Research Question is it ethical to market to children/minors?
Aggarwal, P., Vaidyanathan, R., & Castleberry, S. (n.d.). Managerial and Public Attitudes Toward Ethics in Marketing Research. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=29&sid=b5675ee5-b5df-4996-bb25-ed73db86558b@sdc-v-sessmgr01&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==#db=bth&AN=79823320
In this article, the authors give a detailed analysis of ethical perceptions when it comes to misconduct in the marketing profession. Managerial and public opinions on marketers are very important for the future of this discipline and they found that if they increased their research on the subject and break down certain scenarios we can learn a lot about the issues of the workplace. Marketers have been known to be deceiving and untrustworthy by the public and their research has shown why that has been an increasing trend in recent years. The unethical side of marketing can be a dangerous element and we want to make sure that future generations are informed of the public’s view.
Huet, E. (2019). Juul Targeted Children at Schools and Online, U.S. House Panel Says. Bloomberg.Com, N.PAG. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=137725158&site=ehost-live
This article is written by Ellen Huet, a respected technology reporter who currently works for Forbes and Bloomberg business. The article offers information on Juul’s marketing programs disguised as holistic health education and a youth program apparently meant to steer children away from smoking and how they are actually directly marketing to our nation’s youth. Topics discussed include investigating whether or not Juul employees knowingly marketed to underage users and minors through sponsoring programs in schools and using online influencers to market directly to teens. The article offers testimony not only from teens who were directly advertised to via Juul’s youth program which marketed to children in school; but it also quotes Juul’s CEO and co founders which provides insight into the mind of Juul employees who actively supported these programs while they were in use.
JUUL Mission and Values. (2015). Retrieved October 31, 2019, from https://www.juul.com/mission-values.
Juul’s mission statement.
Minsker, M. (2014, August). Is Kid-Targeted Marketing Unethical? CRM Magazine. Retrieved fromhttp://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=28&sid=35f31eea-7e74-4b02-933e-b7f90044e25c@sessionmgr103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==#db=a9h&AN=102570927
Using a market research firm called KidSay, the author found how much time children spend on their phones a day and how this relates to the marketing field. In the tech future that we are heading in, it is more normal for children to be spending their time online and being exposed to marketing. With an increase of children users online in the coming years, research found more than 40% of children ages 8-11 are online 5-6 times a day with hours of screen time. That leads us to the question of ethics and whether or not it’s ethical to be marketing to children who don’t know the difference between right and wrong. Marketing companies all around the world have a new responsibility to educate our youth for a brighter future.
Stanley, T.L. (2007). Babies in Brandland. Brandweek, 48(37): 28-32. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=7&sid=acc18bd1-926e-4f61-a048-6e5b1b9369fc%40sessionmgr102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=27079245
In this article Stanley, T.L attempts to examine the moral and ethical aspects of advertising to children under the age of 8 years old. The article focuses on three main topics, viewing the world of children under the age of 8 years old and how they have affected sales of businesses, reasons why marketers should stop targeting children under the age of 8 years, and what businesses are doing to adapt their market strategies based on what is ethically acceptable.
The article is based on a 2004 study by the American Psychological Association, in where the findings stated that children under the age of 8 years don’t view commercials as an advertisement, in fact they view advertisements as entertainment and fact based. Having the study conducted in 2004 may be a little outdated but still relevant due to the fact that advertisements in today’s time not only come from TV commercials but also from online media.
The article could be applied into research regarding the exploitation of minors, specifically children under the age of 8 years, through advertisements. It provides insights on how marketers are viewing their advertisement when targeting minors. Some believe that they are not directly targeting minors, but that their target audience is in fact the parents. While other marketers don’t hide the fact that they target children.
Winpenny, E., Marteau, T., & Nolte, E. (2013, November 28). Exposure of Children and Adolescents to Alcohol Marketing on Social Media Websites. Retrieved October 31, 2019, from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=10&sid=ef5a8fbc-ecbb-408b-be1b-9bb4ddc81fa6@sessionmgr4008.
This article covers a couple of examples of children having access to restricted information on the internet. An example that is used in this article is testers making a fake Youtube account for a 14 year old and a 24 year old. They analyzed the different type of youtube channels that give access to these different age accounts. The results were really interesting and served a purpose of showing how bad some of these website regulate age when it comes to products designed for 18+ and 21+.