Kids Still Being Targeted - But Differently
New guidelines proposed by the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, the Agriculture Department and the Centers for Disease Control at the request of Congress aim to encourage a re-think on how the food industry target markets to kids. Cartoon characters used on television, packaging and online games were specifically mentioned as manufacturers and restaurants were advised to choose between making their food healthier or reducing the ways in which they are promoted to children.
As Dale Kunkel of the University of Arizona, according to the New York Times, put it, "Toucan Sam can sell healthy food or junk food."
Unsurprisingly, support and disagreement were almost instantly aired.
"Kids are targeted too often," wrote Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, in foodpolitics.com, citing numerous examples.
However, the Grocery Manufacturers Association found kids between two and eleven in 2010 saw 50 percent fewer ads on programs aimed at them than they did in 2004, according to Supermarket News. The food industry, according to the Times, was also critical because it claims to have "already taken significant steps to improve recipes and change the way it advertises to children."
Although voluntary at the moment, there is likely to be pressure for compliance and suspicion. Dan Jaffe, an executive vice president of the Association of National Advertisers, told the Times, "There's clearly a demand hidden behind the velvet glove of the voluntary language."
The inclusion of digital media such as product-based games represents one of the government's strongest efforts so far to address the extension of children's advertising into the online world.
According to the Times, food "companies often selling sugar cereals and junk food, are using multimedia games, online quizzes and cellphone apps to build deep ties with young consumers. And children ... are sharing their messages through e-mail and social networks, effectively acting as marketers."
Kids also can't tell the difference between games and ads, wrote Matt Richtel in the Times. In spite of banners reading, "Hey kids, this is advertising," he quotes Susannah Stern, associate professor of communication studies at the University of San Diego, who believes brands "do not raise awareness of who put the game up or why."
Some may ask whether sharing favorite games equates to shilling for manufacturers.
Online activities cost less than traditional ads to produce and disseminate, especially as kids do much of the latter themselves.