Advertising is an important branch of marketing which plays imperative art in attracting the customers and consumers towards some specific products. Product advertising promotes the benefits of a specific good or service. Advertising is any form of paid communication in which the sponsor or company is identified. Traditional media—such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, direct mail, billboards and transit cards are most commonly used to transmit advertisements to consumers. (Lamb et al 2005, 405)
Advertising is highly supportive in respect of introducing the individuals with a product on the one hand and setting new trends in the field of marketing on the other. Companies allocate huge sum of money and stipulate significant ratio of their annual budgets to their advertising plan in order to enhance their sales on the basis of which they can increase the volume of their production and penetrate into international markets according to the changing scenario of global marketing strategies.
Millions of dollars have been spent investigating and pursuing ways to grow sales, and no wonder; after all, sales are the lifeblood of an organization. (Owen & Miller: 2004 p 1) Though advertising effect on all strata of a social set up, yet it contains most influence on children folk. Vibrant and colourful advertisements with prize schemes especially fascinate the children and they insist on buying the same without having any knowledge regarding the risks or side effects by using some product in access. Health problems like stomach disturbances, coughing, lungs and liver problems and others can occur by consuming market foods as edibles in access. Obesity is also included in these outcomes of eating foods prepared and baked out from house.
Obesity simply refers to chubbiness and fatness where man’s undergoes problem of unwanted rise in his weight. The problem is common among the individuals of all ages including young, middle-aged and the old people. Though the problem of obesity prevailed in almost all societies from the most primitive to the most modern ones, yet it has observed significant rise during the second half of twentieth century.
The causes of this unabated rise include heart diseases, diabetes, hypertensions, lack of proper exercise and excessive use of fast food and cold drinks etc. The children are the major victims of obesity in the contemporary era all over the world among which fatness observes a constant increase, who have discontinued taking active part in sports, games and physical exercises. “Childhood obesity increased from 5 percent in 1964 to about 13 percent in 1994.
Today, it is about 20 percent – and rising.” (Family education.com) The main reason behind that all is invention and popularity of hundreds of television channels, computer devices, electronic games, amusements and recreations which have pushed the children far from sports leading towards sluggishness, overweight-age, heart diseases at quite a young age and fatness.
Since the contemporary age is the era of industrialization and technological advancement, most part of both work hours as well as leisure time is spent on electronic devices for both productivity and recreation. It has adversely altered life style of modern people and recreational activities have found new dimensions. Children spend most of their free time in watching television programmes and hesitate in going out of the house to involve in any kind of physical exertions.
Caroli et al (2004) conducted a research on the causes of obesity among children of modern times and found a positive relationship between watching TV and increase of weight among them. The researchers concluded that more the hours spent before TV, more the probabilities of increase in children’s weight. Children not only watch television continuously and at a stretch for hours, but also imitate the advertisements being telecast and commercialised on the electronic media. They demand for the same item from their parents they watch being displayed on their favourite television channels without having any knowledge or perception regarding the after effects of the use of these items.
Children are most demanding in respect of edibles among which ice cream, fast foods, drinks and beverages, candies, chocolates and alike attract them most of all. Though the parents are quite aware of the problems these products may bring about, yet they look helpless in respect of convincing the kids not to use such foods and drinks which may badly tell upon their health resulting in creating various diseases in them including fatness and others.
The use of fast food is increasing among British children rapidly. The inclusion of fast food companies like KFC, McDonalds, Fried Chicks, AFC, Subway, Pizza Hut, HFC and others have introduced prepared and cooked food and consequently attained sufficient place in children folk through dazzling advertisements on print and electronic media. The demand for ready-meals in Britain, according to the OFCOM, grew by 44% between 1990 and 2002, while growth across Europe as a whole was 29%. Britain is now consuming double the amount of ready-meals consumed in France and six times the number in Spain. 80% of households in the UK have a microwave, compared with 27% in Italy.
Quick and accurate flow of information regulates the corporate companies within the business environment. All the great organizations are applying latest methods of communication and marketing while making and developing their strategies. Computer industry has witnessed exemplary boost during last three decades and so many games and sports have been come into being for children. The children have been engaged in such indoor games and have altogether forgot to play the games which demand physical effort and hard work.
Bill Gates, the Chairman of Microsoft Corporation, declares fast flow of information and application of technology to be in leading position. The most meaningful way to differentiate your company from your competitor, the best way to put distance between you and the crowd, is to do an outstanding job with information. How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or loose. (Gates: 1999 p 1). It is flow of information that determines new dimensions in the field of advertising.
Bibliography
- Lamb, Charles W, Hair, Joseph F & McDaniel, Carl. (2005). Essentials of Marketing South-Western College Pub; 8 edition.
- Obesity Among Children: Obesity Epidemics. Web.