Marketing and Obesity
By: Alexis Fragoso - Literacy 312 - February 25, 2015
Minorities and Children Being Targeted
Initial Thoughts
I hoped to find out why big named brands were targeting younger people and why obesity was dangerous.
Interesting Facts
“When Children Are Overweight, Changes For The Whole Family” by Lesley Alderman, it said “For starters, obesity is expensive. People who are overweight tend to have more chronic illnesses than those who are not, and those illnesses can require intense medical attention.” (Alderman 1)
“University of Oregon professor and co-author of the paper, Bettina Cornwell, noted that the findings provide more insight into children’s relationship with food, or their ”first language of food.” It doesn’t take long, she said, for children to figure out what they like and don’t like, something that can stick with their entire lives.” (Oswald 1)
“Red Bull increased its TV advertising to youths by 59 percent during that time, and the study found that one of three TV ads for sugary drinks viewed by teens and one of four of those ads viewed by preschoolers and children were for energy drinks.” (Mora 1)
Summary Section
“Sugary Drink Ads Still Targeting Kids: Yale Study” - This article was about how sugary drink companies are advertising to children and teens to get them familiar with the product. The markets are aiming children and teens to buy their sugary drink products. Advertisements are being viewed more often by younger viewers. Obesity is increasing in younger children because the sugary drink companies are aiming them in order to make more profit.
“Kids Who Know Unhealthy Food Logos More Likely To Be Overweight” - This article is about how children are being impacted greatly by unhealthy food advertisements. Research showed how children who are already overweight tend to stay that way. The kids are affected by what they watch on television. Meaning, the unhealthy food logos become familiar to the kids eyes more than healthy logos because these advertisements pop up when they watch televison.
“When Children Are Overweight, Changes For The Whole Family” - First, the article was about how children who are obese can have a big impact on their families because they need a lot of care and attention to their situation. People who are obese have a lot of health illnesses. Then, it talked about how parents play a big part because they don’t think it’s a big deal and they just like to see their kids happy but that they need to limit the amount of unhealthy food given to their kids but to not see it as a punishment to them. Also, the article talked about programs that can help prevent it or to slowly end obesity.
Synthesis Summary
Marketing, obesity, and advertising are a big problem to teens and children. It is very expensive to be overweight or obese because of all the health risks and illnesses people get. The cause of obesity is because of two reasons. Markets target kids knowing they're easier to get at and make profit out of what they buy. Advertising plays another big part because many kids are becoming more familiar with unhealthy food logos. They become more used to seeing these logos and want to get what the companies are selling rather than getting something healthy.
Why is marketing and obesity a major food problem that people should be made aware of?
Unhealthy foods that advertise on television play a big part as to why childhood obesity is increasing. In the article “Kids who Know Unhealthy Food Logos More Likely To Be Overweight” by Tom Oswald and Anna McAlister, it said “University of Oregon professor and co-author of the paper, Bettina Cornwell, noted that the findings provide more cite into children’s relationship with food, or their ”first language of food.” It doesn’t take long, she said, for children to figure out what they like and don’t like, something that can stick with their entire lives.” This shows how Bettina Cornwell is expressing how children will start to get more familiar with unhealthy food and will pick what they like, it being unhealthy food, and dislike, that being healthy food. If they get familiar with more unhealthy food logogs than healthy food logos, they will obviously go for the food they know about raher than a healthy brand they haven’t heard of.
Being obese is a bad thing because it is expensive to be took care of. In the article, it said (When Children Are Overweight, Changes For The Whole Family) by Lesley Alderman, it said “For starters, obesity is expensive. People who are overweight tend to have more chronic illnesses than those who are not, and those illnesses can require intense medical attention.” This evidence explains how being overweight or obese is expensive because if they get illnesses they will need attention for it to go away or to at least minimize the chance of the illness getting worse. Doing these things require money and it’s not cheap. Therefore, it shows how being obese is bad.
What is/are the best solutions to this problem?
Evidence 2: “The consistent relationship between brand knowledge and BMI suggests that limiting advertising exposure might be a step in the right direction too.” (McAllister 1)
Final Thoughts
My thinking has changed since the beginning of the project because I didn't know that companies would advertise to younger viewers to get more profit out of them.
energy drinks
http://quest.eb.com/search/300_344796/1/300_344796/cite
obesity
http://quest.eb.com/search/139_1928434/1/139_1928434/cite
michelle obama campaign
http://quest.eb.com/search/115_2232651/1/115_2232651/cite
works cited
Alderman, Lesley. "When Children Are Overweight, Changes for the Whole Family." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
"Kids Who Know Unhealthy Food Logos More Likely to Be Overweight."MSUToday. Tom Oswald, Anna McAllister, n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015
Moran, David. "Sugary Drink Ads Still Targeting Kids: Yale Study." Hartford Courant 2014 nov 20: B.1 DB - SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 10 Feb. 2015
Goodnough, Abby, and Dan Frosch. "F.D.A. Expected to Act on Alcoholic Energy Drinks." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 Nov. 2010. Web. 06 Mar. 2015