Post written by VegBlogger. Follow me on Twitter.
Today I came across an article titled "Kids and advertising: Mommy, that's my bestest
brand" (read the article here). The article discusses how research was conducted that found that children as young as three years old can identify popular brands and logos, such as McDonald's.
That's not what has me shaking my head. After all, at three my son also knows the McDonald's logo, which was the most recognized brand (93 percent of kids recognized it). But it's all about association. Just what do the kids associate with that logo? That's the disturbing part.
The article reports:
Fast food was described by the three to five-year-olds as “fun, exciting and tasty.” Cola brands were fun because “the bubbles are fun” and “lots of people like them.”
That is sad. Children that young have associated fast food with fun, excitement and good taste. McDonald's spending almost two billion dollars per year advertising has certainly paid off (read more here). The "happy" meal (that there is nothing happy about) has really paid off (read more here and here). The indoor playgrounds to get the parents to frequent such an establishment has paid off in their cradle-to-grave advertising tactics (read more).
But they will have to work harder to get to my kids. When my kids see the McDonald's logo it is usually accompanied with groans and "yuck" announcements. Because my kids have been taught the realities of such a place.
If you ask my kids (who have never been to a McDonald's restaurant) what the restaurant sells, they say "animals on buns." Which, by the way, is the truth. Even their fries have cow fat and are not vegetarian!
It's not a bad thing in and of itself for kids to be able to identify labels. It's the associations they make with those labels that can are damaging. And at the ages of three to five, parents have a big part in helping to guide those views and associations. I know I am, and will continue to do so for as long as possible.
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