"McFood" Better Than Food, Kids Say

[Deja Q]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/06/health/webmd/main3139085.shtml

Told they were playing a food-tasting game, the kids sat at a table with a screen across the middle. A researcher reached around either side of the screen to put out two identical food samples: slices of a hamburger, french fries, chicken nuggets, milk, or baby carrots.

The only difference between the pairs of food samples was that one came in a plain wrapper, cup, or bag, and the other came in a clean, unused McDonald's wrapper, cup, or bag. The kids were asked whether they liked one of the foods best, or whether they tasted the same.

The article has more, including a hilarious breakdown as to how many kids saw through this infantile game. (Hint: It wasn't many.)

Kids who preferred "McFood" tended to live in homes with a greater number of television sets and tended to eat at McDonald's more often than kids not influenced by the McDonald's brand name.

"Children preferred the taste of carrots and milk if they thought they were from McDonald's," Robinson and colleagues conclude. "This is an opportunity for heavily marketed brands to respond to rising rates of childhood obesity by changing their product offerings."

:eyes:

[Ellen Forradalom]

1. This is an opportunity

for heavily marketed-to children to quit eating at Mickey Dee's.

[tridim]

2. Marketing to toddlers is like shooting fish in a barrel

I saw something else recently where kids thought McDonalds food was cooked by Ronald McDonald. They liked the fact that their food was cooked by a clown. :crazy:

Hmmm.. Maybe we can get them to eat Emeril's food since he's a clown too. Problem is, his food is almost as bad as McDonalds.

[spindoctor]

4. I know at least one clown who is going to be out of a job next year

But that's a whole different subject.

Do fries go with that shake?

[Deja Q]

6. But when it comes to profit, what isn't too easy?

Besides, Emeril would have to dress in clothes the colors of ketchup and mustard.

[Canuckistanian]

3. This study got prominent billing on our national news

The CBC did a story about this, citing the potential effect of marketing on childhood obesity.

I imagine it was ignored completely by your own media.

[Solon]

5. Ah, the power of marketing, next up, are adults any better?

To be honest, I doubt it, try a "cola" test, put Coca Cola in both a Pepsi Bottle and a Coca Cola bottle and I bet 50 bucks that folks will claim they taste different.