It has been noted that the increase in consumption of certain foods and consumer products is a direct result of increased exposure to advertisements. Study shows that consumers have linked their increase in consumption and request for certain foods and drinks to their total exposure to television and increased media broadcasting. The time spent in front of the TV increases the number of requests made by children to their parents for advertised foods. Sadly, the effects of these exposures can be detrimental to the health of the children. With the type of advertisements seen on television, the future of children’s health in the United States may be at stake.
The fast-food industry has taken advantage of the impact of advertisement on consumer behavior. The media, therefore, employs numerous marketing strategies such as emotional appeal and marketing fun that attract the attention of children and turn them into their loyal customers. Many emotional appeals are used in television marketing for fast foods, including associating the advertised product with athletic ability and being cool. Furthermore, advertisers employ certain production techniques, which go hand-in-hand with emotional appeals that increase the attraction of the products to children. Instead of showing food products directly, the techniques include the use of children having a fan. This results in positive and long-lasting emotional attachment with the brands being advertised.
Within the media and the food industry, the term ‘eatertainment’ has been coined to refer to the aspect of food marketing as a form of entertainment. The techniques involved in eatertainment include amplifying premium offers, including cartoon characters on the packages of food meant for kids, preparing meals especially for kids in restaurants and attracting the children by use of fan product designs in terms of shapes and colors. In addition to physical appearance and taste, interactive play is also used as a tool by which consumption and loyalty can be enhanced. The interactive play includes using the boxes to develop something else. Other products engage friends through exchange of cards or other games.
Therefore, food brands could offer an avenue through which children could get access to their peers. This is further evidenced by the fact that certain premium gifts are imperatives to one’s membership in certain groups. The gifts are thus attached to the products to ensure loyalty. In addition, children might develop a strong desire to dine at a given restaurant, not because they want the food served there, but because the restaurant offers certain gifts after meals. The food preference is therefore not determined by the food itself but by the gifts associated with them and the fan they bring. Finally, peer influence and the intensity of communication are what lead to consumption and loyalty to certain products. Equally, children with a passion for family-type entertainment also enjoy activities that involve all family members.