By Coreen Reed, Nerac Analyst

“MOMMY, MOMMY! PLEASE BUY THE MADAGASGAR DINNERS.” “I REALLY-REALLY WANT THE CARE BEAR GUMMIES!” “I WANT DORA SOUP!” “I WANT BUNNY CEREAL!”

If you haven’t been there yourself, then you have probably seen the harried mother, either giving a defiant “No!” to screaming kids and trying to stand her ground while finishing her grocery shopping quickly and with dignity. Or maybe you have seen her grab one of the hundreds of not-so-good-for-you treats, snacks and other items referred to as foods that are directly marketed to our kids, simply to quiet her children in the store.

Children are inundated with images of all their favorite characters, video games and what-not on foods packaged for them. So they know what they think they want. And why not: Marketing to children is big business—$15.1 billion annually in the United States alone, according to one study on children’s foods and beverages.

Simply Put, Characters Sell Product
Why do companies use these popular images? Profit, quite simply. Kids will eat what is on the inside without really thinking much about whether it’s good for them. They have seen it on TV and are familiar with the icon, character or cartoon on the package, and that sells product, something every food company is in business to do. What’s more, brand awareness is built at a young age and develops into brand purchasing power, thus ensuring that products will sell down the road. As one researcher put it in a 2004 article in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, “Marketers know that toddlers and preschool children have considerable purchase influence and can successfully negotiate purchase through what marketers term the ‘nag factor’ or ‘pester power.’”

There is considerable market potential right now for food manufacturers to produce healthy eating options targeted towards kids, but it is a largely untapped market. As a parent I cringe at what I see on the shelves with kid-friendly advertising. As a professional, I see a huge opportunity to food producers—if only the right foods were on the shelves.

Dora Can Sell Healthier Food
American children are facing huge problems with obesity, to the point where it has become a national health crisis —an epidemic, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. With obesity at a young age comes a slew of health problems, ultimately leading to shorter life expectancy.

One piece of the obesity problem is food. What children choose to eat or what is put in front of them is largely dependent on the caretakers or parents, though that is not to say that they won’t be influenced by what they see every day around them. Kids will still want and, yes, will eat foods marketed with characters, icons and video game images. Couple this with the fact that children view an average of one food commercial every five minutes of television viewing time … well, you can see where I’m going with this.

Why not harness that advertising power and do a little product reformulation. Reduce fat, sodium, and sugar. Incorporate more whole grains or vegetables. Make the message, “If Dora can like brown rice and broccoli, then so can you!”

Be Responsible With Advertising
Advertising is such a powerful tool that it can border on dangerous if not used correctly. A 2005 study published in the American Journal of Public Health on the nutritional content of foods advertised during prime kid–watching hours showed that of 426 advertisements, a whopping 83 percent of the advertisements were for convenience, fast foods, or sweets. “Snack-time eating was depicted more often than breakfast, lunch, and dinner combined,” the study found.

The television industry is being challenged to be more responsible with its advertising practices, such as limiting the amount of advertising during prime viewing hours or at least airing fewer advertisements. Positive effects of changing the way we advertise and market to kids do exist. For example, the Nickelodeon Network in 2005 launched its “Get Moving Let’s Just Play” initiative to combat inactivity in children by encouraging health and fitness as fun. Part of the initiative suspended programming for three hours to encourage children to go outside and play during the day, and provided information on its website offering “activities, game ideas, planning guides and other resources.” A change in behavior was seen, so we know it can be done.

Disney Does It Right
Another excellent example is the Disney Corporation. In October 2006, the Kids Nutrition Report noted that Disney began to market “better-for-you” choices using the Disney logos. Currently, the company lends its characters to produce through Kroger branded grocery chains and to other companies with kid-targeted healthy foods. Disney consumer products spokesman Harry Dolman was quoted in the report saying that Disney is “actively trying to transform our portfolio of foods so that they’re all healthy–food solutions. … On the one hand, we think it’s a responsibility that Disney has to provide healthy solutions. But at the same time, we think that it’s a great business opportunity as well.”

There’s that word again, responsibility. In the life of a child we are all responsible for creating a balanced, well rounded (figuratively not literally), socially responsible individual. I see this as a race to the starting gate for responsible manufacturers to be the trend-setters. Industry leaders will be the ones introducing or continuing food lines targeted to kids that encourage healthier eating and better choices in the younger generations. We already know that kids will eat a food if their favorite Madagascar characters or a Care Bear is on the outside. So let’s change what’s on the inside! The market potential is there. Grab it and go with it.