For this research paper, I wanted to focus on fast food advertising. I stumbled upon an article that was discussing McDonald's newest commercial for kids that advocates healthy eating. In the commercial, a cartoon goat eats everything in sight and it ends up making him feel sick. The "catchy" song playing over the images explains next that the goat must eat a better diet of fruit and dairy. The family takes the goat to McDonalds to eat milk and apple slices. Now the goat is strong! Meanwhile, the other character who is a kid is eating McDonald's Happy Meal of fries and chicken nuggets.
The commercial can be seen by visiting this link:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/06/mcdonalds-happy-meal-ads_n_1323809.html
I would like to argue that the commercial makes use of rhetorical strategies to convince young viewers that eating McDonalds is healthy. I will consult academic sources to prove that fast food advertising to children promotes a negative message and an unhealthy diet. I will look back to the specific strategies we've discussed in class to strengthen my argument about the visual messages, such as the idea that the characters in the commercial are from a farm.
For my multimedia component, I would like to create a mock website that critically analyze's the advertising campaign in a more visually appealing way. I will highlight important points from my essay such as nutritional information, rhetorical strategies, and past advertising campaigns.
Any feedback would be helpful! Thanks!
I think this is a great argument. This is clear and focused. You might think about the other element for kids, though. My children completely associate McDonalds with Happy Meals and the TOY. Why? Well, they know they are only going to get chicken nuggets, apple slices, and white milk when we go to McDonalds--a lunch that isn't so different from what they'd get at home. So for them, it isn't about the food; it is completely about the toy. How does the emphasis on the toy ensure that kids will be able to convince their parents to go to McDonalds, even though most parents recognize it is not the healthiest restaurant to which they can take their children?
ReplyDeleteJackie - absolutely love this topic, I had considered it myself. Something you might want to consider is how McD's has decrease their overt child-ad tactics since being under scrutiny. However, from some articles I've read, there have been tests where children have eaten non-McD's food that was disguised in McD's packaging, and claimed to love it (carrots, broccoli). That says something about McD's brand and their impact on kids - they're willing to eat their greens if they think it's from McD's!
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