Marketing

Title: Marketing Techniques Author: Story: Fast-Food Marketing Targets Children - Ethical or Unethical' McDonald's Corporation began as a barbecue restaurant in 1945, and is now the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, with a presence in about 120 countries, and serves more than 60 mn. customers everyday. Most companies use ‘target marketing’, i.e., identifying key or focus pockets of customers that it can best aim its products and marketing efforts at, as part of its marketing strategy. Some businesses target children as their favourite end-users and focus their products and marketing at them. They form a profitable and rewarding market but, in my view, younger children are impressionable and incapable of fully comprehending the implications of marketing tactics, so it might not be ethical to target them. McDonalds is an example of a company aiming its marketing and advertising at children, who will ‘pester’ their parents to go buy a burger. In fact, conditions are such in the United States, that when children are asked to get ready for dinner, they say “When are we going for a 'Happy Meal''” A ‘Happy Meal’ is the much advertised child meal at McDonalds, which consists of a meal packed in a cardboard box with a toy. Some doctors have coined the term ‘Unhappy meal’ to bring out the disadvantages of fast food in general. Fast food is fast being touted as unhealthy, high-fat, and not nutritious enough for growing children. It is the biggest contributor to obesity in the country. However advertising to children works, as their minds are pliable and would easily believe what they see and hear. That could be one of the reasons why the American Psychological Association believes that advertising targeted at children is essentially manipulative and exploitative. It is believed that McDonald’s advertisements may be misleading people into believing that fast/junk food is, in fact, not as unhealthy as it is made out to be or, what is worse, it’s actually good for them. Some time back, with these issues in mind, Kraft stopped advertising high fat foods to children, which was a good decision. Marketing managers of fast-food chains ought to take a leaf from their book, and emulate that decision. Healthy and nutritious items can be included in the menu of these companies. I would reduce the number of advertisements overall; or at least design balanced commercials underscoring the ill-effects of junk food, and highlighting the nutritious items of the menu, like fruit and milk. Would it be profitable for fast-food chains to stop targeting children and youth for their products'