Commercialism Geared Towards Children

Historically, advertisers have targeted the adult population due to the fact that they have the means with which to purchase the products being advertised. Recently, however, advertisers have begun to target children due to the fact that they are an influential population who, once sold on the idea of the product, may potentially in the future purchase similar products made by the same company. At this point it is clear that big companies market ideas directed at children in order to sway children to want to purchase their products.

When a child sits down and watches a thirty minute television program they are subjected to an average six minutes of commercials. They’ll see an ad for McDonalds that doesn’t even focus on the food, the product ultimately being purchased. It focuses on the toy the child will get when they buy a Happy Meal. Most of the time the toy is part of a series and the children are encouraged to “collect all four”. They will then persuade their parents to get them the Happy Meal because they want the toy. McDonald’s food is filled with fat, cholesterol, and calories but none of that is advertised and to the child it tastes good and they got a toy. This leads to continued purchases since the child enjoyed the meal and a prize. Once the child grows older, they’ve grown accustomed to this way of life and will likely continue to purchase food from McDonalds.

Another big company, Mattel makes Barbie. She is a plastic doll that is idolized by almost every girl in America. The commercials show her having fun in all types of situations, being glamorous with her friends, dressed in cool clothing. She has a pink corvette, a boyfriend Ken and a bunch of friends. Mattel doesn’t advertise the