The research I have done in the last week has been very eye-opening. At first I was just doing fast food advertising but then I started thinking about my own life. I then changed my research topic to advertising to children. I have found a lot of information about this. There are people on both sides of this story. Advertisers see children as their greatest profit maker. Parents and health professionals see these ads as detrimental to their child’s future health. I have seen in my research that in the last few years there has been a shift in advertising to children. Companies are now trying to advertise healthier foods to children, rather than the high calorie and fattening foods they have advertised in the past. I have a really hard time with coming up with a thesis but at this time I think my thesis will be along the lines of how advertisers target children to market their products to. My purpose of writing at this point, I am pretty sure, is to make my readers aware of the tactics that marketers use that the every day individual may not even be aware of. I am really glad that I have decided to switch my topic since posting my game plan. I have found that I am much more interested in advertising to kids rather than just plain marketing. I did not know how interested I was in this topic before seeing an article about it and deciding to choose it as my research topic.

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.

Annotated Bibliography

Story, Mary, and Simone French. "Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children
and Adolescents in the US." 10 Feb. 2004. Pub Med Central. 10 Aug. 2009 . In recent years, the food and beverage industry in the US has viewed children and adolescents as a major market force. As a result, children and adolescents are now the target of intense and specialized food marketing and advertising efforts. Food marketers are interested in youth as consumers because of their spending power, their purchasing influence, and as future adult consumers. Multiple techniques and channels are used to reach youth, beginning when they are toddlers, to foster brand-building and influence food product purchase behavior.

Rouse, James . "Fast Food Advertising To Children." 6 Nov. 2008. 10 Aug. 2009
. Marketing gurus know all the tricks on how to get fast food advertising to children. The lure of toys, game pieces and pester power nets fast food advertisers results.

Horgen, Katherine Battle. "Big Food, Big Money, Big Children." Childhood lost: How
American culture is failing our kids. 123-135. Westport, CT US: Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005. PsycINFO. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 10 Aug. 2009 . Advertisers employ a variety of highly effective techniques to sell products to children, capitalizing on their developmental vulnerabilities. While grassroots efforts have had a local impact, the government must take more responsibility to combat the obesity epidemic among this nation's children. The author recommends the regulation of advertising directed at children, the banning of advertising in schools, the removal of vending machines and fast food franchises from schools, parents becoming advocates for their children, making exercise a priority in schools, and promoting medial literacy in schools.

Page, Randy M., and Aaron Brewster. "Emotional and rational product appeals in
Televised food advertisements for children: Analysis of commercials shown on US broadcast networks." Journal of Child Health Care 11 (2007): 323-40. 10 Aug. 2009 . The aggressive advertising and marketing of high caloric food products to children is implicated as a potential causative factor in the childhood obesity epidemic. This study analyzed 147 commercials appearing during children's programming on U.S. broadcast networks for a wide range of potential emotional and rational advertising appeals. The most prominent emotional appeals were fun/happiness and play followed by fantasy/imagination, social enhancement/peer acceptance, and coolness/hipness.

RABIN, RONI CARYN. "TV Ads Contribute to Childhood Obesity, Economists Say."
New York Times (21 Nov. 2008): 1. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 10 Aug. 2009 . Banning fast food advertisements from children's television programs would reduce the number of overweight children in the U.S. by 18 percent and decrease the number of overweight teens by 14 percent, economists have estimated in a new study. The researchers used several statistical models to link obesity rates to the amount of time spent viewing fast food advertising, finding that viewing more fast food commercials on television raises the risk of obesity in children.

Connor, Susan M. "Food-Related Advertising on Preschool Television: Building Brand
Recognition in Young Viewers ." PEDIATRICS 118.4 (2006): 1478-85. Health Source- Consumer Request. USI. 10 Aug. 2009 . This study used content analysis to explore how much and what type of advertising is present in television programming aimed at toddlers and preschool-aged children and what methods of persuasion are being used to sell products and to promote brands to the youngest viewers.

"How Food Ads Might Affect Children's Taste Preferences.." Child Health Alert 25 (Sep.
2007): 2-3. Health Source - Consumer Edition. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 10 Aug. 2009 . The article discusses research being done on the impact of fast food marketing on the taste preferences of children. It references a study by T. N. Robinson, published in the August 2007 issue of "Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine." Researchers conducted an unusual experiment involving 63 preschoolers, ages 3-5 years, from low-income families. This study shows, in a dramatic way, just how powerful the effects of advertising and branding can be on children.

