Cross-posted from MomsRising.
It’s 7am. I say — for the eleventh time — “J., let’s put on your shoes.” At 7:05, I say again, “J., time to put on your shoes.” Next day? Same words, same scene.
But, I swear, there’s no repeating necessary when it comes to Elmo. That little red Muppet caught my 17-month-old son’s attention in an instant. Having seen one picture in a book, he now remembers everything about Elmo and recognizes his image everywhere. That’s the power of marketing to kids.
And when it comes to fast-food marketing to children, McDonald’s is one of the worst offenders. For decades, the fast food giant has profited richly at a staggering cost to our children’s health.
That’s why I’m so fired up about Corporate Accountability International’s Value [the] Meal campaign’s latest initiative. It’s rallying moms across the country to call on McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson to stop the corporation’s predatory marketing to kids.
Darn right I’m a “gatekeeper”
Here’s the thing. I do everything I can to help my son eat well and lead a healthy life. And I keep our media consumption to a minimum. We don’t watch much TV or have a lot of screen time. Luckily for me, he’s not quite aware of billboards or other advertising … yet.
But I know it’s only a matter of time. That’s because McDonald’s goes out of its way to get around parents’ choices for their children by marketing its burgers and fries directly to kids. I am not looking forward to explaining why he can’t have the junk food he thinks he wants so badly.
McDonald’s, like many other global corporations, works to create brand loyalty at a young age. It uses characters like Ronald McDonald to create an emotional attachment in kids and an association of happiness with its product. And it puts those images everywhere where children are from schools, to libraries, to hospitals. McDonald’s is trying to get to your kids before you do.
McDonald’s marketers actually refer to parents as “gatekeepers.” The food giant sees it as a problem that I am guiding my child to healthy choices. If it can only get us pesky mothers out of the way, it would have full access to get kids hooked on junk food.
But McDonald’s fast-food marketing is not only undermining moms, it’s driving a public health crisis. To quote from the Corporate Accountability International report, Clowning with Kid’s Health: The Case for Ronald McDonald’s Retirement:
Far from being “happy meals,” McDonald’s food is responsible for such social ills as heart disease, diabetes, animal welfare abuses, labor exploitation, unceasing environmental destruction, and the breakdown of our food system.
Ending marketing to kids protects their health
Marketing directly to children is not a new idea. Tobacco corporations wrote the playbook on it. And a growing body of research finds marketing of junk food to kids is not unlike marketing tobacco. The product is purposefully engineered to be highly addictive — something McDonald’s isn’t spreading the news about.
The good news? We can protect kids’ health by halting harmful marketing.
In the 1990s, Corporate Accountability International was instrumental in retiring kid-friendly cigarette icon Joe Camel. And a few years later, the organization rallied a coalition of advocates around the world to ensure the passage of the global tobacco treaty.
This treaty enshrines the most effective tobacco-control measures, including banning of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship: highly effective in preventing youth addiction. When fully implemented, the treaty will save 200 million lives by 2050.
Help pressure McDonald’s
That’s why Corporate Accountability International is coordinating an online action in celebration of Mother’s Day. Together, we’ll pressure the burger giant to quit marketing to kids.
You can join the action! If you have a blog, post the above image today with your thoughts on how McDonald’s tries to circumvent your parenting choices. Or, post it on any of the social media sites you hang out in: Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Pinterest, etc..
And don’t to forget to use hashtag #MomsNotLovinIt. For example, here’s a tweet:
“All I want for Mother’s Day is for McDonald’s to stop marketing junk food to my kids. #MomsNotLovinIt”
If you’re wondering whether McDonald’s execs will pay attention to moms’ voices online, well, you already have their attention. McDonald’s spends significant time, money and resources every year trying to recruit moms who blog. Its party at the BlogHer conference is notorious, for example. McDonald’s is already listening to you.
So this Mother’s Day, let’s all ask for something we really want: for McDonald’s to stop trying to undermine our choices for our kids.
Gigi Kellett, Campaigns Director for Corporate Accountability International, previously directed the organization's Think Outside the Bottle campaign and the campaign to Challenge Big Tobacco, and helped develop the international water and Value [the] Meal campaigns.