Big Food goes to court for directly marketing to children
“The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) announced today that it will sue McDonald’s for the fast food chain’s advertising of Happy Meal toys. …
CSPI lawyers looked to Big Tobacco for inspiration on how to build their case. You see, many states — including California — have consumer protection laws in place to shield folks from deceptive marketing tactics. Traditionally these laws are used to prevent companies like banks and mortgage lenders from making false claims, but a few years ago lawyers used them against Big Tobacco to restrict cigarette ads. ‘In this instance, McDonald’s is even worse than tobacco companies because it’s going straight at little kids,’ Steve Gardner, CSPI’s litigation director, said during a press teleconference today. CSPI has the figures to back those claims up: In 2006 alone, the fast food industry — with McDonald’s leading the pack — spent more than $520 million to advertise toys and kids meals. Of that tidy sum, $350 million went towards toy premiums. Apparently the promise of a shiny, new toy in the form of a lovable character brings in kids by the car-full — and that means big dough for the Golden Arches and other fast food vendors. Roy Bergold, McDonald’s former advertising exec, wrote in QSR magazine that ‘companies have found that kids are a lot more tempted by the toys than the food.’…”
