Blog Entry5

Fast Food Ads Directed at Children

            Advertisements are omnipresent in peoples’ lives from decades, but changes in this area that performed in the twentieth century had created completely new target of their efforts – children. Eric Schlosser in his bestseller Fast Food Nation describes how fast food restaurants collect information about children’s preferences and use them to sell their products to these vulnerable consumers. Children’s brains are flooded by fast food ads such as McDonald’s or KFC from the early morning to late-night hours every day. This constant presence of advertisements cannot stay without the impact on kids’ preferences, and their behavior. Food industry devotes a lot of time and money to create ads directed at children who will nag their parents to buy them advertised products. I agree with Eric Schlosser that fast food chains achieve most of their profits thanks to directing their advertisements at children.

            After the World War II demographic growth of population occurred in America which caused that entrepreneurs began perceiving children as potential consumers of their products. To this change contributed also fact that post-war economic situation forced many, so far stay home parents, to undertake at least part-time job. Food industry used that “Many working parents, feeling guilty about spending less time with their kids, started spending more and more money on them” (Schlosser 42). In this approach, food industry noticed an opportunity to make more money. The pioneers of directing advertisements to young generation such as Ray Kroc and Walt Disney took advantage of parents’ difficult position and children’s innocence to create their financial success. Children are the social group that is very easily manipulated which food corporations employ creating their ads. The studies show that children begin their “brand loyalty” (Schlosser 43) at early childhood which means food companies gain their consumers by bombarding little children with ads of their products. They use catchy melodies, funny and colorful characters, and toys to “evoke a series of pleasing images in a youngster’s mind” (Schlosser 42) connected with their brands. Moreover, food companies use children’s gullibility and lack of understanding the intent of ads. Young children comprehend TV commercials as entertainment and good fun, but they do not realize that ads impact on their subconscious and their future behaviors as consumers. But advertisers do not limit their actions only to toddlers, so they attract children in any age by adding toys to specific meals. These marketing methods lure young generation, and they give these young people a reason to nag their parents to buy them advertised products. The companies generate significant revenues not only from children’s purchases but also from their parents’ choices. For example, when my nice drag me to McDonald’s to get her Happy Meal with the toy from the recently produced animated film I do not stay and look while she is eating, but I buy for myself some shake or McFlurry with Oreo Cookies. I am not a fun of McDonald’s but when I am there I cannot resist the temptation. A few decades ago Ray Kroc was right when he sad that “a child who loves our TV commercials” (Schlosser 41) will bring another customer with him/her.

            Nowadays, advertisements are present almost everywhere we look and huge amount of them is directed at adolescence. Advertisers compete with each other in inventing new ways of attracting young customers. They use Internet and TV commercial to manipulate children’s minds, and to take advantage of their erroneous understanding of the ads intentions. All efforts that food companies make are aimed at creating desired behaviors among children. They create positive, full of childhood fantasies images that awake in children a desire of being part of this entertainment. Kids nag their parents in a very effective way to get what the ads suggest is the best for them, and this generate enormous revenues for fast food companies.

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           The chapter “Your Trusted Friend” from Eric Schlosser’s bestseller Fast Food Nation, presents the fate of Roy A. Kroc, the man who started McDonald’s Corporation, and Walt Disney, the founder of Disneyland. The author shows how these businessmen achieved their success by directing advertisements to children.

In this chapter, Schlosser reveals that Kroc and Disney served together in the military during World War I, and they shared the same technological and political views. But of these two, Disney achieved success as a first, thanks to his movie industry and amusement park for children called Disneyland. According to Schlosser, Kroc admire Disney’s achievements and to built his own enterprise he bought the rights to franchise McDonald’s restaurant. Moreover, Kroc forced the bill that allowed McDonald’s restaurants to reduce minimum wages for teen employees. Soon both Kroc and Disney managed huge companies that were selling not only food or entertainment but also many other products such as toys and clothes for children.

As Schlosser shows in chapter “Your Trusted Friend”, Kroc and Disney wanted their brands were known by children and their parents in whole America. To attract children Disney created Mickey Mouse, and Kroc invented Ronald McDonald. McDonald’s clown became a hit among young generation, and he brought the restaurants a lot of benefits in conjunction with the newly opened McDonald’s Playgrounds. Moreover, to entice consumers, McDonalds’s implemented in its restaurants other strategies such as colorful environment or food wrapped up like a small gift.

