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After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future.
 
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We honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades. Meanwhile, La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA) continues independently at cila.comminitcila.com and is linked with The CI Global site.
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Marketing to Vulnerable Youth

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Summary

Marketing to Vulnerable Youth


Health(c): Marketing and Youth Conference

World Health Organization - Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health

April 17-19 2002

Fabrica, Treviso, Italy



Susan Villani, M.D.

Kennedy Krieger Institute

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

villani@kennedykrieger.org


Click here to download the original power point presentation from the WHO site.



What Groups of Youth are Most Vulnerable?


  • Developmental Factors
    • Age
    • Developmental Disability
  • Minority Populations
  • Emotionally Disturbed Youth

Age Considerations

  • Young children cannot distinguish fantasy from reality
  • Older children who are developmentally delayed still cannot distinguish fantasy from reality
  • The ability to understand what is being sold and why requires abstract thinking

Consider the following:

  • Nine year olds in a Maryland suburb could name more brands of beer than American presidents
  • By age six years children equally match the Disney channel logo with Mickey Mouse and the face of Joe Camel with a cigarette

Minority Populations

  • African-American youth report on average 10h of daily media exposure, Hispanic youth 9h, and white youth 7h
  • The likelihood of finding televisions, VCR's and video game systems in youngster's bedrooms is inversely related to household income

Emotionally Disturbed Youth

  • The relationship between media violence and youth at risk for violence
  • The relationship between heavy rock music and suicidal youth
  • The relationship between high risk behaviors television watching, rock music and music videos

The Issue of Cumulative Risk

  • 7 year old African American living in foster care in the U.S., born to drug addicted parents, tested positive for syphilis at birth, in special education programme due to aggressive outbursts, learning problems, and problems with fine motor coordination. Heard to say on the playground while riding a tricycle, “I'm cruising in a Lexus.”

Inherent Risks of Marketing to Youth

  • The goal of marketing is to increase the amount of product sold
  • Marketing strategies cast a broad net without considering the effects on vulnerable populations
  • There is likely an assumption of greater adult/parental guidance than actually exists

Marketing Trends

  • Youth seen increasingly as a population with disposable money thus marketing now directly targets them
  • Creative marketing techniques such as promotional items
  • Internet marketing
  • Use of educational settings for marketing

Who Controls the Ethics of Marketing?

  • The Marketplace
  • Public Constituencies
  • The Government
  • The Legal System
  • Personal Responsibility of the Company