Children and Fast Food Advertising

Children have been targeted by soda advertisers since the early twentieth century.

Television greatly expanded the ability of advertiser to reach children, especially on during children programs on saturday mornings, meant that advertisers could market directly to the age group of their choice.

By the 1960s, advertisers had identified children as a separate market, as fast food chains join soda companies in targeting children.

Food advertisements account for well over 50% of all advertisements targeting children on national network and food is the most frequently advertised product category on children’s TV.

In addition to television advertising, fast food chains also created child oriented characters such as Ronald MacDonald and began offering meals made especially for children, such as Happy Meals with toys and the creation of playgrounds for children.

Advertisers are trying to create situations where consumers are constantly exposed to their brand names.

Products are displayed in as many places as possible, whether it is on the grocery store shelf, in a television carton, or on the cover of a book.

Finally, the companies developed movie tie-ins and made special arrangements with theme parks such as Disneyland, which has had long history of selling fast food.

Children themselves have little buying power but they do have pester power. Busy parents simply take the easy way out and give in to children’s constant pestering. In addition, advertisers believe that childhood experiences will be remembered throughout a lifetime.

In United States in early 1991, a study reveled that children watching cartoon shows for a four hour period on atypical Saturday morning were bombarded with total food commercials.

The product advertised were dominated by sugar coated cereals, candy cookies, fruit flavored drinks, chocolate syrup, fast food meals and pizza.

Besides food advertisement, advertisements for fast food chains have strongly increased in the United States and in Europe during last 15 years reaching almost a third of all food advertisements in the United States.
Children and Fast Food Advertising