The Effects Of Advertising On The United States

McDonald’s is a well-known fast food brand. It has been widely criticized for its advertising practices, which have heavily influenced children. It has also been accused of contributing to childhood obesity as well. After reading the case “CASE 2-7: McDonald’s and Obesity” I believe that McDonald’s has a right to advertise as much as they want. “If a food has a right to exist, a marketer has the right to advertise it”” (“McDonald’s and Obesity, n.d.). I think that any company should be able to advertise as much as they want to, but they should be respectful and advertise effectively. From the case study, it shows that McDonald’s is trying to accommodate and respect its role in obesity. McDonald’s is acknowledging the problem and is making changes. They are “promoting ongoing menu changes, the posters feature items such as a salad, a pile of free range eggshells, piece of fruit, and cups of cappuccino” (“McDonald’s and Obesity, n.d.). The company does advertise a lot, I can say from my experiences I have seen a lot on TV and through ads. I do think that they are reaching out to show they do have healthier options, which is why I feel that they should be able to advertise as much as they want. Regardless of the changes, I feel the company should be able to advertise as much as they want because when it comes down to it, it is ‘our’ choice to purchase their products and consume them whether they are healthy or not. They should not be restricted because they are a fast food company. The company has good advertising, as seen through their success. Advertisements are very persuasive and make you want what every thing they are selling, but it should not be the company’s fault. I do think that they should respect that obesity has become a problem and make effective choices when it comes to advertising, but they should not have to cut down. Fast Food companies should just be more aware and promote healthier option that they now have.

Fast food advertisements can be found around the world, on newspapers, television, and even online. Children, teenagers, and parents have seen marketing focused on fast food. While adults may think little about such blatant advertising tactics that are solely designed to attract new customers, how are kids affected? People across the United States worry about the ever increasing obesity rates amongst children in recent years. A common explanation is the spike in popularity of fast food. Most kids and teenagers have eaten fast food at least once in their lifetime. But why has fast food gotten increasingly popular recently? Fast food has always been known to be very unhealthy, but kids still consume it anyway. The culprit: fast food advertising. In modern times, the majority of kids living in the United States have access to the internet or television, where they are easy targets for advertising. To prevent the nation from growing up obese, fast food companies should end all ad campaigns targeted towards children and focus advertising strictly on adults. These advertisements cause kids to consume fast food more often, to eat an unhealthy diet, and to grow up in a culture dependent on fast food.

Obesity and being overweight are very common worldwide issues around the world, especially in the U.S. There are more than 3 million cases per year. By changing your lifestyle such as diet and exercise, losing weight can seem effortless. Desirable junk/fast food or even irresistible fast food commercials can tempt you to do the unthinkable. We are all victims of this advertising war. Quick-service restaurants (QSR) generate these advertisements in hope to attract more consumers or to increase their popularity rates around town. These commercials bombard our state of mind only to convince us to buy unhealthy food for worthless money. The increase in fast food commercials in the U.S. has led to an increase in both QSR revenues and the obesity rates. Regulating commercial frequencies will lead to a decline in the obesity rate. Our country has more than enough issues that frequently affect our population. Despite these alarming cautions, the food industries with their advertiser use every available media outlet to promote and sell their products. Pushing food and drinks high in sugar is unethical and unjust. We learn to

One of the biggest medical issues in America today is childhood obesity. A child is considered obese if that child is above the normal weight for their age and height. Childhood obesity is a “national epidemic” problem in America that needs major attention. In the article,”The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food,” by Michael Moss he acknowledges that “Among children, the rates had more than doubled since 1980, and the number of kids considered obese had shot past 12 million”(473). Moss’s point is that the rates of childhood obesity has increased tremendously over the past years. And the number of children that are overweight are at risk of becoming obese keeps growing. In addition, they are at greater risk for serious medical

Many Americans are suffering from nutrition issues. There are approximately 12.5 million children and adolescents aged 2-19 years that are obese (CDC). The proper health and nutrition for children is very critical to their growth and development. The media and its promotion of junk food is one way that affects obese children. Within this paper, I will discuss the long and short term

These corporations know that we have long work hours, chronic stress, and lack of sleep, making us prone to put on excessive weight. They increase portion sizes, create more opportunities for snack times, for example vending machines in schools and add ingredients to foods that make you want to eat more. Examples of common ingredients in foods and drinks that can cause you to want to eat more are: sugar, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, aspartame and refined mineral-depleted salt(“Food Industry and Obesity”). Because of this knowledge factory owners know exactly what to do to get us to buy their products, therefore making us vulnerable to excessive weight gain.Not only do food companies target adult, but also children. Bill Whitaker, a CBS News correspondent conducted a similar study of TV ads on kids. The results showed that American children are bombarded with commercials for unhealthy foods that contain a lot of salt, fat, and sugars.Children are an easy target for the food industry. Young and impressionable, children are eager to eat whatever looks and tastes good.(Voiland and Haupt). The food industry is now capable of influencing the youth of America, making it easier to raise the rate of being overweight and or obese. Mcdonald's being the largest fast food industry has found ways to attract children. A cheeseburger Happy Meal has 520 calories, 20 grams of total fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 50

