Silence that idiot box – the distraction of excessive TV

 

The television is a big source of distraction for our children.  They are attracted by the bright colours and sounds that it captures all their attention.  The problem is that they cannot focus on other tasks like doing their homework, art, music, craft and even eating their food.

The main problem is in moderating how much they sit in front of the idiot box.  We have numerous interesting programmes for children on Disney channel, National Geographic, Discovery channel, and cartoon channels.  Children can learn a lot about science, art, craft and general knowledge through these programmes.  But in this process they are glued to the set and miss out on games, books and other activities.

At home, I used to restrict TV time to one hour so that my child could find time for lot of other interesting activities , games, music etc.  To encourage this, spending some time together with the child helps as you could do an activity together with them like playing board games with them or building a project together .   The purpose it to divert their attention from the idiot box.

Also children should not be allowed to watch shows with excessive violence and unsuitable content.  There are also harmful effects of consumerism and advertising that targets children.  Children have another bad habit of watching TV from a close range and this significantly increases the risk of myopia.  Some children need a snack like potato chips to constantly munch while watching  TV and this increases the risk of obesity in children.

This verse by Roald Dahl in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate factory’ just about sums about all what we have said above in a humorous way:

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/television/

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Advertising and Brand Appeal

An advertisement is very much like a persuasive essay. It begins with a thesis,
something to be proved, and then uses visual images, techniques and persuasive text as
supporting arguments to attempt to persuade consumers to buy the product.

Techniques used in advertising:
Bandwagon: the impression that everyone else is doing it, or of being left out of
something if you don’t.
Sex Appeal: other people will think that you are more attractive or desirable because
you use that product.
Emotional words: specific words used to affect your emotions either positively or
negatively
Transfer: positive feeling about the people in the ad are transferred to the consumer
Visual imagery: use of people, setting or situations that appeal to consumers. Often the
image has little to do with the product.

Advertising as we know it, however, really began with the invention of printing by William Caxton in 1480.  Some of the popular media for advertising are:

1. Television
2. Radio
3. Print Publications
4. Internet
5. Direct Mail
6. Signage
7. Product Placement
8. Mobile Devices
9. Sponsorships
10. Other Media Outlets

Television advertising offers the benefit of reaching large numbers in a single exposure. Yet because it is a mass medium capable of being seen by nearly anyone, television lacks the ability to deliver an advertisement to highly targeted customers compared to other media outlets..

Radio advertising is mostly local to the broadcast range of a radio station, In many ways radio suffers the same problems as television, namely, a mass medium that is not highly targeted and offers little opportunity to track responses. But unlike television, radio presents the additional disadvantage of limiting advertisers to audio-only advertising.

Currently, internet and mobile media are overtaking the other media in appeal and reach.

Forbes came out with a list of most popular brands of 2010.  The leader in the list is Apple.

RANK	COMPANY
1	Apple
2	Microsoft
3	Coca Cola
4	IBM
5	Google
6	McDonalds
7	GE
8	Marlboro
9	Intel
10	Nokia

Apple shows just how a brand can survive and thrive even when a parent company stumbles. Apple’s sales in the late 1990s plummeted 46% over a four-year stretch while the company lost money seven times over eight quarters. The stock was trading for less than $4 (split-adjusted) in 1997 before company cofounder Steve Jobs, who had been ousted, rejoined Apple.The following year Apple released the iMac, the first in a string of monster hits over a dozen years. Sales over the past 12 months hit $57 billion, and net income was $12 billion. The stock is up 60-fold since 1997.

Thus companies like Apple that strive to establish a strong R & D , innovation and engineering win by becoming popular brands that everyone wants to identify with!