BBaker2008_KeitaiKids

CHILDREN AND MOBILE PHONES:

THE RISKS, POWER OF PRODUCT PLACEMENT,

AND PATHS TO SAFETY AND SUCCESS

BY

Brandon Gregory Baker

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS IN

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS at the

INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF JAPAN

2008

I grant the International University of Japan the non-exclusive right to use this work for the University's own purposes and to make single copies of the work available to the public on a not-for-profit basis.

___________________________________

Brandon Gregory Baker

INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF JAPAN

2008

ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS

Children and Mobile Phones: The Risks, Power of Product Placement, and Paths to Safety and Success

by

Brandon Gregory Baker

Master of Arts in International Relations

International University of Japan, 2008

Professor Motohide Saji, Supervisor

Professor Philip Sugai, Advisor

With mobile phone ownership rates reaching their limit worldwide, mobile phone operators are reaching out to one of the few untapped markets: young children. The marketing of mobile phones as safety devices, as well as the newest cool thing to have, has led children to acquire their first mobile phone at increasingly younger ages. However, there is an overwhelming amount of risks that come with children using mobile phones. Through Japanese super hero television programs a new form of product placement for mobile phones has appeared, possibly strengthening the appeal of mobile phones to very young children in a way never seen before. This paper discusses why companies are aiming for children at such ages, analyzes the risks, and then discusses the intricacies of this new form of product placement. It then explains the possible effects of this product placement, followed by a detailed proposition for measurement. It concludes with suggestions to three main groups (mobile operators and their allies, competitors to mobile operators, watch groups and researchers) on how to move forward, with an emphasis on removing the risks to children and promoting safety.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction			1
(1) The Youth Consumer Segment and the Global State of Mobile Phones			6
	(1.1)	Introduction	7
	(1.2)	The Importance and Power of Youth as a Consumer Segment	8
	(1.3)	The Global State of Mobile Use	12
	(1.4)	The Connection between the Youth Market and Mobile Communications	15
`	(1.5) The Effects of the Saturated Market		19
	(1.6)	The Importance of Capturing the Child Market	29
(2) Child Mobile Phone Use: The Risks Overwhelm the Benefits			34
	(2.1)	Introduction	35
	(2.2)	The Positives and their Awareness	36
	(2.3)	The Negatives Outweigh the Positives	38
		(2.3.1) The Mobile Phone Industry and its Marketing Tactics	38
		(2.3.2) The Teenage Years and Personal Development	41
		(2.3.3) The Amplification of Social Stress	44
		(2.3.3.1) Bullying	47
		(2.3.3.2) Sex Related Incidents	49
		(2.3.4) The Main Source of the Negatives	53
(3) Super Hero Television Programs: Product Placement and the Possible Effects			55
	(3.1)	Introduction	56
	(3.2)	The Bandai Namco Group	57
	(3.3)	The Super Hero Television Program and its Use of Product Placement	58

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(3.4)	The Effects of Advertising in Media on Children and its Relation to
Japanese Super Hero Television Programs		66
(4) Hypotheses on the Effects of Super Hero Television Program Product Placement
in Relation to Mobile Phones: Development and Testing		72
(4.1)	Introduction	73
(4.2)	The Phenomenon Used to Measure the Power of the Product Placement	73
(4.3)	The Hypotheses Based on the Phenomenon	78
(4.4)	The Development of the Hypotheses Test	81
	(4.4.1) The Scales	81
	(4.4.2) The Modification of the Scales for Children	84
	(4.4.3) The Translation Process	92
(4.5)	The Survey Process	93
(5) Paths to Safety and Success		95
(5.1)	Introduction	96
(5.2)	The Reasons Behind the Push for Mobile Phones	96
(5.3)	The Competitors of Mobile Phone Operators	98
(5.4)	The Suggestions for the Future	102
	(5.4.1) The Mobile Operators and their Allies	102
	(5.4.2) The Competitors	106
	(5.4.3) The Watch Groups and Researchers	109
Appendix		111
Bibliography		137

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my advisor, Professor Philip Sugai, for all the time and energy he has put into my days at IUJ and this thesis. He truly proved his patience and passion as a teacher by helping a terribly poor writer, such as I, get so many words down in some form of organized manner.

I would also like to thank my supervisor, Professor Motohide Saji, for never giving up on me when I came into so many meetings with little idea of what I would write. And then for sitting through so many of my ramblings once I had selected a topic.

My deepest thanks go out to the wonderful people at the Mitsubishi UFJ Trust Scholarship Foundation for allowing me the privilege to pursue my master’s degree.

