Fast Food companies selfishly brainwash and manipulate younger kids in order to increase their profits. For the past six decades the fast food industry has been a big part of the American economy. The biggest companies in the industry have explored all kinds of strategies to be more profitable and to build their brands. The companies highest expenses are incurred from advertising. Research shows that the likes of McDonald's, KFC, Subway, etc... spend millions of dollars on advertising annually. These fast food giants use a multitude of platforms to increase the popularity of their brands. They advertise on radio stations, television commercials, television shows, sports events, athletes, and music.The vast majority of the advertising is mainly aimed at kids, this is because the companies have realized that going after the kids is their best chance to increase the popularity of their brand. The companies mainly go after the youth because they know kids can't think for themselves and decide what's good and bad for them, therefore they use methods are made to make children like their products instantly.
The fast food industry started in the 1950s in California. Since day one they have relied on the youth for their profits and they have aimed their advertisements towards towards them. When fast foods first opened, their largest population of consumers were teenagers, who would drive in at the restaurants in cars. Initially they tried to make their business have a family like atmosphere, but now they market directly towards children. ''Children would become the new restaurant chain's target customers."(41) This explains the strategy McDonald's was going to use to boost their profits. This was a great idea Ray Kroc stated, " A child who loves our TV commercials, and brings her grandparents to a McDonald's gives us two more customers."(41) This further shows the genius of Ray Kroc, he manged to get adults to McDonald's without them been his primary focus. '' McDonald's mascot began to rival Mickey mouse in name recognition." (41) At this stage McDonald's plan to target children as their customers was a huge success, for their mascot to be as recognized as the most popular fictional character, their plan was working brilliantly. McDonald's has managed to keep children wanting to go to their restaurants frequently to this date. Six decades later my own cousin wants to have the happy meal every other day and every McDonald's i walk in there's a McDonald's land filled with kids whilst their parents sip on milkshakes and eat the best fries in the world.
Although i have deep admiration for Ray Kroc and the brilliance of his idea to market towards children, I despise the idea just as much. McDonald's has managed to get kids to consume their brand for the past half a century and more. They have used TV commercials and other forms of advertising to appeal to the minds of children and have portrayed themselves as flawless to the young minds of kids that can't decide between good and bad. One of McDonald's aim is to get children irritate, convince, nag, pressure, and guilt their parents into taking them to McDonald's. Children appeal to their parents emotions and this can be bad because some parents may just think it's about getting the kids whatever makes them happy. Although taking your child to McDonald's can get them off your back it can have more bad effects than the temporary happiness of the child. Children aren't able to see that going to McDonald's three times a week can be detrimental to their health. Obesity is one of the biggest problems in America and a lot of it is due to the large consumption of fast food. If a child goes to McDonald's more than once every week they are bound to gain weight, but McDonald's ignores the fact that children don't know that. McDonald's doesn't even make an attempt to show that they care about the health of children they could at least promote exercise but they chose to just advertise their happy meals and toys u get. Although the strategy is perfectly legal, McDonald's is able to get children to love their restaurants simply because they portray the perfect picture to children and get children to guilt their parents into taking them to their restaurants often.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Blog Entry 4 Summarizing Arguments 2
The second chapter of Fast Food Nation is titled Your Trusted Friends. Eric Schlosser uses this chapter to show how the marketing strategies of Fast Foods and their ways of keeping their brands alive. He gives us insight into the manipulative skills McDonald's and other Fast Foods use to get kids to like their brand starting at the tender age of two. Eric states, '' While Disney was much more famous and achieved success sooner, Kroc may have been more influential. Here he is referring to Walt Disney and Ray Kroc the founders of Disney and McDonald's. Eric believes that Disney's brand was recognized universally a while before McDonald's became the most popular brand in the world. Eric however states that Kroc was more influential, one of the best examples is the Ronald McDonald statue which went on to become more recognized than any other fictional character including Disney's Micky Mouse. Eric also backs up his premise by stating that many more people tried to start their own fast food rather than film company, and the Fast Food Industry had more power over the economy than the