Advertising's Role in Teenagers' Bad Habits: A Research Report

This research report investigates the impact of advertising on the acquisition of bad habits by teenagers, focusing on how advertising strategies influence youths' social behavior in the contemporary digital environment. It begins with an abstract outlining the study's aim to understand how advertising impacts teenagers' social habits, employing secondary research methods like grounded theory and narrative analysis. The report includes a detailed table of contents, introduction, background, research aim and objectives, questions, conceptual framework, and hypotheses. A comprehensive literature review examines media effects, teen consumer behavior, and the impact of advertising on buying habits. The methodology section details research philosophy, design, data collection, analysis, ethical considerations, and limitations. The study explores the dynamic market environment and the increasing exposure of youths to technology, emphasizing the direct relationship between advertising strategies and teenagers' behavioral aspects. The report also discusses theoretical perspectives, including the influence of advertising on consumer culture and the changing cultural landscape affecting young people, which is a contribution to the existing body of knowledge regarding marketing and advertising.

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Abstract
This research report is performed on investigation and analysis of the impact of advertising
on acquisition of bad habits of teenagers. This means the study basically focus on the impact
of advertising strategy on social behaviour of the youths. This research report seeks to
identify how today’s advertising strategies is impacting youths’ behaviour. To gain a broad
understanding about how advertising is creating impact on the youths’ behaviour, wide
reading sources and intensive understanding regarding the context is highly required. Thus,
secondary research method has been deemed to be applied to the study. Aim of the study is to
understand the how today’s advertising strategies are creating the impact on teenager’s social
habits. To meet this stated aim, secondary data analysis method such as grounded theory and
narrative analysis method will be applied to address the research questions.

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Table of Content
1.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
1.2 Background to the study...................................................................................................4
1.3 Research aim and Objectives...........................................................................................5
1.4 Research Questions..........................................................................................................5
1.5 Conceptual framework.....................................................................................................6
1.5 Research Hypothesis........................................................................................................7
1.6 Theoretical perspectives...................................................................................................8
1.7 Research Methods............................................................................................................9
2.0 Literature review................................................................................................................10
2.1 Media effects and body image perceptions on youth.....................................................11
2.2 Teens are the most elusive as well as valuable consumers in tech................................11
2.3 Impact of TV advertising on youth buying behaviour...................................................12
3.0 Research Methodology.......................................................................................................13
3.1 Research Philosophy......................................................................................................13
3.3 Research Design.............................................................................................................14
3.4 Data Collection methods................................................................................................15
3.5 Data Analysis.................................................................................................................15
3.6 Significance of the study................................................................................................16
3.7 Ethical consideration......................................................................................................16
3.8 Limitation.......................................................................................................................17
References................................................................................................................................18

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Topic- The impact of advertising on acquisition of bad habits by teenagers
1.1 Introduction
This research project is based on the investigation and analysis of the impact of
advertising on acquisition of bad habits of teenagers. It is certain that youths today are far
more equipped with adequate information than they had a couple of decades before.
Decidedly, the advances and evolution of technology has brought significant changes in the
life style of youths. It can be stated that the kind of exposure the youths today have towards
Internet, Television, Print and other media forces one to reconsider the effects that
advertisements have on mind of the millennial. There is no doubt that internet or the digital
media proves to be one of the most effective ways of persuasive communication as this is the
place where the youths spend ample amount of time in surfing and downloading materials.
The exposure that one receives from Internet, Television and other known media through
advertisements portrays the difficulties, cultures and life-styles (Hopper 2005).
It is certain that youths are passive observers of myriad of things who tend to grasp
every message from advertisement and such advertisements directly and indirectly forces
youths to consider the agenda in a manner which is portrayed throughout the advertisement
which could further create positive or negative influence. Thus, it is essential to identify how
advertising strategies are creating impact on youths. As the market environment has been
dynamic in nature, advertising attempts and strategies are shaped accordingly but it is yet not
known how dynamic advertising strategies are targeting youths and triggering bad habits
among them. This research report seeks to identify how today’s advertising strategies is
impacting youths’ behaviour.

