Whose minds are messed up? A response to Nairn and Fine

Regulation of advertising to children is receiving increased attention. We need to distinguish areas where practice needs reform from criticism based on flawed models of how advertising works and from wrongly perceived changes in advertising practice.

Whose minds are messed up? A response to Nairn and Fine

Tim AmblerLondon Business School

INTRODUCTION

Nairn and Fine (2008) have claimed that the advertising industry is, or might be, behaving unethically with regard specifically to children. They suggest that advertisers are deliberately manipulating the minds of young children and that ways should be found, perhaps through regulation, to prevent this. Their point is that children differ from older age groups and therefore special codes should be enforced to protect them. This paper examines whether Nairn and Fine present a credible case or whether they have confounded their concern...

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