure & prepare my Dissertation. It gives me immense pleasure to me, Neha Khemka student of MBA(E&L-2008) has successfully completed the project on  ‘Influence of T.V Advertisements on Children’ It was a great experience for me to study the influence of T.V. Advertisements on Children.

                                                                                                                     Neha Khemka

MBA (E&L)

A0102106023

        

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Neha Khemka, a student of Master Business School, Amity University (Bearing AUUP Enrol. No. A0102106023) has undertaken the Dissertation  


CONTENTS

  • Introduction
  • Aim And Objectives
  • Methodology
  • Advertising World
  • Electronic Media: Television The Golden Goose
  • Children And Advertising
  • Data Collection And Analysis
  • Conclusion
  • Bibliography
  • Questionnaire


INTRODUCTION

Of late advertising has become a major up coming industry in India. Wherever one sees it is there – living room through television and radio, in car through radio, on road through hoardings and bill boards – you name it and it is there. One cannot miss seeing it, as it has became a part of daily life.

Advertising world is now the most upcoming field in India. But then behind the glamour and glittering filed of advertising there is also a darker side. As every thing have two sides of it – one dark and one brighter. In this field for their own benefit advertisers and producers bombard the message on the minds of their audience through T.V commercials so that the product gets registered in the mind of the audience and they became a loyal to it. T.V Ads are regular features which are shown before the program, at the end of program and during the course by taking what is called as commercial break.

Many people often view advertisements as a tool for getting a ‘mini break’ to either have a snack or two during that period, or finish a work which would not take more then few minutes. In India while watching soaps they’ll need a little break to perhaps ‘stir’ a dish in the kitchen.  

Advertisement is the best tool to make people feel that without the product one cannot do. They make them wish that they also should have it. They create an image in the mind of the people that stimulate the desire and wants even if they may not even “need it”.  Kids may fall in the above category perhaps more then others category. The children get attracted to the Ads – the jingle, colour, the brand ambassador and the animation.  

Advertisements opens up emotional vulnerabilities and it is most easy to do with the kids who are most vulnerable. They are like water which takes the shape of the container it is in.

The other reason that many advertisements are targeted at children – it is done to attract the children towards the product in the young age, then he will get used to the product and it will become his behavioral pattern, which in turn would make him a loyal to the product for a long time. Given that the product stays in the market for a long time.

The worst impact of advertisement from the view of psychology is that advertisement has done a great harm to the children in general and in between the age group of 4 to 12 years in particular emotionally. The advertising is creating demand which does not exsit. A child may just go for a product because he likes the Ad shown. The kids are getting on forgetting the concept of satisfaction.They are becoming stubborn and mature in their childhood.

But, on the other hand as every coin has two sides, there is also a positive side of advertisement on children. Kids have become conscious of their appearance and personality. They have become much more attentive for their surroundings and the awareness about various products. Now days the kids have become more extrovert as compared to the predecessors. Even the opportunity today’s kids are getting was not there earlier like – the TV live shows for children.

If the ratio between positive and negative effects of advertisement is taken there is more negative effect than positive effect. Thus it is very much necessary that broadcasting or telecasting of television commercials should be checked, so that advertisements will become purely informative with healthy entertainment rather than just a glamour world.

In India advertisements have spread its network in every branch of electronic media even the news channels also are not untouched with advertisements. Formally there were only three news channels, now many news channels have been added making it much more now.

In the breaks of News Channels also there is bombardment of advertisement, thus it has become very clear that advertisement have become an order for the Indian television. In the present research the focus has been made on the children between age group of 4 to 12 years. Their schooling standard is from KG to VII class and their life style has undergone drastic change. Kids enjoy privileges and sometimes demand for the product with their parents as the matter of right. Certainly the consumption habits of middle class and upper middle class families are undergoing lot of changes. Thus advertisement in India has certainly undergone a tremendous change.


AIMS & OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Present study relates to advertising effects on children between age group of 4 to 12 years. Children all over the world are very inquisitive, wherever they watch on television becomes impressive on their minds. Parents these days are aware about the development of their children.

