Food Marketing: One of the reasons of eating unhealthy
Whenever children see the big yellow “M” in a red background
it is automatic to say that it is McDonalds. Whenever children see an old man
smiling in red and white with KFC in bold letters, children know that it is Colonel
Sanders from Kentucky Fried Chicken. What is the impact of these logos to the
children? Why is it simple for them to distinguish or remember these logos from
others? The answer is quite simple; it is because the logos came from fast food
chains.
In an online article written by Baylen Linnekin trumpet a dubious link between obese
youngsters and the logos of food companies. This study shows the different
opinions of researchers how the food companies affect the consciousness of the
society about fast food products just by looking on their logos. It stimulates
the appetite of the consumers even though the consumers are not hungry and can
lead to consuming unnecessary intake of food which leads to eating unhealthy
living and obesity.
According to the researchers of University of Missouri in
Kansas City, “Kids recognize the McDonald’s logo
better than they do the FedEx logo. Kids are slightly more drawn to the former
than to the latter. Obese kids are more drawn to the former than are healthy weight kids. These
results are not patently obvious and have important policy implications.”
When people usually kids see these
food companies’ logos it is easier to be remembered because of the food. It is
much easier to remember food logos rather than logos from other companies which
are not related to food.
A reporter for Medical Daily named Makini Brice wrote that, “When showed images of fast food companies, the parts of the brain that control pleasure and appetite lit up. The brains did not do the same when showed images from companies not associated with food.” Other researchers claim kids rate logos of food companies like McDonald’s more “exciting” and “happier” than logos of non-food companies like BMW.
Multimedia
help boosts the sale of food products via commercials and print ads. It assists
the spread of awareness and knowledge about the companies as well as their food
products that is why it is effortless to reach the minds of the people,
majority of these are children. Multimedia enhances the appearance and
presentation of the food products that tends to increase the appetite of the
viewers. With this factors consumers buys without knowing the nutrition facts
of the product but because of the effects of the commercials provided by the
marketing strategies. Without knowing the food content, people are very
vulnerable to eat unhealthy foods and become obese.
Most
children prefer to eat from fast food companies due to its affordable prices
and because the children see adults usually their parents eating the same food
unknowingly the nutrition these fast food companies offers. Kids are more drawn
to eat a McDonald's Hamburger rather than a healthier hamburger without the
McDonald's Logo on it. For some fast food products are more appealing to eat
than the foods that were cooked at home. Experts have cited food marketing as
one of the contributors to the recent rise in childhood obesity.
It
is true that fast food companies’ marketing strategies through the use of
multimedia can be responsible for the not so nutritious food that can cause
obesity to children as well as adults; it is the choice of the consumer to
choose what he or she will eat. Obesity of people cannot fully blame the
marketing of these companies, food logos are just tools to be remembered.
People must educate themselves and be aware of what they eat to live a healthy
life.
