Food companies (e.g., General Mills, Nabisco and McDonald’s) have recently developed a new advertising technique called “advergaming,” food brand-sponsored game websites which aim to coerce children into buying unhealthy food. Children often do not realize they are being advertised to on these sites, even if the website posts a disclaimer. Advergaming is a deceitful way in which food companies lead children to buy their brand through entertaining games, preying on the fact that it is difficult for kids to differentiate between games and advertising.
I believe advergaming is an essential topic of study because these games pose as supposedly harmless entertainment that convinces children to consume fattening food. One study concluded that 85 percent of the food brand websites they viewed were marketed to children, and 73 percent of these sites hosted advergames. An example of a clever advergaming technique is the Kellogg’s Apple Jacks cereal commercial that shows children a scenario they can help solve if they play advergame on the company’s website.
Click here to view the embedded video.
This kind of ad immerses children in the product even after the commercial has aired. The general public should be aware of this so action can be taken to protect children from these advertising measures.According to the New York Times, while companies may label their games as advertising, this rarely aids children in realizing a product is targeted toward them.
This screen shot of the Lucky Charm website claims it is a safe site for children.
In fact, Communication Currents concluded that most children are not media literate enough to recognize the persuasive intent in these advergames; the aforementioned Times article reported that children think the companies create the games to simply inform or entertain them.
Another Times article voiced concerns that children whose guardians work low-income jobs with long hours are more likely to become victims of this advertising, resulting in child weight gain and unhealthy lifestyles. The article mentions that not only these children, but others who play advergames as well, make advertising a part of their daily routine by playing these games. The general public seems to have gained a new awareness of the negative effects of advergaming on children as well due to parental complaints about companies’ easy access to children through advergaming.
A major persuasive technique advergaming advertisers use is association. Association is basically when advertisements cause consumers to link a product to a particular feeling or lifestyle. Children often associate the enjoyable experience they have while playing an advergame to the product itself. The fun game causes them to think the product will bring them entertainment as well. This association of entertainment with a product convinces children to buy the product, which can eventually lead to obesity in these children due to consumption of fattening food.
This research transforms my views on advertising marketed toward children because I now see a seemingly innocent game is actually an advertising ploy. This shows how marketers use many forms of advertising to reach children. It is essential for readers to recognize that advergames can be harmful to children and contribute to the overall obesity epidemic. While most children are not media literate, aware adults can help them recognize persuasive intent and stray from deceitful ads.