Conclusion
Marketing to children and adolescents is a
way of life in the United States. Children
have both their own disposable income and
influence over what their parents buy, and
marketers attempt to determine how those
dollars are spent. Television now reaps most
of the advertising dollars, but newer technologies
are providing new ways for marketers to
reach children. Marketing practices such as
repetition, branded environments, and free
prizes are effective in attracting children’s
attention, making products stay in their memory,
and influencing their purchasing choices.
Immature cognitive development, however,
Children as Consumers: Advertising and Marketing
limits the ability of children younger than
eight to understand the persuasive intent of
commercials. Thus, public policy regulates
how advertisers can interact with children via
television. Online environments are now and
probably always will be less heavily regulated
than more traditional media. Although marketing
and advertising fuel the U.S. economy,
the cost of that economic success requires
considerable scrutiny