Marketing Gimmicks

Of Course Food Marketers Use Totally Fun-Sounding Games to Target Kids

Photo: Kellogg’s

The sheer irresponsibility of those fast-cut, hypercolored, always-on, insanely loud Kool-Aid ads from the eighties will probably never be matched, but that doesn’t mean people who advertise junk food to kids aren’t still trying. Yes, there are now all sorts of regulations about where, when, and how often they can peddle their sugary wares to America’s youth, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t found loopholes. (“Loopholes,” by the way, would be a great name for a new sugar cereal). How? Online video games! All Big Cereal has to do these days is make something totally fun and gamelike (like this comic creator) that’s actually just an ad for Honey Nut Cheerios, then sit back and relax as kids around the country spend hours on end staring at your logo, subconsciously dreaming up ways to trick their parents into buying it for them. [NYT]

Of Course Food Marketers Use Totally Fun-Sounding Games to Target Kids