User:Wayneyuan125/sandbox

Advertising[edit | edit source]

In 2012, fast food restaurants spent roughly $4.6 billion USD on advertising campaigns, which represented an 8% increase from 2009. In the same period of time, McDonald's spent nearly 3 times as much on advertising as all water, milk, and produce advertisers spent combined.

A study done by researchers from the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth University saw results that suggest that when children watch more commercial television (and see more advertisements on fast food), they are more inclined to ask to visit these subsequent fast food restaurants. Specifically, fast food restaurants have been increasing their advertising efforts that target black and Hispanic youth. Advertising on Spanish speaking channels increased by 8% in 2012, with KFC and Burger King increasing spending in this demographic by 35% while cutting down on their regular advertising within English speaking channels.

The Council of Better Business Bureaus started the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative in 2006 which asked fast food companies to pledge to "advertise only more healthful products to children" with McDonald's and Burger King signing on. However, despite a slight increase in healthful food advertising, the effectiveness of this initiative has been disputed by studies that reveal that "children couldn't remember or identify healthful foods in the ads, and that 81 percent of the 99 3 to 7 year olds in that study recalled French fries" even though there were no French fries in the advertisement.[6]