Long ago (at least when I was a kid in the 1970s), sugary cereals were a staple part of most kids' breakfast menus. Remember, "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids"? Those were the days. Our parents just slapped a box of Cocoa Puffs (and I'll admit, I was "coo-koo for Cocoa Puffs") on the table and that was that. Somehow, many of us ate those bowls of Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes every morning and made it to adulthood without horrific side effects. Apparently, the children of the current generation are not faring as well, and those sugary cereals appear to be the root cause according to many people.
In response to threats of a lawsuit from parents and nutrition advocacy groups related to increasing childhood obesity, Kelloggs caved in today and announced it will not advertise its tastiest, sugariest cereals to children under 12 unless they meet certain nutritional requirements. They'll also change some of their marketing and promotional strategies in order to move away from targetting children in any way. That includes:
- No longer advertising any foods in schools and preschools that include kids under age 12
Frankly, I can't think of any billboards or other ads for cereal at any preschools I've been in recently, but I guess they're out there....but not for long.
- No longer sponsoring placement of any of its products in any medium primarily directed at kids under age 12
The ad sales team at Nickelodeon better plan on working overtime to fill in those spots.
- No longer using branded toys connected to any foods that do not meet the nutrition standards
See ya Tony the Tiger dolls.
- No longer using licensed characters on mass-media ads directed primarily to kids under 12 or on the front labels of food packages unless they meet the standards
That means no more "Shrek" tie-ins except maybe on Special K.
Kelloggs is the largest cereal manufacturer, so it's probably safe to assume that other cereal manufacturers will follow their lead or else they could be next in line to be threatened by a lawsuit. Personally, I don't think Kelloggs should have given up so easily. I don't think sugary cereals are the reason the obesity level is up in children. Of course, I think it's important for parents to teach their children about nutrition and making good choices in the foods they eat, but I don't think blaming Kelloggs is going to solve childhood obesity.
Maybe I'm wrong, but again, I have to point the finger at the parents, not Toucan Sam. What do you think?
And by the way, hang on to your old Kelloggs memorobilia. Those Snap, Crackle and Pop dolls could be worth something on eBay very soon.
I don't think we should hold Kelloggs responsible for the current trend of childhood obesity. I'm guessing all of these overweight kids aren't eating Frosted Flakes for every meal, so maybe the parents should be start parenting and help their children learn to make smart choices. I guess this last sentence could apply to many childhood problems that seem to be cropping up, but today's parents would rather point the finger at someone else than examine how well they're actually parenting their children.
I do agree the media blitz aimed at children, which used to be a Saturday morning-only occurrence in my day; is now a 24x7 assault with networks dedicated to childhood viewers, should be dialed back a bit, but that's how networks prosper is through the sale of advertising time.
Posted by: Scott | June 18, 2007 6:25 AM | Permalink to Comment