Power of the U.S. media
- From: AsianAmericanTruth@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2007 08:22:00 -0700
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070806/hl_nm/kids_fastfood_dc
Lovin' it: McBranding hooks preschoolers, study finds
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Preschoolers preferred the taste of burgers and
fries when they came in McDonald's wrappers over the same food in
plain wrapping, U.S. researchers said, suggesting fast-food marketing
reaches the very young.
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"Overwhelmingly, kids chose the one that they perceived was from
McDonald's," said obesity prevention expert Dr. Thomas Robinson of the
Stanford University School of Medicine, whose work appears in the
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
While prior studies have looked at the impact of individual ads on
kids, Robinson and colleagues set out to study the overall influence
of a company's brand -- based on everything from advertising to toy
premiums and word of mouth.
It comes as many food and restaurant companies face pressure to cut
back on marketing to children as rates of obesity among that age group
continue to climb.
Robinson and colleagues conducted a taste test with a total of 63 kids
aged 3 to 5 who were enrolled in a Head Start preschool for low-income
families.
They were offered five pairs of foods and asked if they tasted the
same or to point to the one that tasted better.
The food -- taken from the same order -- was wrapped in either
McDonald's packaging or unbranded packages in the same color and
style.
In about 60 percent of the tastings, the kids preferred food in the
McDonald's wrapper.
"They actually thought the food tasted better," Robinson said in a
telephone interview.
EVEN 'MCCARROTS' PREFERRED
About 22 percent of the kids chose food in the plain wrappers while 18
percent said the food tasted the same or were unable to complete the
experiment.
"It ranged from 48 percent who chose the hamburger up to over 70
percent who chose French fries as tasting better if they thought they
were from McDonald's," he said.
"Even for baby carrots, kids said the carrots they thought were from
McDonald's tasted better," Robinson said.
The same was true of milk.
He said the study supports efforts to ban or regulate advertising or
marketing of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and beverages directed
to young children.
A McDonald's Corp. spokesman said the company has been working to
address the need for responsible marketing to kids and providing
healthy food choices.
"McDonald's is only advertising Happy Meals with white meat McNuggets,
fresh apple slices and low-fat milk, a right-sized meal of only 375
calories," said spokesman Walt Riker, in a statement e-mailed to
Reuters.
"Our recent program with 'Shrek' was our biggest-ever promotion of
fruits, vegetables and milk, another indication of our progressive
approach to responsible marketing," he said.
The recent effort put the green ogre of the "Shrek" movies on a diet
in a campaign that promoted healthier foods.
Robinson acknowledged that fast-food marketers have added some healthy
foods to their menus, but he said the study should raise some alarms
for parents.
"The majority of their marketing and reputation and brand is based on
foods that are high in calories and fat and low in nutritional value,"
he said.
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