How Food Marketing Influences Childhood Overweight and Obesity So how does one draw the connection from food advertising in the media to the major increase in overweight and obesity of the younger generation? For one, food advertisements aired on popular adolescent channels seem to have a massive influence. TV-watching replaces activity time with sedentary lounging, decreases the time spent eating meals with the family, leading to mindless snacking, and influences the thought processes and desires of adolescents overall (Powell, 553). A conclusion can be drawn between the facts that is the single largest product category advertised and often “food makes up most of the TV ads directed to children,” and that items most frequently “the purchased by children are sweets, snacks, and beverages” (Powell, 554). Children are persuaded to eat foods made for them,” which gives kids what they are all looking “just for a sense of autonomy and adulthood (Nestle, 2528). – Marketers are especially adept at identifying parents as the gatekeepers to the real goldmines the children. The mutiny against adults is a common agenda used by – marketers that works by influencing kids to think of their parents as and “fools who aren’t smart enough to realize their children’s need for the product being sold” (De Graaf, 57). Encouraging this mutiny creates an environment where the parents’ ideals don’t matter, and loyalty shifts from the parents to the brand. In addition to simply being in food advertisements, foods are often shown presented in a fun-oriented way that make it seem as if eating the food in question is a fun experience filled with laughter. These experiences are often endorsed with a favorite character from shows or movies. Animation and the use of licensed characters is a tactic
How Food Marketing Influences Childhood Overweight and Obesity So how does one draw the connection from food advertising in the media to the major increase in overweight and obesity of the younger generation? For one, food advertisements aired on popular adolescent channels seem to have a massive influence. TV-watching replaces activity time with sedentary lounging, decreases the time spent eating meals with the family, leading to mindless snacking, and influences the thought processes and desires of adolescents overall (Powell, 553). A conclusion can be drawn between the facts that “food is the single largest product category advertised and often makes up most of the TV ads directed to children,” and that “the items most frequently purchased by children are sweets, snacks, and beverages” (Powell, 554). Children are persuaded to eat foods made “just for them,” which gives kids what they are all looking for – a sense of autonomy and adulthood (Nestle, 2528). Marketers are especially adept at identifying parents as the gatekeepers to the real goldmines – the children. The mutiny against adults is a common agenda used by marketers that works by influencing kids to think of their parents as “fools and who aren’t smart enough to realize their children’s need for the product being sold” (De Graaf, 57). Encouraging this mutiny creates an environment where the parents’ ideals don’t matter, and loyalty shifts from the parents to the brand. In addition to simply being shown in food advertisements, foods are often presented in a fun-oriented way that make it seem as if eating the food in question is a fun experience filled with laughter. These experiences are often endorsed with a favorite character from shows or movies. Animation and the use of licensed characters is a tactic