film-making industry. Eric states, ''the best insight into the thinking of fast food marketers comes from their own words.'' Eric is telling us about the way fast food marketers think and exploit the minds of the youth. One marketer states, ''The challenge of the campaign is to make customers believe that McDonald's is their 'Trusted Friend'.'' He states McDonald's associated themselves with other brands in order for customers to connect their products with those of their alliances. One example is the Big Mac, McDonald's used the Olympics to help launch a new burger that had more meat than the Big Mac. The alliance of McDonald's with Disney was used to enhance the perception of the McDonald's Brand. One commercial read, '' ONLY MCDONALD'S MAKES IT EASY TO GET A BIT OF DISNEY MAGIC.'' This slogan was used to bait parents into buying McDonald's for their kids on an everyday basis, because it was believed that the same effect Disney toys had on kids loving their parents more was the same effect as McDonald's.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Blog Entry 3 Summarizing Arguments
Eric Schlosser is the author of Fast Food Nation. Fast Food Nation gives us a deeper look at the phenomenon that is the Fast Food Industry, it gives great insight on how the industry was born and the seismic effects it has had on culture, the economy, and food production. Chapter 1 of Fast Food Nation, titled ''The Founding Fathers'' uncovers the fascinating story of the pioneers of the Fast Food Industry. In this chapter Schlosser identifies the founders of the major American Fast Foods. Eric claims that Los Angeles soon became unlike any other city the world had ever seen, sprawling and horizontal, a thoroughly suburban metropolis of detached homes-a glimpse of the future, molded by the automobile. Eric introduces his claim of how the automobile transformed the city of Los Angeles entirely, and helped launch the Fast Food Industry. In 1940, there were a million cars in Los Angeles, which was more than forty states combined. Due to the high volume of cars in Los Angeles, the innovations of a drive-in bank, motel, and drive-in restaurant came about, which was the beginining of the Fast Food Industry. Eric claims, '' The McDonald brothers' Speede Service System revolutionized the restaurant business. Eric believes the system the brothers used to produce food at their restaurants changed how restaurants operated. Eric later explains the system became prominent when people were hearing of the low prices but quality food that McDonald's was offering, their customers grew immensely. The McDonald brothers' applied the factory assembly line principles to a commercial kitchen, and that helped make food faster and better but also cheaper. Eric goes on to say that the fast food wars in southern California were fierce. Jack in the Box, McDonald's, and Taco Bell were all founded in southern California. Eric states these restaurants opened up next to each other whenever one opened at a particular location the others would waste no time to have a restaurant in the vicinity of their competitors. These companies spent a lot of money of advertising discouraging customers to go to the other restaurants but instead to go to theirs.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Blog Entry 2
Food is an essential part of my day. Food dictates my mood and attitude for the day. Food has such a key role in my daily life without it i would do nothing. I often eat three meals a day. My day starts out with a heavy breakfast, a light breakfast gives me the energy to take on the morning and have a positive attitude for the day. On a normal day i eat lunch between noon and one p.m. My lunch helps me stay energetic in order to complete the tasks i have on that particular day. The meal i look forward to the most because of my mom's brilliant cooking skills is dinner. I usually eat dinner at seven p.m and i also enjoy it because it's when the whole family gathers. Dinner helps me finish the day on a positive note accompanied with desert sometimes. food can easily affect my mood for better or for worse.
I eat almost everything except anything that contains chilli. For breakfast i usually have cereal, toast, and a fruit everyday of the week except Saturday. Mom always cooks a heavy breakfast on Saturdays. The Saturday breakfast usually has waffles or pancakes, sausages with peppers, bacon, eggs, and a fruit salad. I don't always eat lunch. When i eat lunch i usually eat a full meal. I eat spaghetti, rice, potatoes, all cooked in a different fashion all the time. Sometimes lunch is the left-overs from dinner of the previous night. Mom usually prepares dinner unless she's too tired and decides to take out. Three times a week Mom cooks the staple food of my country, which is Zambia,Africa. The name of my country's staple food is Nshima. It's made out of cornmeal. On the days we don't eat Nshima, we eat meat, chicken, and fish all done in different ways. I often eat snacks in between meals. My favorite snacks are chocolate, candy bars, fruits, and chips. My favorite meals not home cooked are Chinese pork fried rice with sesame chicken, and of course the greatest invention in the fast food industry a quarter pounder with french fries and a shake. One of my favorite meals is spaghetti bolognese.One of the reasons i eat food from different cultures is because I've lived in four different countries.
