The Power of Branding: McBrainwashed?
As reported by The Chicago Sun-Times:
Anything made by McDonald’s tastes better, preschoolers said in a study that powerfully demonstrates how marketing can trick the taste buds of young children. Even carrots, milk and apple juice tasted better to the kids when they were wrapped in the familiar packaging of the Golden Arches.
The study had youngsters sample identical McDonald’s foods in name-brand and unmarked wrappers. The unmarked foods always lost the taste test. Just two of the 63 children studied said they’d never eaten at McDonald’s, and about one-third ate there at least weekly.
There’s no question that McDonald’s and many other businesses target young children with their advertising, and studies like these show just how powerful such marketing can be. In the recent fast-food mockumentary Super Size Me, more children were able to identify Ronald McDonald than Jesus. What kind of impact do you think this kind of advertising has on young children? What, if anything, should be done to counteract the pervasive amount of advertising that we find in our society?
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Advertising is here to stay… after all… the name of the game is “get the dollar from your pocket to mine” so it might be wiser to begin teaching children critical analysis of commercials so they can grow up with a greater awareness of how to critique what is out there.
Speaking of wrapping things in a marketable manner…. I read recently that the way we wrap our words in tones and body language also makes a huge difference as to how they are received.
Interesting things to ponder.