Fast food marketing to children - Essay Example

 Fast food marketing to children Introduction Fast food marketing through advertisements that are targeted to children has remained a controversialissue since children are not capable of distinguishing the nutritional content of the fast foods (Boone & Kurtz, 2015). The marketing advertisements are untruthful since fast foods are responsible for the high obesity rates among children as youngsters lack the cognitive skills to understand the healthy dangers of consuming fast foods (Boone & Kurtz, 2015).

Fast food marketing targeted at children triggers feelings of desire to consume such unhealthy diets thus leading to obesity and later low self-esteem due to their healthy condition (Boone & Kurtz, 2015). Multinational corporations like McDonald’s serve millions of fast food daily, but some of their marketing strategies are unethical since they target children. Fast food marketing is unethical since it leads to future social problems such as unhealthy nation and high medical costs. In this case, the fast food companies and the entire country will lack healthy employees who can contribute to the economic development of the country (Boone & Kurtz, 2015).

The proponents of fast food marketing towards children assert that companies must meet their business objectives of ensuring high return to investors and thus it is possible to ensure responsible marketing towards children. Fast food marketing is thus ethical if it creates a balance between the commercial interests of the company and need to promote positive behaviour (Boone & Kurtz, 2015). In this case, fast food retail outlets such as McDonald’s have incorporated the meal components and need for physical exercise in their latest advertisements thus promoting healthy living.

The proponents of fast food marketing claim that there is high competition in the market and thus businesses should use aggressive marketing tactics to increase their revenues. In this case, fast food marketing is ethical as long as it adheres to the business regulatory framework regarding food advertisement (Boone & Kurtz, 2015). Conclusion Fast food marketing to children is unethical since children lack the cognitive skills to understand the nutritional content and the healthy dangers of consuming such foods.

Fast foods are responsible for the high obesity rates among children and this has led to high medical costs for the parents. The fast food companies should promote healthy living and implement healthy diets such as calorie alternatives. Reference:Boone, L & Kurtz, D. (2015). Contemporary Marketing. New York: Cengage Learning.