Young Consumers

Advertising to children in South Africa

Shahida Cassim
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Shahida Cassim, (2005),"Advertising to children in South Africa", Young Consumers, Vol. 6 Iss 3 pp. 51 - 55
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Advertising to children in
South Africa
Shahida Cassim, University of KwaZulu Natal, reviews the demographics of the
children’s market in South Africa, discusses current advertising practice, the
regulatory environment in which marketers operate, and speculates on the future
of the issue in the country
T
HE FURORE AROUND advertising to
children and its impact on children’s food
choices has not reached yet South Africa.
While the developed world hotly debates the
issue and implements strict controls on advertis-
ing aimed towards children, South Africa with its
very young population (birth rate of around 3%
and nearly half the population under the age of
21) has paid little attention to the issue.
There may be a few reasons advanced for
this. First, as South Africa moves into its
eleventh year of democracy, it may be argued
that a large number of more pressing social and
economic issues occupy the agendas of the pub-
lic and policy makers. Second, global attention is
focused on food promotion targeting children in
an effort to explain the near epidemic propor-
tions of childhood obesity. Undernutrition
rather than overnutrition has been the focus of
attention in South Africa, as it has been in most
developing countries.
This is not to suggest that advertisers are
unethical in their approach to or the use of chil-
dren in advertisements. Advertisers do, however,
have far more freedom in creating ads for the
children’s market in South Africa than they do
in developed countries. This article explores the
current situation in South Africa.
The children of South Africa
South Africa is a young population. Some 43%
of its population (19.3 million of a population
© World Advertising Research Center 2005
SOUTH AFRICA
of nearly 45 million) is under the age of 20.
According to the South African Census
(2001) 39% of the population may be
regarded as children (under the age of 18).
Some 11 million are between the ages of seven
and 17. 13% of the population is under the age
of six. South Africa’s population pyramid is
thus wide at the bottom and while the reality of
HIV/AIDS will change the shape of the popu-
lation pyramid, the proportions remain
significant.
South Africa does reflect many features of a
developing country in which there is abject
poverty.There is evidence of large proportions of
very poor children in the population. Indeed
ChildFIRST reports in its newsletter of April/
May 2002 that 60% of South Africa’s children
live in the bottom 40% of households (and these
may be regarded as living below the poverty line).
Demographics of the children’s
market
Marketers are interested in the other 60% of
households that comprise a lucrative young
market. This is reflected in the mushrooming
number of research houses, advertising agen-
cies, marketing consultants (and a large
number of these are international) and indeed
conferences and workshops (for marketers)
focusing on this sector in the past five years.
Hugh Farrell of Red Cherry Television pro-
files Living Standards Measure (LSM)
YOUNG CONSUMERS Quarter 2 2005 51
 SOUTH AFRICA

households with kids (2003). The figures are South Africa is a young
drawn from the All Media Product Survey
(AMPS) and Future Fact produced by the population. Some 43% of
Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing. The its population (19.3 million
figures indicate a 28% presence of kids aged
two to six in LSM 7 households (see Table 1
of a population of nearly
for further details of the LSM measure). A 45 million) is under the
further 20% of these households have kids age of 20
aged seven to 13 and 16% have kids aged 13 to
18. An examination of LSM 8 households
reveals 22% with kids aged two to six, 28% size of the kids’ market in South Africa. A
with kids aged seven to 13 and 21% with kids Marcus Evans (2003) conference blurb
aged 13 to 18. A smaller proportion of LSM 9 reported an estimated buying power of R16
households have kids aged two to six (19%), billion by the under-16 market and a further
24% of these households have kids aged seven R30 billion purchases influenced the pester
to 13 and 32% have kids aged 13 to 18. LSM power phenomenon. In the Financial Mail
10 households also have a larger proportion of (2004), a report quoted industry experts esti-
kids aged 13 to 18 (26%) and smaller propor- mating more conservatively the under-18
tions 20% and 19% kids aged seven to 13 and market as having a combined disposable
two to six respectively. income of R6 to 7 billion and influences a fur-
There have been various estimations of the ther R20 billion in spending. This latter
estimate of buying and influencing power has
been adopted by most marketers targeting this
Table 1 Living standards measures group in South Africa. In global terms, this
LSM ‘000 %
market (born between 1979 and 2004), com-
monly known as Generation Y, translates into
Group 1 3059 10.3
the Born Frees in South Africa. This group
Group 2 3935 13.2
shares many of the lifestyles, values and con-
Group 3 4257 14.3
sumption orientations of the Generation Y
Group 4 4159 14.0
group.
Group 5 3725 12.5
South African marketers recognise this mar-
Group 6 3842 12.9
ket of under-18s as a heterogeneous group.
Group 7 1886 6.3
There has been a variety of attempts at seg-
Group 8 1745 5.9
menting this group in the knowledge that age
Group 9 1699 5.7
groups (within the broad definition of kids)
Group 10 1446 4.9
behave differently. Generally the toddlers (0 to
Living Standards Measures is a segmentation tool that is two) are separated from the four to 10 year
widely used by marketers in South Africa. It divides the
population into ten Living Standards Measures (10 the olds (kids). A segment generating interest in
highest and 1 the lowest) based on criteria such as degree South Africa is defined as the tween market
of urbanisation and ownership of specific types of con-
sumer goods. Household income ranges from R879 (ZAR) (11 to 12 years old) then teenagers (13 to 15)
or $128 (US) per month in LSM 1 to R18 649 (ZAR) or $2
718.50 (US) per month in LSM 10. (Calculated at the cur- and finally young adults (16 to 19). It has been
rent exchange rate of R6.86 to the US Dollar). estimated that these kids spend anything
LSM is the product of the South African Advertising between R33 to R550 per month individually.
Research Foundation. Further description of the LSM typol-
ogy may be obtained from: www.saarf.co.za.
In addition, these children exert a great deal of
influence on their family’s consumption deci-

