A hard-hitting new campaign is calling for an end to surveillance advertising to children by illustrating the physical and emotions harms that the intrusive practice can cause.
Developed by creative agency Nice and Serious, the campaign was inspired by an original idea pitched by a group of schoolchildren. ‘Stop Following Me’ portrays the problematic reality faced by many young people online.
Working with a group of young campaigners for the past two years, NGO Global Action Plan has built the campaign in a bid to inspire tangible change to the unregulated world of surveillance advertising.
As it stands there are currently no laws banning the targeting of under-18s in the UK, with advertisers given free reign to bombard children and young people with sustained, intrusive ads.
“Every time teens open their socials, adverts follow, pressuring them to purchase – some use hard-and-fast sales tactics, others hide as hot tips from trusted influencers,” Nice and Serious associate creative director, Lily Peters said.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest agency-related news sent straight to your inbox each morning
“Inspired by students who experience this first-hand, we wanted to reflect the menacing behaviour of surveillance advertising. So, we took ads off-screen and onto the street, showing their impact in broad daylight and challenging where advertisers should draw the line.”
As part of the campaign, Global Action Plan and young campaigners have published a statement of demands calling for an end to the practice, urging both retailers and the government to come together to protect the nation’s youth.
Young people involved in the movement have even written letters directly to MPs and to the CEOs of New Look, Boots, Samsung, Nike, JD and Shein calling for immediate action.
Global Action Plan director of marketing and culture, Charlotte Zamboni added: “Our young campaigners have told us that they are fed up with being relentlessly targeted by surveillance advertising and that this has negative impacts on them. The marketing community has an important role to play in taking a stand against unethical advertising practices targeting children online.
“Global Action Plan would welcome a conversation to discuss the most impactful actions that the advertising and marketing sector could take. Our young people deserve a response to this important campaign.”