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1.2 Background to the study
Due to digitalization and advances in technology, youths are certainly exposed to
several images and commercials for different products and services on a regular basis.
According to Schudson (2013), such excessive amount of media in today’s youths’ lives
cannot be side-lined and influences all those surrounded by it. It can be stated that it is more
of an expression of society which are a part as well as reflected image for all practical
purposes and holds a tremendous influence on social, cultural and moral values of youths. So,
if it is considered with a different perspectives, it can be mentioned that youths in the present
day a huge amount of time on internet, television than the classroom and it is thus, imperative
that the youths tend to get influenced by such aspects to a larger degree. In addition to this,
youths are exposed to all sort of advertisement because today advertisements and all of its
kind entirely processed in the digital platforms and youths have free aces to such platforms.
Moreover, the advertisements are widely placed in the internet and digital platforms
besides the traditional media like newspapers, magazines and on billboards. It is found that
advertisement begin with persuading the consumers because of the new benefits that product
promises to provide to consumers. It is certain that marketers want consumers to be intended
to spend the money on product and service. Thus, it is worth mentioning that due to such
planned and deliberate marketing efforts, youths often get influenced; this means there could
be some content which might influence youths badly but as they do not have adequate
knowledge regarding the content, they rush to take decisions. Nonetheless, the fact that
should not go unnoticed is that marketers are quite aware of the fact that youths are supposed
to react to such attempts.
According to Lovato, Watts and Stead (2011), brands that appear appealing to
teenagers often take advantage of their particular vulnerabilities such as desire to fit in, to be
perceived as attractive. Biener et al. (2004) mentioned that teenagers are broadly accustomed

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to their place in the peer hierarchy and so advertising tends to act here as the super peer
particular in guiding them towards what is acceptable to them. When getting into the detail
about such practice of marketers in contemporary market, advertisers or marketers actively
solicit the youths or the teen followers on social media to market products. Such techniques
tend to strengthen the idea that brands make the individual and it is necessary to help the
teenagers to realize and understand their self-worth which is not determined what actually
they hold or own.
1.3 Research aim and Objectives
The aim of the study is to understand the how today’s advertising strategies are creating
the impact on teenager’s social habits. Following are the fundamental objectives of meeting
the stated aim.
 To critically analyse the behavioural aspects of teenagers
 To critically investigate advertising attempts made by marketers to create impact on
teenagers’ behaviour
 To understand the impact of advertising on acquisition of bad habits of teenagers
1.4 Research Questions
 What are the major behavioural aspects of teenagers?
 How are marketing strategies developed by marketers to create impact on teenagers’
behaviour?

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1.5 Conceptual framework
The above presented conceptual framework helps to understand and state the fact that
there is a direct relationship between dynamic market environment and increasing exposure
of youths to technology. This means market environment has been dynamic because due to
technology advances youths have become more close to the use of technology which means
use of technology among the youths have increased. On the other side, market has been
dynamic because access to information has become easy; today youths tend to demand more
about the quality of anything because they get knowledge how and what could shape their
needs and desires.
Thus, due to such varied taste and preferences, market needs, are changing rapidly.
Likewise, the aspect of behavioural aspects of youths is again linked to changes and shaping
of advertising strategies. This means when marketers are shaping and forming marketing
strategies considering the target market or the target population of their strategies,
Dynamic market environment
Changes and shaping of
advertising strategies
Understanding the
behavioural aspects of
youths
Excessive exposure of
youths to technology
Advertising affecting the
social habits of Youths

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behavioural aspects of youths today have often been considered in the process. For example,
as discussed in the review, youths are highly exposed to marketing approaches in the digital
media because marketers are tracking the regular activities of youths. So, when the
behavioural aspects and regular activities are known, it is quite easy for marketers to drive
and influence the behaviour the youths and their habits. This means youths’ habits are again
influenced by advertising efforts. Thus, it can be mentioned that there is a direct relationship
between youths’ behavioural aspects and advertising strategies.
Likewise, there is an upward and downward relationship between dynamic market
environment and changes and shaping of advertising strategies. This means if the market
environment is dynamic, marketers have to change their strategies as per the market
dynamisms, and shape it in way that it entirely covers the market requirement. On the other
side, marketers make their strategies to influence the overall characteristics of the market.
Thus, this in turn make the market dynamic in nature. Similarly, excessive exposure to
technology again influence the behaviour of youths such as youths spend ample amount of
time in technology, unlike the conventional medium, youths tend to collect feedbacks from
others online in the digital platform or some might make impulsive decisions. So, certainly,
there is a significant change in the behavioural aspect of youths. However, all of these aspects
are put together to sum up, it can be found that advertising strategies are making great impact
on youths’ social habits.
1.5 Research Hypothesis
H0-Advertisig strategies have no impact on youths’ habit and behaviour
H1 - Advertising strategies have impact on youths’ habit and behaviour