52 YOUNG CONSUMERS Quarter 2 2005

 SOUTH AFRICA

Table 2 Growth of media opportunities in South Africa

Medium 1975 1991 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003

Television stations Nil 7 37 56 65 60 74
Radio stations 7 34 120 105 100 106 109
Daily newspapers 22 18 17 17 17 18 19
Major weeklies 19 19 20 21 22 22 25
Consumer magazines 180 250 450 480 500 515 535
Business to business 219 300 550 580 560 580 610
Community newspapers n/a 255 260 265 272 295
DSTV audio 48 50 40 54
Web pages 1.4bn 2bn 3bn

Source: OMD SA 2004. This table reads: there were no TV channels in 1975. In December 2003 there were 74. Comment: TV
includes: DSTV commercial and non–commercial stations. Radio: estimated to be actively broadcasting at any one time. Print media:
dailies and weekends exclude regional/business editions. Internet: accessed by Google search engine.

sions as the parents ensure education and fun
for their offspring. Interestingly, it has been
observed by the Trend Youth 2 Study (2002)
that as kids progress towards their teenage
years there is evidence of increasing similarity
in mindsets, aspirations and behaviour, which
generally translates into homogeneity in their
consumption of media and brands.
These segments of children/youth from
upper LSM group households in South Africa
are informed, sophisticated, connected and
influential, are brand aware and have market-
ing savvy. In many respects they are no
different to their counterparts in the devel-
oped world.
The media environment for children
These segments (from higher LSM house-
holds) of South African children live in a
media-rich environment. They have a wide
choice of television channels (large numbers
own DSTV); radio, magazines (some nine
youth-oriented publications in South Africa
presently). Mobile phones and internet con-
nections are widely used by the kids/youth
market in South Africa. These kids are also
media literate, can multitask and are comfort-
able with different types of media.
South Africans (both old and young) have
experienced an explosion in the number of
media opportunities in the past few years. This
is reflected in Table 2.
Review of the regulatory
environment
South Africa has, since 1994, moved into a
constitutional state, with the protection of the
right of expression in its Constitution (Delport
2003). The regulatory system must be viewed
against this background. The country employs
an interesting mix of advertising regulation in
a legal system that is supplemented by a sys-
tem of self-regulation for its advertising
content: ‘The system of self-regulation in
South Africa is sophisticated and well devel-
oped’ (Jager & Smith 1995). It is also widely
accepted by the industry. The Advertising
Standards Authority of South Africa (ASASA)
is the body responsible for monitoring adver-
tising and does so through its Code of
Advertising Practice.
The Code contains a general prohibition
against misleading advertising (Cassim &
Langton 1996). The ASA of South Africa itself
has no power to penalise breaches of the code.
Its efficacy comes from the fact that the major