"What Kids Are Watching: Food Ads On TV.." Child Health Alert 23 (Oct. 2005): 5-5.
Health Source - Consumer Edition. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 10 Aug. 2009 . This article examines the kinds of food advertised during TV programs that are heavily watched by children. Researchers first identified programs rated as most popular among 6-11 year olds. Among the 1424 ads that appeared, 30% were for food products. The researchers then reviewed the ads for their content. Not surprisingly, the authors report that candy, sweets, soft drinks, and convenience/fast foods were advertised most frequently, followed distantly by breads and cereals. There was little focus on fruits and vegetables, dairy foods, meats, poultry, and fish. Snack time eating was shown more often than breakfast, lunch, or dinner combined. They conclude that foods advertised to children would exceed limits for sugar and sodium and fail to provide adequate fiber, vitamin A, calcium, and iron.

1. I have chosen to conduct research on a topic that falls within option number two. This option is the best for me because I have found a topic that I am genuinely interested in and have personal experience with.
2. Because I was exposed to fast food at the very young age of nine I have decided to research the advertising and promoting strategies of fast food companies. Children growing up today are exposed at a much younger age than I was. If a child is old enough to watch TV, they are old enough to start being exposed to fast food commercials and advertisements. Every fast food restaurant has in the past or presently had a promotion designed specifically for children. I am interested in why fast food companies target children and what they stand to gain from these promotions.
3. I think anyone who has children or young family members should be interested in my research topic. In some sense it is the parents influence on a young child’s life to determine their routine, likes, and dislikes. If a parent takes their child to fast food all the time instead of cooking at home they are contributing to the fast food company’s motive. Children growing up on fast food has proved that it has very dangerous health risks for children. Currently it is estimated that approximately nine million children over the age of six are considered obese. This statistic has scary implications for the future of these children. Not only will these children develop very costly health problems, their social life will suffer and many will develop social anxiety disorders and depression.
4. I have found that fact sheets from the Institute of Medicine, articles from scholarly journals, and interviews with McDonald’s personnel have been very helpful in my research. The facts and statistics have made me more aware of this problem than I have ever been.
5. Companies have come up with very creative ways to advertise to children and they have also devoted an enormous amount of money on advertising to children. The internet age has proven to be an effective tool to advertise to children with. Fast food companies have created web site content specifically designed for children on their web pages. Burger King has a Big Kids Club link where 4-12 year olds are encouraged to become club members. McDonald’s has games, puzzles, quizzes, and coloring pages all with Ronald McDonald on them as well as other McDonald’s characters. I plan on conducting more research on the actual numbers of children who watch TV and what kind of advertising are on these kids shows.

1. Fact or detail: American children now obtain over 50% of their calories from fat or added sugarSource information: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=416565

2. Fact or detail: Over 4.5 billion a year is spent on youth-targeted promotions such as premiums, sampling, coupons, contests, and sweepstakes. Roughly 3 billion is spent on packaging especially designed for children.Source information: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=416565

3. Fact or detail: On average children view over 40,000 commercials a year, most of which are for candies, cereals, toys, and fast food restaurants. Source information: http://ezinearticles.com/?Fast-Food-Advertising-to-Children&id=1664465

4. Fact or detail: Many websites offer free ring tones and music downloads. In order to get these freebies you have to provide an email address. Cross promotion caqmpaings begin creating fast food advertising to children via e-mail marketing.Source information: http://ezinearticles.com/?Fast-Food-Advertising-to-Children&id=1664465

5. Fact or detail: A recent study found that 36% of advertisements during children’s programming were for fast food.Source information: http://www.aacorn.org/uploads/files/GrierJPublPolicyMarket07.pdf

6. Fact or detail: Parents are considered the primary socialization agent, the gatekeepers of the family food supply, and important role models for children’s eating behaviors, especially for young children. Source information: http://www.aacorn.org/uploads/files/GrierJPublPolicyMarket07.pdf

7. Fact or detail: Mcdonalds Annual Advertising Budget in the United States is 635 million compared to Taco Bell’s budget of 179.4 million.Source information: Advertising Age. June 24, 2002.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2004; 1: 3.
Published online 2004 February 10. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-1-3.

