Gambling

‘Cartoon ads gamble on our kids’ future’ was an article published in ‘The Herald Sun’ on the 14th of October 2015. The author Christopher Gillett addresses the issue of ‘Betting agencies are using   cartoon characters to attract children on popular social media sites’ to illustrate to parents that these advertisements are a lot more relatable to their young adolescent.   The overall tone of the opinion piece is quite factual and informative yet an underlying tone of cautionary. Through his tone he displays his contention that using children’s cartoons to advertise gambling needs to stop. Billy Holiday’s cartoon addresses a rather similar audience and issue. The cartoon was published in ‘The Age’ on the 19th of September 2015 showcasing to parents that gambling online is quite susceptible to their young teens. Through his confronting tone his audience gets the impression that gambling is now readily available to teens through the use of technology.
In the late 90s ‘The use of the cartoon character Joe Camel single-handedly increased the market share for Camel cigarettes from 0.5 per cent of adolescent smokers to 32 per cent.’ This overwhelming statistic displays the by-product of what using childhood references can do to impact the minds of young teenagers. By using this statistics it also puts fear in the eyes of the parents of young adolescents. To further enhance his case Gillett uses clichés to connect with his audience. When referencing ‘the old days’ it just shows that history is repeating itself through a different format. Gillett cleverly uses this cliché to put the idea in the minds of his readers of what gambling is capable of doing to the future of their kids just like what tobacco ads did earlier. To help improve his argument Gillett notes a statement released by the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation stating that using ‘characters from The Simpsons and The Lion King’ that this ‘plays a role in increasing the consumption, attitudes and intentions...