Advertising is a type of media used to influence audiences to purchase a highly promoted product or service. The result of advertising leaves satisfied consumers hooked on certain products. Advertisements for different types of products are seen on various medias including newspapers, magazines, television, radios and websites. Commercial advertisers seek to create increased consumption of their products through “branding”, which involves the repetition of an image or name in an effort to associate good qualities with the brand. Advertising to children is often the subject of debate, relating to the alleged influence on children’s consumption (Wikipedia). Even though it is proven that advertising unhealthy foods to children has caused a rise in childhood obesity, advertising should not be regulated because these companies are solely doing their job and it should be the parents’ responsibility to set limits on their children.
Regulating advertisements is unfair to the hard-working food and advertising companies. A certain company should not be blamed and punished for successfully advertising their products. Members of the Corporate Accountability International, a non-profit organization that campaigns to protect the health of the public, would feel better if all advertising was eliminated, but that is impossible due to the fact that our economy is built on getting money from consumers (???). In a study by the Federal Trade Commission, it was found that the big food and drink companies spend about $1.6 million on advertisements aimed at children per year (Alaimo). Companies would have to spend millions of dollars to improve their advertisements to fit the regulation standards. Food companies such as General Mills would be greatly affected by regulations because they spend big money advertising their cereals to children (Hughlett). New guidelines have already been made to restrict the foods that are advertised today. These new rules say that food companies...