Persuasive Essay On Fast Food Advertising

Words: 1639
Pages: 7

Advertisements are enticing, persuasive and captivating. Ads all around the world capture the attention of civilians and make us think about whatever it is being advertised, whether it is for the better, or worse. Advertisements of all sorts are seen on the daily, especially those for fast food. Places like McDonalds, Burger King, and Taco Bell have multiple advertisements displayed on billboards and commercials. These fast food industries are putting out advertisements that tempt the audience to buy the foods that are extremely unhealthy, yet cheap. The main targeted audience for these ads are children, because of the simple fact they are naive and will automatically want to get these kids meals. Advertisements for low-nutrition food is effecting …show more content…
Children are pestering their parents for the meals they see being advertised and the adults are buying it. These fast food meals are so cheap and easy that it becomes convenient to make a quick stop while also pleasing your kid with what they want. Parents think that by making that quick stop it is cheaper than cooking a homemade meal when that is actually not true, “the typical burgers-and-fries dinner for a family of four at McDonald's costs about $28, while a home-cooked chicken-and-potatoes meal for four would run you just $14” (Philpott). Even parents and guardians are becoming lazy and relying on these innutritious meals just so they can make it home fast and not have to spend more time cooking. These advertisements that are meant for kids are also catching the attention of busy parents. This just becomes a cycle of the easy way instead of the nutritious way. Parents are not realizing that spending the extra time cooking not only is actually cheaper, but their children will benefit from this as well. The food in fast food industries are so processed and have little to none nutritional value so the kids are getting nothing out of these. When parents cook a good hardy meal, it of course takes time, but in the long run it is actually cheaper and way healthier. Parents and …show more content…
What is rarely known by McDonald’s customers is that instead of getting french fries there is always that option of getting a salad. McDonalds rarely, if ever advertises that fact, which is why so many people do not even know about it. Instead, customers surely know the latest deals on the premium burgers and large drinks that come with it. These advertisements are seen so much that kids become attached to eating these meals in result leading to weight gain. According to the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness “11 percent of Michigan's children and youth are obese” which has a great deal to do with fast food advertisements. More times than not kids are seeing ads to get them to want unhealthy food, “about half of all advertising aimed at kids is for food” (Wootan 1). According to a health organization, Food & Water Watch “…children see nearly 5,000 TV food ads every year…” which is obviously making these kids crave fatty burgers with no nutritional value. Some people may argue that it is wrong to blame children’s increasing weight problem on items advertised in fast food marketing, but if the food is not to blame what is? Ads are constantly persuading children to eat their food by marketing with objects interesting to kids. Toys, characters from recent movies, and fun items are put into these advertisements drawing kid’s attention, which makes them want to eat these foods. When fast food industries are prompting naive