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1.6 Theoretical perspectives
Prochaska (2013) pointed that individuals of all societies should represent themselves
through aesthetic image which leads to authors’ proposal that the individual is eventually
their life-style and projected image. This means that the value of the image and then define
consumer culture fundamentally as an aesthetic experience. Hence, the authors wish to see
the fact that advertising holds a similar and direct relationship with the construction of the
social imaginary via media disseminated image in which it could take a fundamental role in
two different ways for example, like it could happen by financing the media as well as
evoking the emotions of regular life. Consequently, the actual self-image, along that of
others, is highly influence by an advertising imaginary which seeks identification of
consumers with a specific brand. Furthermore, it has been noted that it could happen through
the agency of advertising in consumer society which makes forces the fundamental axis and
this happens not only in the financial sector, it could also happen in social and cultural
implanting. This often generates a new series of meaning, values and ways of thinking and
the interpretation of the reality. On the other side, Francis (2014) commented that cultural
relevance of advertising tend to exist in its ability to go beyond the trade and dictate the
patterns of behaviour, modes of relationship, values as well as the social aspiration.
Youths, advertising and cultural studies
Cwalina, Falkowski and Newman (2013) performed a study and mentioned the fact
cultural changes in the recent years which have experienced deep effect on youths. This
means from transformations of family to economic as well as cultural globalization, the
weakening of conventional forms of authority, changes in working world, the growth of
consumer society and fundamental of mass media of consumer society, constant
improvement of mass media to contemporary culture, these changes have a great impact to
contemporary culture. Consequently, these have significantly changed the fabric of the world

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of young people. It is certain that young people consequently have developed new cultural
skills which lead to personal forms of meaning of the different type of content they access.
Furthermore, it has been noted that a significant number of academic studies in media and
advertising along with the consistent theoretical references have made the assumptions that
audiences should be passive when confronted with the message. On the other side, De Mooij
(2018) provides a critical view of the notion which recognizes the theory of mass society and
this is often referred as ‘massmediological temptation’ and this often tries to replace
conventional methods of sociology with a pseudo-scientific as well as hyper-ideological
discourse.
In this context, Okazaki and Taylor (2013) commented that a worrying number of
intellectuals agree to this perspectives because of the false notion that anyone could interpret
the signs of modernity and thereby generate a pessimistic narrative of modern civilization.
Similarly, Chan, Leung Ng and Luk (2013) mentioned that the meaning of a particular
message conveyed by media is not static, stable and transparent to all recipients in equal
measure. Hence, the meaning of a message depends on the decoding structure, which could
enable receiver to change its proposed effect. Similarly, some cultural studies is
fundamentally based on the different forms of significance and incorporation of media-
disseminated message in regular life of the youths. It has been identified that such view is
particularly characterized by a more positive approach compared to Frankfurt School in
relation to product of mass culture which is based on comprehension, meaning and the place
of culture.
1.7 Research Methods
In order to perform the study on the impact of advertising on the social habits of
youths, research methods with broad area of application would be effective for the study.
Thus, to perform the analysis, secondary data analysis method would be used and data will be

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collected from secondary data sources such as books, journal articles blogs and newspaper
articles and all of the sources will be taken only then they are about advertising and
teenagers’ social habits.
2.0 Literature review
Schudson (2013) performed a study on youth behaviour, and mentioned the fact that
advertisers must have to deal with the issue of advertising to youths. It has been identified
that the advertising in particular have become an indispensable mode of communication with
the market. In this context, Chan, Leung Ng, and Luk (2013) commented that advertising is
more of means of communication with the users of a product or service; this means
advertisement messages are paid for by those who tend to send them and willing to inform or
influence people who receive them. Furthermore, Giroux and Robbins (2015) performed a
study and added the fact that the significance of advertising grows steadily because brands
depend heavily on media for the marketing objectives like increasing sales, creating
knowledge, awareness in the market.
Nevertheless, Okazaki and Taylor (2013) argued that myriads of criticisms about the
role of advertising in the society have emerged and authors of this study have also mentioned
the fact that media in particular advertising probably has not played a more crucial role in
teenagers’ socio-economic development and well-being. Nava et al. (2013) argued that
youths are particularly vulnerable to advertising as they tend to lack experience and
knowledge to critically understand and evaluate critically the purpose of persuasive
advertising appeals. On the other side, Voelker, Reel and Greenleaf (2015) critically added
the fact that pre-school children might not able to differentiate between commercial and
programmes as well as cannot differentiate between reality and fantasy. Nonetheless, Perloff
(2014) argued that pre-school children do not fall under the criteria of being youths. This