McMarketing

I just read an article in our newspaper that I had to post on. 

Recently children were asked to taste test foods wrapped in McDonalds wrappers and those not wrapped in McDonalds wrappers.  They were both the exact same foods and I’m sure you can guess what the kids usually chose.  Here is the article. 

Conducted at Stanford University, the taste test had kids ages 3 to 5 enrolled in Head Start programs sample various foods. Some were packaged in McDonald’s wrappers some were not. Nearly anything that the kids thought was made by McDonald’s – even carrots or apple juice – was deemed tastier by the kids than the non-McDonalds sample.

The study findings come out just about a month after many major food corporations announced that they were backing off on their marketing efforts to kids. Still, researchers comment, the sales pitches of the past have had a huge impact on little consumers.

Here’s how the study worked: A group of 63 kids sampled three McDonald’s menu items — hamburgers, chicken nuggets and French fries — and store-bought milk or juice and carrots. Children got two identical samples of each food on a tray, one in McDonald’s wrappers or cups and the other in plain, unmarked packaging. The kids were asked if they tasted the same or if one was better. (Some children didn’t taste all the foods.)

McDonald’s-labeled samples were the clear favorites. French fries were the biggest winner; almost 77% said the labeled fries tasted best while only 13% preferred the others.

Fifty-four percent preferred McDonald’s-wrapped carrots versus 23% who liked the plain-wrapped sample.

The only results not statistically clear-cut involved the hamburgers, with 29 kids choosing McDonald’s-wrapped burgers and 22 choosing the unmarked ones.

McDonald’s recently announced that it will begin promoting Happy Meals to kids that contain fruit and have lower calories and fat.

An independent critic of the study pointed out that a different comparison should have been made on kids’ brand-name product identification.

A better comparison might have been to gauge kids’ preferences for McDonald’s items vs. Disney products or some other kid-friendly brand, said Pradeep Chintagunta of the University of Chicago. “I don’t think you can necessarily hold this against McDonald’s,” he said, since the goal of marketing is to build familiarity and sell products, adding that parents play a large role in the food choices kids make at that age.

What do you think? Is this evidence that McDonald’s and other fast-food franchises are exploiting kids? Will a new self-monitored marketing emphasis by fast-food outlets make a difference? Share your thoughts here in the comments section.

Personally, I am glad to see that many fast food restaurants are beginning to realize the importance of promoting healthier food choices in their kids meals.  I would rather that be the only choice…  but at least it is an option.  Ultimately our kids learn at a young age eating habits that will effect them the rest of their lives, so I think this is one step in the right direction.  If companies our kids look up to promote healthy food, that helps us as parents reinforce health just a tad bit more.