Aaron Powers – BUINB 260-931 – Chapter 14 – Assignment 1
14-13 The EU should not enact stricter advertising laws. There are so many different outlets for
advertisers to use that it would be hard to enforce. There are outlets such as television
commercials, email advertising, print, celebrity endorsements, and website games to name just a
few. If regulations were to be placed on these outlets, advertisers would change strategy and
utilize other unregulated outlets. It would also be difficult to enforce because of resources
available in terms of labor and the interpretation of what is and is not considered advertising to
children. While the EU does not have the same constitution that we have in the United States,
one must consider the fact that these regulations may conflict with the freedom of speech rights
most Western style democracies have in some form.
Another concern to consider is the fact that exposing children to advertising earlier
prepares them better for adulthood where they will be inundated with advertising for the rest of
their life. Parents and educators can use their experiences to better educate them and teach them
proper shills to cope with and respond to advertisements. Restricting their exposure would only
delay their skills an could cause more harm to them as adults dealing with these things for the
first time.
14-14 I personally agree with not restricting advertising to children as laid out above with a few
exceptions. It is already illegal to expose children to adult content themes, whether through
advertising or other means. I also think that parents of children that respond to offers they are
exposed to should not be held accountable for any financial or other ramifications. For example,
if a young person were to respond to an offer to purchase a movie from an advertisement tied in
with a parent’s account, they should not have to pay for it. We already have other regulations
that address these circumstances separately from the issue of advertising, but I thought it
necessary to address them.
I also think it is a good idea to expose children to advertising so we can educate them as
they are growing up to better prepare them for adulthood. We can look to other types of
experiences to give us insight. In the United States children do not have an experience with
alcohol. Young Europeans are accustomed to consuming alcoholic beverages at meals.
American youth often have their first experiences with alcohol later in life and alcohol abuses are
higher here than they are in Europe. I also see how young people exposed to finance
management earlier in life when parents can have influence carry good habits into adulthood.
Individuals who experience money management for the first time later in life typically make
more mistakes and have a harder time. Not being exposed to situations just delays development
when consequences have more meaning.
14-15 I think some products sold in industrialized nations would create wants if marketed
countries instead of satisfying needs. I use the example of a branded product like Coca Cola.
We see this marketed throughout the developed world as a status symbol and cultural icon.
While the product is relatively low cost it may not be that useful to a citizen of a developing
country. Coca Cola is not nutritious and does not satisfy any dietary category. It probably does
more to harm the health and wellbeing of someone than it does to help it. But if it were
marketed in a way that promotes its consumption as being like citizens from western countries it
could create a demand. I saw this with Soviet citizens before the demise of the communist
system. They wanted Coca Cola and Levi’s jeans. Many citizens do not have access to good
nutrition or clean drinking water. I would classify Coca Cola as a want in a case like this.