8. Fact or detail: There are websites such as BurgerKing.com that have games, toys, music,
and other downloads promoted alongside their food items. There is a big kids club link where 4
12 year olds are encouraged to become a member. Source information: Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2004; 1: 3.
Published online 2004 February 10. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-1-3.

9. Fact or detail: 94% of parents in U.K. want Mcdonalds’ to keep offering the toys. Source information: Hall, Emma. "MCD'S OPENED DIALOGUE TO TURN ITSELF AROUND." Advertising Age 80.1 (23 Feb. 2009): 12.

10. Fact or detail: In recent studies, researchers concluded that a ban on televisied fast food advertisements could reduce the number of overweight children by as much as 18 percent. Source information: "Win the Obesity War…By Banning TV Ads?." Running & FitNews 26.6 (Nov. 2008): 2-5. Health Source - Consumer Edition

11. Fact or detail: Sweden, Norway, and Finland are the only countries to ban commercial sponsorship of children’s programs. Source information: "Win the Obesity War…By Banning TV Ads?." Running & FitNews 26.6 (Nov. 2008): 2-5. Health Source - Consumer Edition

12. Fact or detail: Product placement is great at implanting brands in the minds of children. When the movie E.T. featured E.T. eating Reese’s Pieces, sales of the candy shot up 65 percent.Source information: http://www.commercialalert.org/issues/health/childhood-obesity/the-fast-food-trap-how-commercialism-creates-overweight-children

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-07/your-brain-your-brain-midi

http://www.priory.com/psychiatry/Stigma_Mental_Disorder.htm

http://www.priory.com/amphetamine_schizophrenia.htm

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009908040371

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009907300468

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-obama-indiana6-2009aug06,0,3696634.story

1. As soon as I opened the door to the apartment, I knew that my roommate had played party host all weekend long. Before even seeing the apartment after opening the door I could smell the foul odor of beer plus puke. There were beer bottles and cups in every crevice of our apartment. People who I had never seen before were passed out on the couch, and even some on the floor. There were unidentifiable puddles and stains on the carpet and kitchen floor. The refrigerator was emptied of its contents and left open. I knew that this was going to be a very long day of cleaning up the apartment. Time to go wake my roommate up so she can help.
Description
2. There are many ways that the university bookstore takes advantage of students. The items in the bookstore are, for the most part, priced outrageously high. A package of index cards that can be purchased at Wal-Mart for 15 cents cost a student over one dollar in the bookstore. The soft drinks and food that can be purchased in the bookstore are not worth the price they are selling them for. Textbooks that are purchased for over one hundred dollars may be sold back at the end of the semester for a fraction of the original cost of it, if you are lucky 15 percent. Convenience sets the stage for taking advantage of students. Many people will be okay with paying for convenience, especially if they do not have access to any other means of acquiring these items.
Illustration
3. I woke up later than I planned on this morning, at 8:35. I was supposed to meet my parents for breakfast by nine. I was left with no time to get ready. I went looking presentable but not as fixed up as I planned on being. I found out when I got there that I had to pay a fine by noon or suffer greater consequences. I in turn had to borrow the money from my parents, being as I did not have it. After paying my fine I was called into work on my day off. My plans for this evening just went out the window. When it was all said and done, I was just glad to call it a day.
Narration4. When I first met Fern, I knew immediately that she was a smoker. When we would walk to class she would lose her breath easily and cough quite often. When she smiled I noticed her teeth had a distinct yellow stain on them. Her clothes smelled like an ashtray that hadn’t been emptied in a week. Her furniture in her apartment had stains of spilled ashtrays and cigarette burns in them. How could anyone want this to be a way to describe themselves?
Description
5. My roommate has a very peculiar morning ritual. The first thing she has to do after waking up is making a pot of coffee. Next thing she does is check her email while her coffee is brewing. She then makes her bed and puts her clothes out that she is going to wear for the day. It is then time to hop in the shower, where she spends one hour. What is there to do for one hour in the shower? Finally it is time for her 45 minutes to get ready for the day. This is such a time consuming ritual for a college student.
Process
6. Attending USI has changed my life in many ways. First of all I have transitioned from a top dog senior to a low man on the totem pole freshman. I have realized what it feels like to be forced to study instead of just breezing by in a class without really trying. I have also gained great respect from my parents, being as they did not attend college. Being in college has made me focus more on my career and what I want to be doing with my life in five years. Finally it has given me the confidence that I can achieve anything I set my mind to.
Narration