My mother is the only person who cooks in my house, and sadly the only one who knows how to do so. The males in my house spend little to no time in the kitchen. I am the only other person who ever cooks and the only thing i cook is breakfast. The only meal i eat with my family is dinner and Saturday breakfast, one of our traditions as a family. The closest help my mom has when it comes to cooking is when I help her with the shopping. We usually go shopping on Sundays after Church, we usually buy all the dairy needed for the week, then once every month we go to Costco to buy meats, chicken, etc. Every Sunday night dinner is dedicated to a meal from my country. Mom cooks a different traditional meal every Sunday night, it's one of the ways we try to stay in contact with our culture. The other special meals we have are on big holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. We usually eat more western food.
One of the worst jobs and experiences of my life was when I worked at McDonald's for an abrupt three weeks. I worked both in the kitchen and as a cashier. The tasks i had to do were not very demanding but it was the conditions and treatment that caused me not to like the job. One of the primary reasons i disliked the job was the way managers treated employees beneath them. They often tormented me and my fellow workers to a point that would make me never want to go to or even look at a McDonald's restaurant. The managers often yelled at me if i didn't do something in a certain amount of time or if customer didn't get their order at a certain unrealistic time. We practically treated like machines. The customers were also a big problem. It was very rare to have a customer that was patient and wouldn't lash out for no particular reason. After three weeks i decided to quit and never at a fast food. I decided the pay wasn't worth the distress i went through daily, and as with most things in life why commit yourself to something that you totally resent.
Food controls how i approach everyday of my life. The energy and attitude i have towards everything i do is dependent upon the amount food i have in my body. I often eat three meals a day along with some snacks. My mom is the only person who cooks in our house, unless i decide to take out and not eat home made food. I am very diverse in the kind of food eat due to the fact that i have lived in different countries with completely different cultures. I will never work in the fast food industry after the nightmare of an experience that was my three week stay at McDonald's. Food runs the world.
I eat almost everything except anything that contains chilli. For breakfast i usually have cereal, toast, and a fruit everyday of the week except Saturday. Mom always cooks a heavy breakfast on Saturdays. The Saturday breakfast usually has waffles or pancakes, sausages with peppers, bacon, eggs, and a fruit salad. I don't always eat lunch. When i eat lunch i usually eat a full meal. I eat spaghetti, rice, potatoes, all cooked in a different fashion all the time. Sometimes lunch is the left-overs from dinner of the previous night. Mom usually prepares dinner unless she's too tired and decides to take out. Three times a week Mom cooks the staple food of my country, which is Zambia,Africa. The name of my country's staple food is Nshima. It's made out of cornmeal. On the days we don't eat Nshima, we eat meat, chicken, and fish all done in different ways. I often eat snacks in between meals. My favorite snacks are chocolate, candy bars, fruits, and chips. My favorite meals not home cooked are Chinese pork fried rice with sesame chicken, and of course the greatest invention in the fast food industry a quarter pounder with french fries and a shake. One of my favorite meals is spaghetti bolognese.One of the reasons i eat food from different cultures is because I've lived in four different countries.
My mother is the only person who cooks in my house, and sadly the only one who knows how to do so. The males in my house spend little to no time in the kitchen. I am the only other person who ever cooks and the only thing i cook is breakfast. The only meal i eat with my family is dinner and Saturday breakfast, one of our traditions as a family. The closest help my mom has when it comes to cooking is when I help her with the shopping. We usually go shopping on Sundays after Church, we usually buy all the dairy needed for the week, then once every month we go to Costco to buy meats, chicken, etc. Every Sunday night dinner is dedicated to a meal from my country. Mom cooks a different traditional meal every Sunday night, it's one of the ways we try to stay in contact with our culture. The other special meals we have are on big holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. We usually eat more western food.
