Running head: The Effects of Advertising on Todays Youth1

The Effects of Advertising on Todays Youth

Michelle Howton
Liberty University
BS in Interdisciplinary Studies APA style

The Effects of Advertising on Todays Youth 2

Abstract
This paper presents a brief discussion about the effects of advertising on young people in
America. It makes the assertion that advertisers tell young people to value good looks and the
opinions of celebrities. It also contends that advertisers encourage impulsive behavior in
adolescents.
Keywords: Adolescents and media, advertising, effects of advertising

The Effects of Advertising on Todays Youth 3

The Effects of Advertising on Todays Youth
Todays technology has vastly improved the lifestyles of Americans. Smartphones keep
tasks and appointments available at a moments notice and provide mobile Internet for reading
news and surfing the web on the go. Not surprisingly, The average young person views more
than 3000 ads per day on television (TV), on the internet, on billboards, and in magazines
(Committee on Communications, 2006, p. 2563). The Committee on Communications asserted
that Advertisers have traditionally used techniques to which children and adolescents are more
susceptible, such as product placements in movies and TV shows, and celebrity
endorsements (2006, p. 2564). Advertising influences the behavior and opinions of young
people by suggesting that they should value the opinions of celebrities, good looks, and
encouraging impulsive behavior.

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Advertising agencies discovered
that placing a celebrity as the
spokesperson for a product increased
sales of their product. Calvert said,
Marketers associate the products and
activities they want to sell with
entertaining characters to increase
interest in those products (2008, p.

Figure 1 In this advertisement Katy Perry uses her Celebrity status to influence
young people to buy an acne treatment product. Image credit: (Imo, 2010)

209). By using celebrities to sell their

products, advertisers are telling young people to value the opinion of celebrities. Stars use their
influence with adolescents to persuade them to buy products. Chias study suggests that even with
a lack of physical contact with a celebrity, adolescents develop a close relationship with their
celebrity idol. This relationship makes them more likely to consume specific products, and
develop certain opinions based on their favorite celebrity (2009, pp. 34-35).
Additionally, adolescents are susceptible to peer pressure; therefore, they are more likely
to adopt a specific celebrity idol if their friends associate with the same one. In figure 1, Katy
Perry, a well-known celebrity, uses her celebrity status to influence young people to buy an acne
treatment product so they can look as good as she does if she really uses it.
Advertisers use models to encourage young people to value beauty. Models are chosen
for their universal beauty, and their flaws are airbrushed away or are surgically altered. With
todays technological and surgical advances a model can look however is needed. Photoshop and
other airbrushing tools can smooth away minor to major flaws such as taking away 10 pounds or

The Effects of Advertising on Todays Youth 5

covering up acne. Some models go so far as to have their physical appearance surgically altered
to look the way they would like.
Cosmetic surgery can include small things, like removing wrinkles or smoothing
complexion. Some models even go as far as removing ribs to appear thinner, or restructuring
their entire face to fit a certain look. In figure 1, all of Katy Perrys flaws have been airbrushed
away making it appear that she has flawless and radiant skin. The advertiser uses her to suggest
that young people can look just like her if they buy Proactiv.
Young girls compare themselves to the models and celebrities in these images; they are
developing an unrealistic image of what beauty is from an early age. In Martin and Gentrys
study of 268 girls from grades fourth, sixth, and eighth, girls were shown three advertisements
that mimicked ads from top magazines for their age group. The results showed that body image
and self-esteem were much lower in the girls self-evaluations after viewing the ads (1997, pp.
21-31).
Frequently, advertisers encourage impulsive behavior in young people. They use
language that creates a sense of urgency, and then provide statistics that give the impression
that readers know something about the product after reading the ad. Advertisers use their own
statistics that lack attention to effective sample size or variance in sample data to give the
impression that an individual is learning actual facts.
In figure 1, the ad claims the product is faster and gentler than ever before while
claiming this is based on a consumer use study of current Proactiv users. There is no source
documented for the study, and it does not provide any specific data for you to see the actual
percentage of consumers supporting the claim. They have also created urgency by putting a large
brightly colored button that says ORDER NOW in all capital letters just below where it says

The Effects of Advertising on Todays Youth 6

you will get a free gift for ordering. Strasburger noted, Children are more willing to believe
information they receive in the media because they have less critical thinking skills and
experience (2004, p. 55). Generally, young people do not research claims made by
advertisements. If they do research something, it is usually through a quick Google search.
While Google can provide a wealth of knowledge, they do not only include facts. Since Google
promotes search results from websites that pay for higher priority, many of the top results will
consist of opinion-based articles from people who were paid to write positive reviews by the
manufacturer.
Advertisers directly and indirectly suggest that young people should value good looks
and the opinions of celebrities through written and visual arguments. They use well-known
celebrities to endorse products that are targeted at adolescents. Advertisers choose beautiful
models and cover up their flaws to tell young people to value good looks. Additionally,
promoters encourage young people to develop impulsive behaviors by using specific wording,
and making unfounded claims to persuade young people to make impulse buys.

The Effects of Advertising on Todays Youth 7

References
Calvert, S. (2008). Children as Consumers: Advertising and Marketing. Children and Electronic
Media , 18 (1), 205-234.
Chia, S. (2009). Media, Celebrities, and Fans: An Examination of Adolescents' Media Usage and
Involvement with Entertainment Celebrities. Journalism and Mass Communication
Quarterly , 86 (1), 23-44.
Committee on Communications. (2006). Children, Adolescents, and Advertising. Pediatrics ,
118 (6), 2563-2569.
Imo. (2010). Proactiv Rebrand. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from un bel spirit:
http://babyimo.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/screen-shot-2010-08-14-at-2-17-47-pm.png
Martin, M., & Gentry, J. (1997). Stuck in the Model Trap: The Effects of Beautiful Models in
Ads on Female Pre-Adolescents and Adolescents. Journal of Advertising , 26 (2), 19-34.
Strasburger, V. (2004). Children, adolescents, and the media. Current Problems in Pediatric and
Adolescent Health Care , 34 (2), 54-113.

The Effects of Advertising on Todays Youth 8

I.

Prompt: Select an image(s) from an electronic source that you think exemplifies your

position on the effect of advertising on American youth. What do advertisements tell young
people they should value? Argue a causal relationship between American advertising and the

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attitudes and behaviors of American youth.

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A.

Introduction
1.

The average young person views more than 3000 ads per day on television

(TV), on the Internet, on billboards, and in magazines.

a)
2.

Citation

Thesis: Advertising influences the behavior and opinions of young people

by suggesting that they should value the opinions of celebrities, good looks, and
encouraging impulsive behavior.
B.

Advertisers tell young people to value the opinion of celebrities

1.

Celebrities use their influence to sell products and influence opinions of

youth
2.

The more popular a celebrity is the greater influence they have on young

people
C.

Advertisers tell young people to value good looks

1.

Models are chosen for their universal beauty and their flaws are airbrushed

away or are surgically altered

2.
D.

Constant bombardment of beauty products and enhancements

Advertisers encourage impulsive behavior (instant gratification)

1.

Advertisers use language that creates urgency

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2.

Advertisers make false or unfounded claims that young people take at face

value
E.

Conclusion
1.

Final Thoughts

2.

Restate Thesis