Harrison, Kristen, and Amy Marske. "Nutritional Content of Foods Advertised During
The Television Programs Children Watch Most." American Journal of Public Health 95.9 (Sep. 2005): 1568-1574. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. 11 Aug. 2009 . Snack, convenience, and fast foods and sweets continue to dominate food advertisements viewed by children.

Helmer, James. "Love on a Bun: How McDonald's Won the Burger Wars." Journal of
Popular Culture 26.2 (Fall92 1992): 85-97. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 11 Aug. 2009 . This article examines the television commercials broadcast of McDonald's Corp. in the 1980s to show how they connected to the cultural construct family. Specifically, it demonstrates how familial images were employed as a means of persuasion that ultimately portrayed McDonald's as a potential source of love and human happiness, as a place for being a family. What is suggested in the success of McDonald's advertising efforts is that the U.S. family recognizes the various human groups depicted in the commercials as reflections of itself. That is to say not only the most fundamental cultural institution, the family, is much changed but that McDonald's public messages have helped make its variations acceptable and legitimate, thus playing an influential role in its reconstitution. Moreover, the analysis suggests that familial images, when they are adapted to contemporary meanings, continue to carry considerable persuasive force in modern society. McDonald's approach is nothing less than a strategy of control that works in insidious ways, as through the whines of a child who persuades its parent to stop at McDonald's when other restaurants are closer or offer tastier and more healthful fare.

"Fast food gaining on cereal in TV ads for kids." Club Success: Successful Strategies for
Fitness Industry Professionals 8.8 (Aug. 2002): 3-3. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 11 Aug. 2009 . This short article describes the results of a study looking at the trends in television advertising aimed at children. An analysis of the commercials during Saturday morning cartoon shows currently indicate that there are nearly an equal amount of advertisements for fast food restaurants or beverages as those for the perpetual favorite of sugar breakfast cereals.

Probyn, Elspeth. "Chapter 2: FEEDING McWORLD, EATING IDEOLOGIES." 35-60.
Routledge, 2000. SocINDEX with Full Text. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 11 Aug. 2009 . This article deals with the influence of fast food chain McDonald's in global and local family cultures. Referencing the documentary film McLibel, Helen Steel and Dave Morris probes on issues like the effects of global and transnational capital on workers and animals, ethics versus profit, and concern about the effect of advertising on children. Furthermore, the author argues that the example of McDonald's creation of a global family can be used to problematise those practices that are seen to be transparently good and ethical. While McDonald's offers a cozy standardized world, ethical forms of eating tend to give a blueprint for conduct that place individuals within strict moral systems. In different ways these models fail to allow for recognition of the ambiguities and the contradictions of living in an interconnected world. The company's advertising campaigns demonstrate its rhetoric of caring, global citizenship through images of families and community, transcending regions and nations, class, ethnicity and age. As the human face of the cyber network, McDonald's plays on the interconnectedness of regions, peoples, time and space. On the other hand, the McDonaldisation of the workforce is obviously part of the climate of 'labor precariousness' that now characterizes the economy.

Hudson, Simon, David Hudson, and John Peloza. "Meet the parents: A parents'
perspective on product placement in children's films." Journal of Business Ethics 80.2 (June 2008): 289-304. PsycINFO. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 11 Aug. 2009 . The ethics of advertising to children has been identified as one of the most important topics worthy of academic research in the marketing field. A fast growing advertising technique is product placement, and its use in children's films is becoming more and more common. The limited evidence existing suggests that product placements are especially potent in their effects upon children. Yet regulations regarding placements targeted at children are virtually non-existent, with advertising guidelines suggesting that it remains the prime responsibility of the parents to provide guidance for children. This study measured the ethical evaluations of parents in the UK and Canada regarding product placements in children's films. After exposing parents to a four-type typology of product placements, results show that explicit placements of ethically charged products were perceived as the most unethical type of placements. Parents in the UK were more sensitive to the use of the technique and there was a significant difference in relativism between the two groups. Both sets of respondents would like to see more regulation on the use of placements, especially placements of alcohol, tobacco and fast foods.

Eagle, Lynne, and Ross Brennan. "Beyond advertising: In-home promotion of 'fast
food.'." Young Consumers 8.4 (2007): 278-288. PsycINFO. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 11 Aug. 2009 . The purpose of this paper is to discuss the range of potential influences on children's food choices, while suggesting that recent restrictions on advertising of some foods may not be as effective as expected. It aims to use home-delivered food promotional materials to illustrate the types of promotional activity that are not covered by recent regulatory actions.

Hoek, Janet, and Philips Gendall.. "Advertising and Obesity: A Behavioral Perspective."
Journal of Health Communication 11.4 (June 2006): 409-423. PsycINFO. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 11 Aug. 2009 .Concern over the levels of obesity observed in Western countries has grown as researchers forecast a rapid growth in the medical care that a progressively more obese population will require. As health workers deal with increased incidences of diabetes and other obesity-related disorders, policymakers have examined the factors contributing to this problem. In particular, advertising that promotes high fat and high sugar products to children has come under increasing scrutiny. Advertisers have rejected claims that advertising contributes to obesity by arguing that it cannot coerce people into purchasing a product, and does not affect primary demand. This reasoning overlooks the role advertising plays in reinforcing and normalizing behavior, however, and it assumes that only direct causal links merit regulatory attention. Ehrenberg's "weak" theory suggests advertising will support unhealthy eating behaviors, while the wide range of sales promotions employed will prompt trial and reward continued consumption. This article presents an alternative analysis of how marketing contributes to obesity and uses behavior modification theory to analyze the "fast-food" industry's promotions.

Harris, Jennifer L., John A. Bargh, and Kelly D. Brownell. "Priming effects of television
food advertising on eating behavior." Health Psychology 28.4 (July 2009): 404-413. PsycARTICLES. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 11 Aug. 2009 . Health advocates have focused on the prevalence of advertising for calorie-dense low-nutrient foods as a significant contributor to the obesity epidemic. This research tests the hypothesis that exposure to food advertising during TV viewing may also contribute to obesity by triggering automatic snacking of available food.

Brown, Rachael. "Fast-food advertising pledge 'cynical'." 26 June 2009. ABC. 11 Aug.
2009 . This article is about only advertising lower calorie meals to children under the age of 14. There are loopholes like including a character in action to meet the criteria for kid’s meals.