A Kaiser Foundation study was released revealing that a good chunk of advertising aimed at children seeks to sell them junk food.

“50 percent of ad time on children’s shows is devoted to food. Among the ads aimed at children and teenagers, 72 percent are for candy, snacks, sugary cereals or fast food… The study also examined the ways the ads tried to appeal to children and teenagers. The most common appeal was taste, a feature that was highlighted in 34 percent of the commercials. Fun came in second (18 percent), followed by premiums or contests (16 percent) then the newness or uniqueness of a product (10 percent). Only 2 percent of the ads mentioned health or nutrition as a primary or secondary appealing factor, and 5 percent mentioned gaining strength or energy; other categories measured included convenience and enjoyment.”

The article also discusses ideas for dealing with this problem. Some large companies—because they don’t want The Man imposing federal regulations on food advertising—have voluntarily enacted guidelines for emphasizing health in commercials, but how do you advertise the health benefits of an Oreo cookie?

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Advertising, Health, Kids, Media