  • Purpose of present research is to explore the decision making process of the house members. For our purpose the users of soap, toothpaste, shampoos, hair oils, cosmetics, fast food, cold drinks, chocolates and other products are labeled as target audience.
  • The research is conducted to explore the depth of advertisement on children.
  • Also the impact of advertisement is to be studied during the course of field study and observations.
  • It is also aimed at that how far the parents and children are interacting with each other in consuming the advertised products.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In the present research, the following methods for the collection of data on T.V Advertisement and its effect on Children have been used.

  •  The review of literature from primary and secondary sources, from which the information was sought.
  • The research was conducted using descriptive research design.
  • Interview Schedule.
  • Personal interview through questionnaire.
  • The target, were parents and children of Delhi & NCR region.
  • The sample size selected for the research was Children – 50 and Parents – 10.
  • The study was analyzed with the help of Ms. Excel.

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

I had decided to collect information for the present research from the parents as well as children between the age group of 4 to 12 years. 10 parents and approx 50 children were selected. The research was having two sets: One of the Parents and another of Children. For the collection of data two separate interview schedule was drafted containing about 17 question for the Children and 24 questions for the Parents.

Interview schedule was conducted to collect data from parents and children. During the course of interview researcher has discussed multi dimensional problems of advertisements, its impact on children keeping in mind child psychology, and attitude of parents towards children. The researcher has successfully collected data from 2 sets i.e one parent set and another children set.

Parent sample consist of educated middle and upper middle class urban families. Mostly the pattern of family was nuclear one. Researcher observed that there was very good understanding between parents and children. Almost all parents fulfill the demands of their children which show that the impact of advertisements on children and their parents was equally remarkable. It was also observed most of the children watch all the channels in general and Cartoon Network and Discovery Channel in particular. They also liked popular comedy serials Instant Khichadi, That’s so Raven.

ADVERTISING WORLD

Today the world is exposed to a large number of channels & advertisements than they were in the past. Pick any magazine, newspaper or see any channels they are full of advertisements. Not only has the quantity of advertisement has increased even the quality of advertisements has improved considerably over the past couple of years. Advertisement has become a potent force which helps in mass selling and distribution of products. They not only help in selling and distribution but they also make the mass aware of the various products available to them. Advertisement is also the object of much criticism, some justified some not. It has been claimed that much advertising is false and misleading and that it conceals information which should be revealed and omits the limitation and comparative disadvantage of the product advertised. However, before going into a serious debate on the benefits of advertising and its effect, we must understand fully what advertising is.

ADVERTISING

When a company wants to launch a product it has to first asses the market, then there is a need to establish contact with the target audience so that the product sell eventually. Moreover, the contact has to be made with the mass which means the marketer has to use a medium which would reach a large number of people so that the product may receive optimum exposure. The best way to reach the mass market is through mass communication and advertising is one of the means to reach mass along with other means such as publicity, sales promotion and public relations. As a means of forceful communication, advertising promotes the sale of goods, services, images and ideas through information and persuasion. But one thing may be well understood that advertising by itself cannot sell the product. It cannot sell products of poor quality, product which are too costly, or items which do not come up to the expectation of the consuming public.

DEFINITION OF ADVERTISING

The simplest definition of an advertisement is that it is a means of marketing or promoting a product. In earlier times, to advertise meant merely to announce or to inform. The advertisements provide useful information about jobs, accommodation advertisement, recruitment advertisements, and tenders notices and similar types of public announcements also provide the public with valuable information, which would otherwise be difficult to obtain easily.

An advertisement is a form of persuasive communication with the public. The communication is usually one-sided, in one direction from the advertiser and to the public.

The American Marketing Association, Chicago, defines advertising as “any, paid form of non-personal presentation of ideas, goods and services by an identified sponsor.”

HISTORY OF ADVERTISING

Advertising, as we understand it today, was not used until about 200 years ago. The advertising dates back to ancient Greece and Rome. Signals were used to carry information for advertising goods and services well before the development of printing. Even during the middle Ages, advertising signs were very extensively used. These signs generally consisted of illustration of symbols of the products advertised.

