Kids Don’t Understand Branding
Product branding rather than taste influences kids eating behavior! This is the finding of new research by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Thomas Robinson, MD, director of the Center for Healthy Weight at Packard Children’s Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics and of medicine at the School of Medicine stated that the findings show that kids actually believe that a branded product such as McDonald’s chicken nugget tastes better than an identical unbranded one.
Robinson highlighted the fact that manufacturers play on the fact that young children are unable to decipher marketing strategies, and do not have the know-how to understand that advertising, product placement and co-branding with popular toys is designed to get them to choose one product over another.
The research goes on to draw a correlation between affected children and the number of TVs in a home. And although there has been a decrease in TV food advertisements (McDonalds spends $1B per year), these are now being more directly targeted to children’s television programming. However McDonald’s and nine other top food companies announced the ‘Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative’ where they have pledged their loyalty to devoting half their advertising towards the promotion of healthy foods for kids.
Hmm I read this after reading another interesting article on Jason Calacanis’s blog relating to weight control. He states:
Finally, you have to realize that society has stacked the deck against you. It’s helpful to look at the issue as if you’re at war with the world. Everything in our society is designed to make you fat–that’s the truth. Major companies don’t care about you or your health, they care about your money. When I walk through the airport I look at the stores in the terminal as a bunch of drug dealers trying to get your hooked, because that’s the truth. Fast food companies are trying to screw you, entertainment companies want you sitting in your chair consuming their entertainment for hours while you eat their sponsors food. It’s a war and you are out-gunned–big time. You have to walk like the master in Kung Fu and not let these folks impact you. Our whole society is designed to get you fat and you have to optout of it. You have to leave that world behind and create your own world. You have to bring your own food with you, you have to create your own pace, and you have to get off your fat butt and walk. They want you to take the people mover and the escalator, you have to take the stairs. They want you to supersize you have downsize. They want you watching the Law & Order marathon and ordering PizzaHut, you have to get on the treadmill.
For those of us with kids it looks like we are faced with an ever increasing, uphill battle to help develop healthy eating habits and proper nutrition.