Banned Children's Adverts

Since the dawn of the modern mass-media era, the ethics of advertising to children has always been a controversial subject. On the one hand the advertising lobby views kid's advertising as a form of education, part and parcel of helping children grow into confident consumers. On the other psychologists and community groups have pointed out how advertising can influence young minds for the worse and even indoctrinate them into a life of unquestioning consumerism.

Because of these issues, advertising to children in the west has tended to be closely regulated. But since youngsters can influence family spending on items from computers to cars, it's not surprising that some advertisers have pushed the limits in search of profit. Concerns over false promises, sexual imagery and health worries have all played a part in getting adverts banned throughout the history of advertising.

Targeting Young Smokers

Once upon a time tobacco advertisers were upfront about advertising their wares to a new generation of young smokers. The Marlboro Man in particular helped create a rugged, masculine image that naturally captured the imagination of teenage males. These days, tobacco advertising is very heavily regulated in the UK with advertising to children expressly prohibited. Possibly the last attempt was made by Camel in the late nineties. The brand's 'Joe Camel' ads depicted a young, rather streetwise-looking logo which campaigners argued was designed to appeal to teenagers.

Junking the Food Ads

In 2007 the media regulator Ofcom effectively banned 'junk food' adverts aimed at children when it ruled television adverts for foods high in salt, sugar and fat could not be screened around programmes targeted to kids between the ages of 4 and 9. The ban includes all channels in the UK which screen children's programmes. The move has been widely criticised by the advertising industry lobby, with claims the move could mean the end of kid's TV. The decision was made in part due to increasing public concern about rising levels of obesity.

False Claims

With the continuing rise of global brands, marketers have to develop ad campaigns that tune into the different aspirations of children from around the world. Because different countries have different regulatory standards an advert designed for one country's audience, but accidentally shown to another, can have a very negative impact. One TV advert, which was designed for Bangladeshi viewers but screened on a UK cable channel made claims that a certain malted drink 'made children taller and stronger'. Claims like these are expressly forbidden by regulators in Britain and the ad was taken off the air. Different languages can also cause problems. One famous strap line for Coke, was translated in Chinese as 'Coke brings your dead back to life', a claim which bemused most Chinese consumers.

The Future

What kind of adverts are 'banned' from generation to generation depends upon the changing mood of parents and society at large. After all, the regulators can only react to what the public considers unacceptable.

Now that advertising cigarette and junk food to kids has been banned many in the advertising industry must be wondering what products will be deemed as beyond the pale next.