Samantha Slappey
Stahl
December 2, 2011
Marketing Food to Children
Not too long ago, marketing to children was a business strategy only used by child-oriented companies such as Disney, McDonald’s, and various toy makers. Today, a multitude of companies including automobile, clothing, and food companies are targeting children in their marketing techniques. This explosion is said to have started in the 1980’s when many working parents, feeling guilty about not spending as much time with their kids, started to spend more money on them. Most major ad agencies now have their very own children’s divisions that are designed to increase both current and future consumption of the brand. The strategy, called “cradle-to-grave,” creates the ultimate brand loyalty that, with the right techniques, can begin as early as age two (Schlosser 8). With this brand loyalty, however, comes some repercussions. The clever marketing of foods with high calorie and fat content has driven the child’s desire to consume more packaged and refined foods then fresh fruits and vegetables. With childhood obesity on a steady rise, the effects of this marketing are causing parents to have to create a balance between the colorful, fun foods that their children want to eat and the healthy, nutritional foods that their children need to eat.
The marketing of “junk” foods to children is most commonly seen in advertisements that children watch on television. The average American child sees 10,000 food advertisements per year on television and, as studies show, many younger children cannot often tell the difference between television programming and television advertising (Supersize Me). Additionally, children cannot comprehend the real purpose of commercials and usually trust that advertising claims are true (Schlosser 10). A study titled “Food for Thought: Television Food Advertising to Children in the United States,” found that “34 per cent of all kids’ food ads are for candy and snacks, 28 per cent are for cereal, and 10 percent are for fast foods. Only four per cent are for dairy products and one per cent for fruit juices. Of the 8,854 ads reviewed, none was for fruits or vegetables” (Winter 2). The lack of advertising for healthy foods indeed plays a role in the lack of interest most children have for healthy, fresh foods. Companies use familiar characters such as Dora the Explorer, Shrek, and Spongebob Squarepants in advertisements and on packaging in order make their products more appealing to children. In fact, according to the documentary “Consuming Kids,” Kraft’s Spongebob Squarepants macaroni was the company’s best-selling macaroni and cheese because children legitimately thought that the Spongebob shaped noodles tasted better. These characters that companies use to draw in children are arguably touchstones in these children’s lives, things that they feel they understand and feel comfortable around and, in their own sense, love (Consuming Kids). Companies access these touchstones and combine them with colorful packaging and easy to read font in order to create packaging that appears fun and kid-friendly. When children see these products, usually placed at eye-level on the grocery store shelves, they use the nag factor, which is a child’s own unique way of whining or manipulating, to convince their parents to purchase the desired product.
Similar to junk food companies, most fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s and Burger King also use a majority of their marketing techniques to draw in children. In addition to spending $3 billion on television advertising, fast food chains also use a variety of other techniques to reach children. Fast food companies use techniques like providing kid-friendly playgrounds in their restaurants, miniature versions of popular toys in their children’s meals, and fun, goofy characters to represent the brand image. As American towns and cities continue to spend less money on the construction of playgrounds, fast food restaurants are becoming a new space for children to play. In fact, every month “about 90 per cent of American children between three and nine visit a McDonald’s” (Schlosser 10). These playgrounds prove to be excellent ways to draw kids into the establishment but the largest contributor to keeping kids interested is indeed the free toy they get with every meal. In addition, many fast food restaurants have deals with toy manufacturers and give away sample toys with every kid’s meal. In fact, many toy crazes have been directly linked to the consumption of fast food meals that promote said products. In order to establish a routine interest in the chain, companies usually release numerous versions of a toy, which drive the child to want to come back on a regular basis. It is said that McDonald’s 1997 Teenie Beanie Baby giveaway was one of the most successful promotions in American history, resulting in the sale of about 10 millions Happy Meals in a typical week (Schlosser 11). Children are so saturated in the marketing techniques of fast food chains that they even have a tendency to recognize figures like Ronald McDonald more easily than even the most influential historical figures like George Washington (Supersize Me).
In addition to reaching children through television advertising and specialized marketing, companies are also bringing their marketing techniques into schools. Companies are able to get their logos inside schools by providing vending machines, soft drink “pouring rights” agreements, branded fast food fundraising, and other direct and indirect forms of advertising. In fact, in a 2000 study of California high schools, nearly 72 percent of school districts allowed advertising for fast food and beverages on campuses (Public Health Institute). Many companies help schools that are struggling for money by offering marketing dollars to the schools. Usually companies will create exclusive contracts where the school receives money in exchange for the company receiving rights to advertise throughout the school. These practices have proven significant because studies have shown that this exposure to advertising had an influence in which foods children claimed to like and had a tendency to buy.
With childhood obesity on a steady rise, children’s frequent exposure to snack/fast-food advertising plays a role in the development of unhealthy eating habits. According to the Centers for Disease control, both the rate of obesity and the rate of fast food consumption among children between ages 6 and 11 in the United States have increased five times since the 1970s (Yu 1). Because of these statistics, the Food and Drug Administration has been ordering manufacturers to become more transparent with the nutrition information in their products. In compliance to these regulations, companies have completely eliminated trans fats, which are fats that increase the risk of coronary heart disease. These regulations designed to reduce sugar, fat, and salt and increase the marketing of healthy foods to kids also influenced fast food companies such as McDonald’s and Burger King. These fast food corporations have started offering choices like apple slices, raisins, and low fat milk in their kid’s meals as an alternative to sugary drinks and French fries. Although such regulations are in place, these companies are still using their marketing powers on kids in order to cement brand loyalty.