During the 17th century, when newspapers started appearing in various parts of the world, newspaper advertising began to develop. It is marked as an important period in the history of advertising. The invention of printing revolutionized the advertising; but newspapers gave it the necessary medium for its very rapid growth. The first newspapers had a large number of ads. At the end of the 17th century, a great number of commercial newspapers were published in England and elsewhere. Around 1840, several  people were selling space in newspapers in New York, Philadelphia and other metropolitan centers in countries where newspaper were brought out on a regular basis. Space-brokers, who later on developed into as agencies came into existence in all these centers.

EXPANSION

In 19th Century advertising marked a great expansion. In 1841, in the USA the first advertising agency was started (founded by Volney Palmer). More such agencies came in the USA. In 1875, the first modern advertising agency was set up in Philadelphia (N.W.Ayer & Son). They offered not only space-selling but many other services to clients.


EVOLUTION OF INDIAN ADVERTISING

The foundations of professional advertising business in India were laid by two English companies. In the mid-1960s, Kersey Katrak took the center-stage and nurtured talents like Arun Nanda, Mohammed Khan and Ravi Gupta, MCM was, however, mismanaged and its bubble burst. Iyer’s too folded up operations. MCM and Iyer’s merged, but then died a natural death. The collapse bought on the scene many new agencies. The agencies started professionalizing and consolidation process in the seventies. With buoyant economy, the eighties were a period of a big take off for the agencies. Over the years, Indian advertising has had many changing faces. The pre-Independence ads were mostly about ladies’ goods, gents’ clothes, traveling, eating places and entertainment for the Britishers in India. Motor cars, electricity and lift in houses were luxuries in those years. It is only after Independence and the abolition of the princely order that a new-born middle class received the attention of advertisers. Since the new clientele has a different socio-economic background, post-Independence advertisements shifted from prestigious and luxury products mainly bought by status conscious people to consumer and consumer durable products bought mainly for time and labor saving purposes. Often, husband and wife both go to work; and, therefore for them, such products and refrigerators, kitchenware, frozen foods or ready-mixes for eatables are demanded by them. Hence the large number of advertisements for such items. Ready-made garments, items for indoor amusement, convenience goods, new fashion products have created their own demand. That is why there was a virtual deluge of advertisements for such gods in the decades that followed Independence.

ADVERTISING AS A TOOL OF COMMUNICATION

There is an impression of advertising in the many activities of a human being, especially those activities which influence others, either favorably or otherwise. A baby crying for milk a doting wife desirous of having a new sari are all aspects of advertising. They want to communicate, to persuade, to influence and to lead to some action. Therefore it can be said that advertisement is a persuasive form of communication that exist in our lives.

Padmasee, the ex-CEO of Lintas says: “When a man wears trouser - shirt ensemble instead of a dhoti, he is advertising, he is westernized. When a woman wears lipstick, she is advertising that she wants to be noticed. Ads are parts of human nature to be noticed.” As every one wants to be noticed in their life advertisement makes one believe that by buying their product one will be noticed.

From long tine advertising signs are broadly used. They symbolize the product they are advertising. After printing was developed then only advertising came in a huge way. When printing techniques were perfected, and as this industry developed, the signs were replaced by written words or messages. Advertising is the most visible marketing tool which seeks to transmit an effective message from the marketer to a group of individuals. The marketer pays for sponsoring the advertising activity. Advertising, unlike salesmanship which interacts with a buyer face-to-face, is non-personal. It is directed at a mass audience, and not at an individual, as in personal selling. Though marketers use advertising, basically it is communication process. Here the advertiser is the source who transmits the message which passes through an appropriate medium like press, TV, radio or magazines. It is ultimately received by the target audience for whom the product/service is meant. The ultimate aim of advertising is to make the target audience favorably inclined towards the product or service. In that sense, advertising is not ordinary communication but marketing communication. Since advertisement can be received by a large number of people, through the mass media it is called ‘mass communication.’

Join now!

COMMUNICATION MODEL

Marketing, especially advertising is meant for a group of people who are the target audience i.e. whom the product is meant for or whom the marketers want their product to be bought by. After the target audiences are identified, the response desired must be noted. The ultimate response desired is of course the buying of the product or service. The decision-making process that leads the target audience from its present position to a higher state of readiness-to-buy must be known.

The effectiveness of advertising depends upon to what extent the advertising message is received and accepted ...

This is a preview of the whole essay