In the chapter “Your Trusted Friend” Schlosser describes, how fast food restaurants collect information about children’s preferences through the Internet, shopping mall’s surveys, or even by analyzing children’s artwork. Food industry devote a lot of time and money for the researches because this analysis will help them create ads directed at children who will nag their parent to buy them advertised products. As Schlosser shows, advertising companies reached also public schools  that face financial problems. Food companies offer money and school material aids in exchange for the distribution of promotional posters, or sale of their products in school cafeterias. Schlosser points, that schools are in a difficult situation when they have to choice between raising funds for education and their students health.

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Eric Schlosser in his bestseller Fast Food Nation presents the culture that embraces fast and unhealthy food. In the first chapter entitled  “The Founding Fathers”, the author describes founders and socio-cultural circumstances of fast food restaurants development. Schlosser shows that history of fast food restaurants’ founders had major impact on fast food industry because they were the first who used automobile industry, factory rules, and  their believes to create new era of food service.

In this chapter Schlosser says, that in earl twentieth century developing automobile industry changed not only California’s landscape but also people’s mentality. When cars became more affordable many people used them instead of public communication. Moreover, Schlosser explains, that thanks to government subsidies for road expenses there were no road infrastructure costs incurred by car owners which made people even more dependent on the cars. This new life style created new way of buying and consuming food, so entrepreneurs such as Carl Karcher opened restaurants with drive-in which enabled the purchase of food without leaving the car. The fast food founders used automobile infrastructure to attract consumer and adapt their businesses to consumers’ requirements.

In chapter “The Founding Fathers” Schlosser describes how pioneers of fast food service changed principles of running restaurants. According to the author,  McDonald brothers drastically changed the menu, reduced employment, used plastic or paper utensils instead of glass dishes, and applied factory rules in their business by dividing the labor between small number of employees. As Schlosser says, “the guiding principles of a factory assembly line were applied to a commercial kitchen.” This means that each worker had to perform only one task. New system of preparation food speeded up costumers service and lowered restaurant’s costs.

Moreover, in this chapter Schlosser presents, how chain restaurants were established. The author also mentions founders of the current most known fast food restaurants such as William Rosenberg who create Dunkin’ Donuts, or war veteran Glen W. Bell who created Taco Bell restaurants. Schlosser shows, there are many examples of first fast food restaurant owners who left their education, worked hard, and struggled with adversities because they “believed in Progress.”

Blog Entry2

            Food is necessary for every person and definitely it is important for me. In my family all pleasures in life are associated with food. For example, every family meeting or holiday relay on talking, eating, and sharing our experiences. Unfortunately, my everyday meals are not fancy, and they are not consumed with such care because I do not have much time to eat. Every day, I try to eat something before I run to school and forget that my body needs food to function properly. The white bread is an indispensable element of the Polish meals and especially breakfasts or suppers. In contrast to Americans, for this two meals we usually eat cold meat sandwiches with cheese and some vegetables which fast and easy fill the stomach . Dinner is the meal that I give more time and attention. Specially Sunday dinners are the meals that I prepare by myself and eat with my family and friends.

As I was born and raised in Poland, Polish dishes are most familiar for me so when it comes to eating my house is a typically Polish place. Before I got married and moved out from my home I had not cooked at all, but when I started my own family I appreciated homemade meals. Eating meals together integrate family and allows us to stop at least for a moment which is very hard during busy day. Food also reminds me many special moments that take place in my life. I cannot imagine Christmas without typical Polish Christmas dishes such as soup called “red borsht” or known by many foreigners “pierogi” with cabbage. In my culture,  carefully selected and well-prepared meals always accompany special occasions such as baptisms, weddings, or religious holidays. These moments are very important for all my relatives almost as much as food that we enjoy during these events.

 Food appears in many aspects of my life, and for most of the time it is traditional food that I know since I was a child. However, I am open to new experiences, and I gladly try cuisines from different corners of the world. I like to try food that I have never tasted before because this approach me to other people and teaches me respect for other cultures. I also like to share my food with others, so when I have some free time I put on my apron and cook or bake. Recently I realized that preparing food for my loved ones gives me a lot of satisfaction. For me even my husband’s Play Station soccer tournament with his friends is a good occasion to make some homemade goodies. It is not about cooking by itself but about trying new flavors and sharing emotions with other people. That is why food has great meaning for me.