The World of Advertisement: The Truth about Children's Programming

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Palattao � PAGE �5�

Aris Palattao

Professor Foster

Eng 106

5 October 2007

The World of Advertisement

When it comes to the world of advertisement there are no rules or boundaries. Companies want to sell their products by any means necessary. They are willing to do just about anything to do so. There is so much money at stake, ethics and morals are thrown out the window. In today's world, there are so many outlets to advertise from the radio, to the newspaper, to the Internet, companies have many more options than ever before. But the biggest outlet by far is through the television. Nowadays, everyone owns and uses a television. The largest group affected by these advertisements, however, is children. Companies are looking for innovative way to attract their merchandise to children. That's where the problem lies. I remember watching cartoons as a child every Saturday morning. I would always wake up and the first thing I did was turn the television on, almost unconsciously.

The weird part was I did not know what was going on in the plot whatsoever, but I continued to watch for whatever reason. Most of the time the cartoon characters were conversing, but all I focused on was the action. Even during commercial breaks I was hypnotized. They would advertise products like Hot Wheels, Power Rangers, and Barbie Dolls. I was in my own little world. Little did I know everything I was watching was carefully planned beforehand to capture my attention. Companies and shows, such as Spongebob Squarepants, take advantage of the profound influence of television to attract children to their products.

I observed an episode of the popular Nickelodeon show "Spongebob Squarepants" to try to prove this manipulation of children. The overall setting of the show took place underwater. For the...