Many schools around the nation are feeding unhealthy food products to children, such as fries, sodas, sweets from vending machines. It is shown that, “an estimated 17% of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are obese according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention”

Association, kids often do make food choices based on what they see on television. Doctors who study kids have noticed that food advertised is very powerful” (39). In order to prove that idea, the author adds that children and teens who watch more than two hours of television daily are more likely to be overweight than those who do not. Due to the many fast food restaurants and advertisements available to Americans, the realization that their food is unhealthy does not occur. The United States is aware of the consequences that come along with obesity, yet rarely ever are there advertisements promoting a healthy lifestyle. It is uncommon that an overweight person is shown eating a restaurant’s food in their commercial. It will give off the wrong

Along with these factors the food industry is spreading the sell of high-sugar and high-fat foods, increasing their portion sizes and uncontrollably boosting these products. In the article, “Fast-food Culture Serves Up Super-Size Americans”,  author Bridget Murray discusses “toxic signs” such as Nutritious foods reign, serving sizes keep increasing, and the food Industry has run amok. The food industry has prospered into being in common places such gas stations, vending machines, convenience stores,  serving high-fat, high-sugar food, and restaurants increasing their serving size and promoting bargains for low cost products.  Murray has noted, “ High-fat, High-sugar foods are widely available, taste good and cost less than healthier food”; an example of this would be vending machines. Vending machines contain many fatty foods at low prices as they are convenient to a typical person. The most common source of increasing serving sizes, is McDonald’s use of Super-Size it, which they had made into a verb. The food industry has run amok by serving appealing processed foods, through colorful packaging in addition to using advertisements on television, computers and social media. Children spend most of their day watching T.V., where they view multiple advertisements. In recent articles, “...research has found that children who watch more than three hours of television a day are 50 per cent more likely to be obese than children who watch fewer

In order to live a healthy lifestyle and reach 142 children must eat healthier. 16% of children and teenagers are overweight, which means they have a body mass index of 25 or more. Food advertisements have served as an effective tool of persuasion to sway children toward unhealthy foods that have contributed to the current epidemic attitudes

Have you ever wondered what makes a Big Mac so delicious in such a short amount of time? McDonald’s can make your meal in the time it takes you to swerve around the corner of the drive-thru. This is why millions of Americans have stopped taking the time to make a home cooked meal when there is a fast food chain up the block that has dinner in five minutes for half the cost. With Americans so invested in technology, work, and school, many turn to these unhealthy choices to save time. This fast food epidemic has led to child obesity, adult obesity, and much more cases of diabetes. Now, children and even adults don’t know the normal food portions to eat or the correct diet to follow. This paper will go over three major fast food chains, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Taco Bell, the statistics of child obesity, and the effect of unknown ingredients.

According to the American Heart Association, 1 in about 3 American kids and teens are overweight or obese. The amount of overweight children has more than tripled from 1971 to 2011. With a good reason, childhood obesity is now the number one health concern among parents in the United States, topping drug abuse and smoking. “Marketing to kids gets more savvy with technology”, says that this generation is expected to live a life expectancy less than their parents. This is because knowledgeable marketers, such as McDonalds, Burger King, and Arby's are advertising their products to a vast majority of children worldwide.Marketers advertising fast food encourage kids to eat fast food. However, too much fast food can cause obesity, heart disease,

With the Great War finally over after four years of fighting, postwar America sought to return to normalcy under the presidency of Harding. Republicans with the support of President Harding decided to overturn the many progressive era laws and oblige to the policy of isolationism. With this focus on returning to the old days before the progressive movement, Americans were afraid that they were losing their traditional identity, therefore they resisted any changes that they perceived as un-American. This helped revitalize the KU KLUX KLAN whose membership ranged to the millions at its peak in the mid-1920s. The KKK reflected the identity of the people who were pro-Anglo-Saxon, pro-natives, and pro-Protestant and believed that foreigners and

Did you realize that including children “In 2013, 2.1 billion people worldwide were overweight or obese”? (Kraak, Story 107). From 2013 to today the problem of child obesity is becoming a major concern in the world. Children today face many problems that may cause them to become obese. Child Obesity is becoming a major issue in the 21st century because of circumstances like marketing strategies, fast food restaurants, and parental influence.

About a third of children in the U.S. are considered overweight or obese, and researchers believe television advertising is a significant contributing factor (4). Exposure to television advertising is basically universal and the ads present foods as desirable and attractive. Children have been shown to be far more receptive to television advertising messages than classroom lessons (3). It leaves a harder lasting impression on them because the food products are presented in a cool, fun way that attracts children. Most of the time, children would pick foods that they may not even like, simply because they think it’s the cool thing to eat and once a kid gets his mind set on what they want, it is very hard to steer them away from wanting it. Television ads for foods geared toward children are usually fun, and bright with animations and lots of cool characters that the children can relate to. This directly influences the child’s food preference and unfortunately most of these ads are for processed, unhealthy food products like cereals, snacks, fast food, and soft drinks. In the U.S., there are few restrictions on food ads, but that's not the case in the U.K., where junk food can't be marketed on children's television (4).