Advertising, Food and Children :: Expository Exemplification Essays

Advertising, Food and Children "Peanut, peanut butter and jelly." Advertising has an impact on its audience. From songs to logos to characters, food product advertisers must keep in mind their audiences. Competition is the force which causes advertisers to target children. Children are targeted through the use of cute phrases, animated characters, and toys in these competitive advertisements. Many types of food have a phrase associated with them. Commercials use these phrases to implant their product into the audiences memory. Goldfish crackers are an example of one these products. "I love the fishes `cause their so delicious..." This is the theme to a well known commercial which advertises Pepperigde Farm goldfish crackers. Children sing the phrase over and over throughout the entirety of the commercial. By the time the commercial ends the line and product are inevitably stuck in a persons mind. The commercial says "... and my mom says that's okay", which implies to children that their parents will allow them to eat this snack. Another example of a product with an addicting phrase is Oscar Meyer bologna. "My bologna has a first name its O-S-C-A-R..." Instead of this song selling the product itself, its aim is to sell the brand. The Oscar Meyer company has had auditions for the next Oscar Meyer child. Again, their goal is to sell their brand. The company also has another product with a catchy song, Oscar Meyer hot dogs. "I wish I were an Oscar Meyer wiener..." The stress of this phrase is also the brand. Oscar Meyer commercials use children to sing these songs and like the goldfish commercial, the song has been imprinted into a persons memory be the end of the commercial. Both companies goal is to sell their product. By targeting children, whole families are then targeted. Competition between companies with similar products, is the reason phrases are used. If one company can create a phrase that everyone will know and remember, they are one step closer to winning the race. Animated characters are also a medium used to target children. Animation has been the way which companies from Disney to Cartoon Network, capture the attention of children everywhere. Tony the Tiger is the spokesperson for Kellogg's frosted flakes.