One of the worst jobs and experiences of my life was when I worked at McDonald's for an abrupt three weeks. I worked both in the kitchen and as a cashier. The tasks i had to do were not very demanding but it was the conditions and treatment that caused me not to like the job. One of the primary reasons i disliked the job was the way managers treated employees beneath them. They often tormented me and my fellow workers to a point that would make me never want to go to or even look at a McDonald's restaurant. The managers often yelled at me if i didn't do something in a certain amount of time or if customer didn't get their order at a certain unrealistic time. We practically treated like machines. The customers were also a big problem. It was very rare to have a customer that was patient and wouldn't lash out for no particular reason. After three weeks i decided to quit and never at a fast food. I decided the pay wasn't worth the distress i went through daily, and as with most things in life why commit yourself to something that you totally resent.
Food controls how i approach everyday of my life. The energy and attitude i have towards everything i do is dependent upon the amount food i have in my body. I often eat three meals a day along with some snacks. My mom is the only person who cooks in our house, unless i decide to take out and not eat home made food. I am very diverse in the kind of food eat due to the fact that i have lived in different countries with completely different cultures. I will never work in the fast food industry after the nightmare of an experience that was my three week stay at McDonald's. Food runs the world.
Blog Entry 1
America is one of the most populated nations in the world. With over three hundred million people residing in all parts of the nation, a safe food supply is key to the health of the hundreds of million of people. The F.D.A makes a great effort to make sure food coming in and out the country is safe. America's food is also inspected and closely monitored by private companies and local state agencies. It's vital for the F.D.A. to make sure food imported into America is every bit as safe as the food made in America.
Food from nations all around the world is imported into America on a daily basis. Food enters America at the borders and also by air. The food that is imported has to be examined for any bacterial, chemical, and viral contamination to ensure that consumers will be eating safe food. Imported is examined at larger depth. Food coming in could bring an external bacteria that can be deadly and spread fast. This could lead to thousands of casualties, especially if there's an outbreak as bad as the swine flu that kiled thousands of people all over the world in 2010. The F.D.A. has taken steps to ensure that imported food is safe for consumption.
The F.D.A. has made a distinct effort to ensure that imported food is safe for consumption. Inspectors have been placed at the borders to check that food coming into the U.S. isn't contaminated. As a result of the screening of the food, any food that may be contaminated is crushed at the border and doesn't enter the American food market. The countries that export food to the U.S. have to check that the food meets American standards before it is sent.
The average American consumes three meals a day. The F.D.A has done everything in its power to ensure that food exported to the U.S. is safe for consumption. There are inspectors at the border to make sure the food is safe. One of the largest concerns the F.D.A has for imported food to have a virus that could cause debilitating effects. The F.D.A works close with experts in other countries to ensure the food is a hundred percent clean. Due to the efforts of the F.D.A and other agencies, it is made possible for imported food to taste just as good as home grown food.
Food from nations all around the world is imported into America on a daily basis. Food enters America at the borders and also by air. The food that is imported has to be examined for any bacterial, chemical, and viral contamination to ensure that consumers will be eating safe food. Imported is examined at larger depth. Food coming in could bring an external bacteria that can be deadly and spread fast. This could lead to thousands of casualties, especially if there's an outbreak as bad as the swine flu that kiled thousands of people all over the world in 2010. The F.D.A. has taken steps to ensure that imported food is safe for consumption.
The F.D.A. has made a distinct effort to ensure that imported food is safe for consumption. Inspectors have been placed at the borders to check that food coming into the U.S. isn't contaminated. As a result of the screening of the food, any food that may be contaminated is crushed at the border and doesn't enter the American food market. The countries that export food to the U.S. have to check that the food meets American standards before it is sent.
The average American consumes three meals a day. The F.D.A has done everything in its power to ensure that food exported to the U.S. is safe for consumption. There are inspectors at the border to make sure the food is safe. One of the largest concerns the F.D.A has for imported food to have a virus that could cause debilitating effects. The F.D.A works close with experts in other countries to ensure the food is a hundred percent clean. Due to the efforts of the F.D.A and other agencies, it is made possible for imported food to taste just as good as home grown food.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
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