This document summarizes the debate around McDonald's marketing of Happy Meals to children. It discusses how Happy Meals became popular in 1979 but McDonald's was sued in 2010 for unethical marketing practices targeting children. Critics argue that fast food marketing leads to childhood obesity when the food lacks nutrition. The document examines nutritional information for Happy Meals and McDonald's advertising techniques, as well as questions around whether advertising fast food to children should be illegal or regulated by governments.

2. Marketing to Children
• The Happy Meal that is targeted towards
children began in 1979 and became rapidly
popular.
• In 2010 McDonald's was sued for unethical
marketing practices
• Monet Parham came forth to sue McDonald's

3. Critics
• Nearly one in five children in the United States is
obese, according to the U.S. Centres for Disease
Control and Prevention.
• And the food is more often junky than nutritious
• Is it unfair for McDonald's to bypass parents and
market directly to little children

4. Customer views?

5. Nutritional information for
Happy meal
Source: Center for Science in the Public Interest
Calories Percent of
meal’s
calories from
saturated fat
Percent of
meal’s
calories from
total fat
Sodium
Hamburger,
French fries
and soft
drinks
590 8% 31% 710
milligrams
Hamburger,
Apple dippers
and low fat
milk
450 7% 18% 570
milligrams

9. McD Advertising
• Brilliant Marketing Campaign
• The key issue here is whether this is deceptive.
Because children do not yet have the reasoning to
understand unfair marketing.

10. Questions?
• Should advertising fast food to children be illegal?
• What is the government's role?
• Best way to fight childhood obesity is more exercise
and less time spent watching TV or playing video
games?
• Happy Meal advertising ethical or unethical?

11. What is being done?
• McDonald's has been told to change its advertising to focus
on the food and not on its Happy Meal toys
• In some countries, including the UK, there is a ban on
advertising foods high in fat, salt, and sugar to children.
• McDonald’s has taken steps to provide healthier options on
its menus, like salads and smoothies
• The fast food company has been fined $1.6 million for
allegedly using advertisements to target children in Brazil

12. Cont.
• McDonald's giving away books in
Happy Meal
• McDonald’s Is Transforming Happy
Meal Boxes Into VR Headsets