Ba Da Ba Ba Baa... I'm Loving It!

So much have been known about McDonald's marketing and advertising campaign, one of the largest brand name in the world. McDonald's have one of the most impressive advertising campaigns to boost its status to date. McDonald's has for decades maintained an extensive advertising campaign. In addition to the usual media (television, radio, and newspaper), the company makes significant use of billboards and signage, sponsors sporting events from ranging from Little League to the Olympic Games. Nonetheless, television has always played a central role in the company's advertising strategy.

So, who is the target audience behind their advertising campaigns? Who holds the golden key to McDonald's success?

You're probably not suprised that the answer is their child and adolescent customers. CHILDREN of course!! The tremendous spending power and influence of children on parental purchases has attracted marketers, and, as a result, marketing strategies aimed at children and adolescents have increased. Currently, about one-fourth of all television commercials are related to food, and approximately one-half of these are selling snacks and other foods low in nutritional value. Many of the commercials aimed at children and adolescents use catchy music, jingles, humor, and well-known characters to promote products. The impact of these strategies is illustrated by studies showing that when a majority of television commercials that children view are for high-sugar foods, they are more likely to choose unhealthful foods over nutritious alternatives, and vice versa. So, why am I not surprised that McDonald's is also part of the ratpack?

Here's proof of what a strong grip they have on children due to years or exposure to their cleverly crafted marketing campaigns:

The Aim: Lead researcher Dr. Thomas N. Robinson, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and his fellow researchers wanted to examine the "effects of cumulative, real-world marketing and brand exposures" on toddlers to see what effect, if any, consumer branding would have on their food preferences.

The Experiment: A total of 63 children between the ages of 3 and 5 from low-income families from the government assistance Head Start program in San Mateo County, CA were give five pairs of identical foods and beverages--hamburgers, chicken nuggets, French fries, milk or juice, and carrots--that were packaged in wrappers stating they were from McDonald's and another in plain packaging. Each of the study participants were asked to tell the researchers if the foods tasted the same or if they had a preference for one over the other.

The stunning results? The children almost universally preferred the food and said it tasted better when it was wrapped in McDonald's packaging than the plain packaging. Remember, IT WAS EXACTLY THE SAME FOOD!

Here are some of the other key findings in the study:

- 77% preferred the French fries they thought were from McDonald's
- Only 13% liked the non-labeled French fries
- 54% liked the McCarrots compared to 23% in the plain wrapper
- 29 kids chose McDonald's hamburger, 22 the other one
- Less than one in four said all the food tasted the same

A closer analysis of the study participants who had multiple television sets in their homes and were more heavy users of McDonald's found that there was an even "greater effect of branding" among this group.

So, now you can understand why the advertisements and jingles for McDonald's are heavily child oriented, the world-reknowned friendly Ronald McDonald and other cute food mascots. Also their special kid's happy meals and not forgetting child-friendly freebies that are oh-so-irresistible.

McDonald's has such power over kid's food choices but are they going to use their advantage to promote healthier eating habits among children? Will they change their menus to cater to a more balanced meal for their children?

The world is still waiting...