YOUNG CONSUMERS Quarter 2 2005 53

 SOUTH AFRICA
advertising media have voluntarily agreed to
withhold advertising space from advertisers who
fail to abide by the Code.
With specific reference to children, a gen-
eral principle exists in the ASASA’s Code of
Advertising Practice, which states ‘advertise-
ments addressed to or likely to influence
children should not contain any statement or
visual presentation which might result in
harming them, mentally, morally, physically or
emotionally’ (www.asasa.org.za).
The aim of this general principle is two-
fold. First, children should not be brought
under the impression that it is acceptable and
safe to be in certain surroundings and, second,
the depiction of a particular activity would not
have the likely effect that children would
attempt to emulate it, and thus cause them-
selves harm. A possible justification for
depicting a child in a dangerous situation in an
advertisement would, for example, be if that ad
were promoting safe practices.
With regard to a child’s credulity and lack of
experience, a general principle exists in the
Code, which states that ‘Advertisements
should not exploit the natural credulity of chil-
dren or their lack of experience and should not
strain their sense of loyalty’ (www.asasa.org.za).
An example of an advertisement that exploits
a child’s credulity would be the following: ‘one
which leads children to believe that if they do
not own the product advertised they will be
inferior in some way to other children or that
they are liable to be held in contempt or
ridicule for not owning it’ (www.asasa.org.za).
The Advertising Standards Authority Code
of Practice makes specific reference to adver-
tising and children in Section 16.4. This
section contains seven specific clauses relating
to targeting children. In relation to the por-
trayal of children in advertisements the Code
declares children should in no way be por-
trayed as sexually appealing or provocative,
and the advertisement should involve no form
of sexual innuendo.
54 YOUNG CONSUMERS Quarter 2 2005
A key factor is the
relatively high incidence of
stunting (28% of three to
six year olds), related to
chronic undernutrition
early in life. These children
may be particularly
vulnerable to developing
abdominal obesity with
energy-dense western diets
When using children in advertising, provi-
sions of Section 43, 44 and 55(6)(b) of the
Basic Conditions of the Employment Act of
1997 should be taken into account
(www.asasa.org.za).
While the Code of Advertising Practice makes
these provisions for advertisements targeting
children, achieving acceptable advertising also
requires an effective and efficient complaint-
handling mechanism. The ASASA handles
complaints at three levels. Most complaints are
resolved at the first level by the ASA
Directorate. An aggrieved party may refer any
decision of the Directorate to the bodies at level
two, the Advertising Standards Committee.
Competitor complaints are handled by the
Advertising Industry Tribunal (level two). The
decisions of these two committees may be
referred to the Appeal Committee (level three),
chaired by a former judge of the High Court
(www.asasa.org.za).
An assessment of the complaints recorded
by the ASASA indicates a low incidence of
complaints relating to children and young peo-
ple. In 2001, complaints relating to this
category fell halfway down the list of top 12
categories of complaints. This suggests that
advertising to children is not of major concern to
viewers of these advertisements in South Africa.

The future
As the debate on the effects of advertising on
children (and particularly food advertising)
rages on, worldwide attention is focused on the
activities of marketers. South African mar-
keters (and particularly food marketers) will
not escape the debate. The imposition of legis-
lation in several European countries will
provide impetus for placing the issue on the
public policy agenda in South Africa.
Moreover, the incidence of obesity in South
Africa is higher than expected and the issue is
gaining serious media coverage. In October
2004, the International Association for the
study of Obesity (IASO) highlighted the dou-
ble burden of disease occurring in many parts
of the developing world ‘still struggling to
overcome the legacy of undernutrition’.
A study examining the prevalence and
trends of overweight among preschool chil-
dren in developing countries (2000) showed it
to be low (3.3%). South Africa, however, falls
into the ‘higher’ rates of overweight in pre-
school children (6.7%), which is cause for
concern. More recent data published in the
South African Youth Risk Assessment Survey
2002 by the South African Medical Research
Council reports 17% of 13-19 year-olds as
overweight, with particularly high rates in
girls (25%) compared to boys (7%).
Another key factor in this trend is the
relatively high incidence of stunting (28% of
three to six year olds), related to chronic
undernutrition early in life. These children
may be particularly vulnerable to developing
abdominal obesity with energy-dense western
diets.
These factors together must sound the
alarm bells for marketers. South African mar-
keters are not entirely unaware of the issues.
Indeed, consultancies like Edu-Promo spe-
cialise in responsible marketing through
healthy alternatives. The responses of mar-
keters remain to be seen.
SOUTH AFRICA
Acknowledgements
The author expresses appreciation to: Andy
Daws of the Human Sciences Research
Council of South Africa, Alda Heunis of Edu-
Promo, Gordon Muller of OMD Media
Direction, the Unilever Institute of Strategic
Marketing at the University of Cape Town,
Craig Sims of Atoll Media, and a number of
practitioners in the field who gave their time
and information.
References
Cassim, S. & Langton, R. (1996), ‘Current issues
in the regulation of deceptive advertising: Some
consequences for South Africa’ South African
Journal of Business Management, 27, 1, pp.82.
Delport, P (2003), Legal, Decent and Truly
Unique, available at www.fxi.co.za.
De Onis, M. and Blossner, M. (2000) ‘Prevalence
and trends of overweight among preschool
children in developing countries’ American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 72,
pp.1032–1039.
Jager, D.C. & E. Smith (1995) Advertising and the
Law, Butterworth Publishers (Pty) Ltd,
Durban.
Kid POWER Conference (2005) Conference
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Cape Town.
Woker, T. (1999). Advertising Law in South Africa,
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Shahida Cassim is an Associate
Professor in the School of
Management at the University
of KwaZulu Natal. She is
currently undertaking a content
analysis of advertisements
flighted during children’s
viewing times in South
Africa.
cassim@ukzn.ac.za
YOUNG CONSUMERS Quarter 2 2005 55
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