Advertising Ad Analysis: Undifferentiated and Term Paper

..While older children and adults understand the inherent bias of advertising, younger children do not, and therefore tend to interpret commercial claims and appeals as accurate and truthful information," said psychologist Dale Kunkel, Ph.D., Professor of Communication at the University of California at Santa Barbara and senior author of the task force's scientific report. (Kunkel, et.al, 2004)

The Lego ads, when seen by younger children who "do not understand persuasive intent in advertising," might feel as if the balance of the world really does hang in their hands -- and an older child might be confused by the overlapping techniques of advertising, which blur the lines between advertising with a persuasive ulterior motive to encourage consumption, and entertainment in the form of cartoons. This confusion might be another reason for the greater efficacy of movie and product tie-ins with children's advertising."(Briesch, Bridges, & Kim, 2004) This fact is seconded by J. Van Evra (2004) author of Television and Child Development, who stresses that young children are particularly vulnerable to the influence of commercial advertising, not only because they do not have the cognitive or judgmental capacity to evaluate advertising on a critical level, but because of the intensity in these undifferentiated ads on a level of saliency, as underlined in the current Lego campaign.

Is the Lego robotic spider likely to sell? Very likely -- and if it does not, it is only because other ads even more effectively make use of product tie-ins, media-based story-like advertisements, and other persuasive, intense, and salient aspects of advertising that draw children into watching such commercials, and stimulate them to induce the 'nag factor.' Media-saturated children and parents who cannot say no have created a kind of perfect storm or marketing opportunity for toy companies, who are growing more and more skilled at blurring the confusing lines between advertising and entertainment.

Works Cited

Briesch, Richard, Eileen Bridges, & Chi Kin (Bennett) Yim. (Nov 2004) "Advertising

Decisions and Children's Product Categories." SMUCox. Retrieved 6 Dec 2006 at http://www.cox.smu.edu/article/research/research.do/114

Campbell, Margaret & Amna Kirmani. (2000). Consumers' Use of Persuasion

Knowledge: The Effects of Accessibility and Cognitive Capacity on Perceptions of an Influence Agent." Journal of Consumer Research. Vol. 27. Pp.69-83. Retrieved 6 Dec 2006 at http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/resolve?id=doi:10.1086/314309&erFrom=8138845525183247928Guest

Exo-Force." (2006). Lego Official Website. Retrieved 6 Dec 2006 at www.exo-force.com

Kunkel, Dale, Brian Wilcox, Edward Palmer, Joanne Cantor, Peter Dowrick, & Susan

Linn, "Television Advertising Leads to Unhealthy Habits in Children." (2000). APA Task Force. Retrieved 6 Dec 2006 at http://www.apa.org/releases/childrenads.pdf

Parents." (2006). Lego Official Website. Retrieved 6 Dec 2006 at http://parents.lego.com/

Sells, Peter & Sierra Gonzalez. (2004) "Unit 16: Layout of Advertisements: Information value and salience." Retrieved 6 Dc 2006 at http://www.stanford.edu/class/linguist34/Unit_16/info_value.htm

Van Evra, J. Television and Child Development. New York: LEA, 2004......