Ronald McDonald: Clown or Devil?
Online and television marketing have taken over America, one commercial at a time. Fast food companies like McDonald’s aiming their ads towards children plays a huge role in the quickly growing obesity epidemic that has overtaken America’s population, especially children. To children, there is nothing not to love about McDonald’s. There is Ronald McDonald, the Big Mac song, Happy Meals, and play areas. They see these items on the television or other electronic devices and immediately ask their parents if they will bring them to the highly addictive restaurant. In an attempt to stop franchises like McDonald’s from targeting young minors in their advertisements, parents need to restrict television and cell phone use for their progenies. Parents need to restrict usage because of the health risks involved, the incentives that come along with it, and the high amounts of advertisements.
Primarily, parents need to
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Eric Schlosser, the author of “Kid Kustomers”, puts a spotlight on the marketing on children. He starts off by talking about the effect on present day marketing. Companies like phone, oil, and automobile are targeting the children the most. He argues that kid-based companies weren’t that bad in the past, but now there are tons of companies who only focus on children. He has provided a lot of studies that support his explanation on marketing strategies.
Fat Land Book Review Every new year brings with it a host of new pressing issues and challenges that our nation must confront and overcome, and though economic and global concerns certainly deserve a large part of our attention, as a nation we have almost entirely forgotten or ignored many problems that have been plaguing us for decades. Chiefly among these concerns is the ever growing obesity epidemic, which has seen a dramatic increase over the past several decades and looks to be continuing its trend into our near future. In his book, Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World, Greg Critser delves into many of the significant causes behind this staggering increase in girth our nation has been experiencing, and offers
The founding fathers of fast food giants, including Ray Kroc and Walt Disney, were among the first to develop and focus on marketing to children. In a response about advertising Schlosser shows just how knowledgeable they were, “Hoping that nostalgic childhood memories of a brand will lead to a lifetime of purchases, companies now plan ‘cradle-to-grave’ advertising strategies. They have come to believe what Ray Kroc and Walt Disney realized long ago -- a person's ‘brand loyalty’ may begin as early as the age of two”(43). Schlosser explains how Ray Kroc and Walt Disney purposefully targeted children to build loyal customers. Their intent was to attract children so that they would drive their parents to take them to fast food restaurants.
According to recent polls, approximately 3% of Americans admit to consuming fast-food at least once per day. This number, although it may appear small, it accounts for 9.5 million citizens across the United States who are unashamed of chowing down on a quick meal. Unfortunately, due to this consumerization, obesity and other like-minded illnesses have risen in recent years. The effects are costly and capable of making people pay the ultimate price: their life.
Modern Americans are still motivated to spend on various products, whether they are useful and necessary or not, as the result of powerful mass advertising campaigns, widely broadcast through many forms of media. Children and young adults are usually the main targets for such campaigns. It is estimated that the average American child watches between 25,000 to 40,000 television commercials per year so advertising undeniably has a great power over the young minds, who in turn would influence their parents and guardians (Shah, 2010). More than 30 billion dollars are spent by families every year as the result of this strategy, which is progressively adapted by many companies (Shah, 2010). Additionally, thanks to these advertisements, people pay more attention to keeping up with the current trend, with what is considered the most up to date rather than the overall necessity of the product.
When the dinner bell rings in America, many families are not flocking to the table, but running to the car and the call of the “Golden Arches”. In today’s over-scheduled world, food has now become an afterthought and America is paying the price, literally. Obesity is now an epidemic and a crisis that is not slowing down. The nation is not only paying the price with sky-rocketing medical bills from the effects of the American diet, but also with the deteriorating health of its citizens and for the first time in history, a generation with a shorter life expectancy than the generation before. Food today looks nothing like the food of just 40 years ago, and now instead, is making people sick and obese.
Maryam Bababayli (ID: 201508101) Happy Meals and the Old Spice Guy Joanna Weiss Everyday about sixty eight million people eat at McDonald’s. The World’s largest chain of fast food restaurants serves daily in 119 countries across the World and sells more than 75 hamburgers every second. These are just some of the mind-blowing facts about the 90-th largest economy in the World with its $24 billion revenue. The article was written by the Boston Globe op-ed columnist Joanna Weiss and it emphasizes one of the famous McDonald’s food package Happy Meals.
Today McDonald’s has many more competitors such as; Carl’s Jr., Sonic, Chick-Fil-A and Burger King, which now provides kid’s meals with toys. Parents are infuriated by the fact that the free toy is making their children want the unhealthy food, yet they feel obligated to buy the meal to make their child happy. Though these children are still more interested in the popular the toy and will beg their parents to buy the meal from the fast food industry. Nevertheless many parents have stood up against the toys in their child’s meal. In Santa Clara, California there has been a banment of toys in children's meals.
Most humans do not think of the consequence that processed foods have on our bodies. The big name food producers have manipulated the youth by offering products that go along with their favorite television show. The farming aspect of food production is horrible. The animals are treated very poorly. The process of slaughter is unsafe and very unsanitary.
Business owners know that a child can get their guardian to buy them fast food if they advertise it in ways that kids are highly attracted to. This includes adding toys to happy meals and putting play places in or by the restaurants because “‘playlands bring in children, who bring in parents, who bring in money’” (Schlosser, 2001, p. 47). All of this advertisement towards children prompted businesses such as soft drink marketers to begin advertising within school buildings. Pop machines were added and fast food restaurants even began offering lunches in the cafeterias for students to purchase.
Three years ago Tiger Greene weighed 250 pounds. The weight was taking its toll on his body. He was taking six pills every day for pre-diabetes and thyroid problems. Tiger’s knees hurt; he was constantly out of breath, and he was only twelve years old. His father, Brian Greene, was also obese and was in need of a second heart surgery to treat coronary artery disease.
This statement is so true because when my little brother sees toys or junk food on television he immediately begs my parents to buy either one for him. The majority of commercials during programs aimed at children are for unhealthy high-fat, high sugars or high-salt foods with little nutritional value. Not all parents are aware of how their children are exposed to marketing campaigns that influence their children. Some top food choices for kids attack kids by their appealing commercials. The commercials use bright colors, a funny icon cartoon character, older kids, and catchy phrases.
Today life is on the fast track. People are always on the go and don’t have time to properly take care of themselves or their families. For most Americans, fast food and junk food are ready to grab for a snack or a quick dinner. They don’t slow down to think about how the foods they are eating effect their long term health. Fewer and fewer families take the time to prepare a nutritious meal and are passing down bad habits to their children.
Over the past twenty years, the amount at which advertisers are advertising to children is astonishing. Advertising directed towards children has estimated at over 15 million annually that’s almost three times more than what it was 26 years ago! Toy companies, fast food places, and retail stores are very eager to target children-maybe even a little too eager. Advertisers are consciously targeting children. Most advertisers are targeting children because they're easier to get hooked on a product.
STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT CASE STUDY: MCDONALD’S CORPORATION 1. INTRODUCTION McDonald’s Corporation is the world’s leading fast food restaurant chain with more than 34,000 local restaurants serving approximately 69 million people in 119 countries each day. More than 80% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local franchisees. Its revenues come from the rent, royalties, and fees paid by the franchisees, as well as sales in company-operated restaurants (McDonald’s, n.d.).