ADVERTISING LAW Junk food ads: more restrictions?

Mark Sweney looks at possible strict new regulations

Does your age group need protecting from companies marketing junk food and sugary drinks? There are already restrictions on what can be advertised - and where (there are limits on how close to a school billboards featuring such ads can be!), not to mention when (to avoid targeting children's TV there are also regulations about the times when some ads can be broadcast on TV).

Rather than summarise this article (though I've highlighted some quotes), I've copied in the text below; you might find this useful when thinking about your own ad and when you come to evaluate your work.




Junk food advertising faces ruling on marketing to children
(Mark Sweney in The Guardian, 2015)

The body responsible for setting UK advertising rules is to launch a public consultation that will evaluate whether a ban on advertising junk food to children online, in the press, on billboards and poster sites should be introduced. 

The Committee of Advertising Practice – the code-setting body for all advertising in the UK that appears in any media except on TV and radio – is looking at the introduction of tighter rules on how food and drinks high in fat, salt and sugar are marketed to children. 

Presentations on how advertisers target groups or demographics

Young children may not have lots of money themselves, but through pester power they can persuade and pressurise parents into buying products for them ...
There are increasing restrictions on what can be advertised to children, where and when...


DISCUSS...
Have you successfully used pester power?

(note: useful terminology is often highlighted in bold + pink!)

Do ads for junk food (fast food: burgers, pizza etc) and sugary drinks work on 13 year-olds?

You will be creating a TV ad for your 2nd of 3 Media projects!

In this series of lessons we will...

• build on our initial learning of some persuasive techniques advertisers use
• focus on specific 'demographics' (categories of people) and ads aimed at them
• develop our research, presentation and teamworking skills
• produce a presentation that will be used to brief the rest of the class ...
• and eventually uploaded to this post!

Media cycle 2 worksheet from DB3igs

KEY DEMOGRAPHICS
Companies spend a lot of money to place their ads in certain magazines that they think the type of people likely to be interested in their product/brand read. If you are targeting a youth market, you wouldn't waste money buying space in this magazine ...

WHO is this magazine aimed at (what demographic) and HOW have the designers done this? Pick out details that help your argument.