A big thumbs up to my career counselor, Gretchen Shinoda, for always listening to my worries and guiding me to achieve my goals!

I offer a sigh of relief and a high-five to my friends at IUJ. We did it! Thank you.

I cannot thank my mother and grandmother enough for twenty-five years of love and support. Thank you for encouraging me to always aim higher, and for helping me make my dreams a reality.

I would like to dedicate this thesis to my sister. Her strength is inspiring.

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1

Introduction

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The popularity of the mobile phone around the world has exceeded all expectations. Its daily use has spread across the continents, and through almost every cohort. Now, to gain more market share mobile operators are aiming their attention and marketing to the youngest of children. Recently, a Japanese toy manufacturer and television show producer, Bandai, started to market mobile phones in a completely new manner. The company has implemented un-branded mobile phones that have amazing powers directly into the plots of its super hero shows. This form of product placement is a new phenomenon in the world of marketing. The average viewer age is 5.5 years old; with 35.6% of Japanese children under the age of 3, 48.3% between the ages of 3 and 6, and 24.1% of elementary school students, grades 1 to 6, watching the super hero programs (“ ” 2004). Discovering the effects of the product placement would prove beneficial to a variety of groups concerned with the mobile phone industry and child rights.

If this new form of product placement would be found to be successful, it could provide companies with a new and powerful means to cultivate fresh and possibly lifelong customers. Researchers (Madden 2003; Porter and Donthu 2006; Geser 2006) have proven across a several media and communication platforms (i.e. – the Internet, mobile phones, etc.) that the earlier a child perceives a product to be positive and begins to use it, the greater they will value a product over others who first experienced the product later in life. The user will also go on to implement the product more into their lives exponentially as they age. Bandai could be attempting to acquire this form of

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extreme customer for its mobile phone services, as well as for its mobile phone operator sponsors and partners.

Causes for concern over this type of marketing to children come from established research. It has been proven that children up to the age of 12 generally accept advertising as positive and do not clearly understand the aim of advertisements (Roedder 1981; Moore and Lutz 2001). Also, as a child views an advertisement over and over, their attitude towards the advertised product will grow more positive (Zajonc and Markus 1982; Nordheilm 2002; Auty and Lewis 2004). The amount of viewing also directly affects a child’s requests for said item (Chamberlain and Wang 2006). Finally, the more a child finds a commercial or screen media enjoyable and interesting, the more they will be attracted to the advertised product (Moore and Lutz 2000; Russell 2002; D’Astous and Chartier 2002). Thus, a young child who views the super hero television programs weekly, and possibly more due to media recording devices, meets all the requirements to be powerfully affected by this form of product placement.

With the problem, background, and rationale defined, the purpose of this study should be clear: to measure the effects of the unique product placement found in Japanese super hero television programs. The secondary purpose of this study is to inform and suggest future actions to not only Bandai, but child rights advocates as well. As such a potentially powerful tool should not go unchecked. Due to limitations of the study (mentioned below) a tertiary purpose to the study exists. A great deal of research went into the child mobile phone industry, and also how mobile phone use affects children, both positively and negatively. Therefore, this paper attempts to teach mobile

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operators how they can cut down on the dangers their product creates for children, thus

promoting a better image and increasing business. It also gives recommendations to a

new rival group to mobile phone operators, security companies, on how they can

compete against the mobile phone craze using the negative affects of child mobile phone

use against the industry. Finally, the paper gives advice to researchers and child rights

watch groups on where future research is necessary, and how to move forward.

The hypotheses this paper presents are based on three phenomena related to

media consumption and product use that are explained in detail below: audience

connectedness (Fiske 1987; Russell and Puto 1999); personal involvement (Olshavsky

and Granboi 1979; Zaichkowsky 1985, 1994); self-efficacy (Compeau and Higgins

1995; Bandura 1997, 2001; Helfenstein 2005). The hypotheses are:

H1 A relationship exists between the level of connectedness to a Japanese super hero show and involvement with a mobile phone.

H2 A relationship exists between the level of connectedness to a Japanese super hero show and the level of self-efficacy perceived to be gained from a mobile phone.

H3 A relationship exists between a child’s involvement with mobile phones and perceived self-efficacy gained from a mobile phone.

H4 A relationship exists between the level of connectedness to a Japanese super hero show and their chance of mobile phone ownership.

H5 A relationship exists between the level of connectedness to a Japanese super hero show and their desire to use a mobile phone.

H6 A relationship exists between the level of connectedness to a Japanese super hero show and their chance of mobile phone usage.