Table 3 Examples of Food Corporation Websites in the US Geared to Children and Adolescents
From: Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US
Food Company | Example of Web Site Content* |
|---|---|
BURGER KING | Games, toys, tunes, and other downloads are promoted along side their food items. There is a special Big Kids Club link on the home page where 4–12 year olds are encouraged to become club members. |
CAP'N CRUNCH | Downloadable Cap'n Crunch commercials, screen savers, desktop wallpaper, and cursor icons. An ad for free Air Head candy in specially marked boxes of Cap'n Crunch appears on the corner of most pages of the site. |
DUBBLE BUBBLE GUM | Animated site includes games (Gum Ball Drop, Pud's Gum Factory, Bubble Breakout) contests, cartoons, e-cards, and a virtual tour of a bubble gum or gumball factory. |
FRITO-LAY | Homepage displays logos of all of this corporation's food products. Each logo links to individual product's homepage (i.e., Doritos, Cheetos, Cracker Jack, Fritos, etc.) These websites contain flashing icons and banners, music, games, e-cards, and special offers featuring the products and/or its characters, (i.e., Chester Cheeto, the hip animated character that advertises Cheetos). |
GENERAL MILLS | You Rule School is the kids' link for this site and features the Trix rabbit and the Lucky Charms leprechaun leading kids through the Homework Free Zone schoolhouse of games and activities for kids. |
HERSHEY'S | Kids' link from Hershey's homepage that welcomes viewers to the "sweetest place on the web." There are animated games all promoting the company's brands, i.e., Milk Duds Trivia, Hershey's Syrup Flavor Farm, Twizzlers Slider Puzzle, Hershey's Kisses Way to Go, and recipes using Hershey's candy. |
KEEBLER | Many games and activities all featuring elves and the company's food products. Kids can meet the individual elves and also send an electronic "elfin greeting card" to friends. Throughout the website, there is e-billboard with ads for Keebler cookies and snacks. |
KELLOGGS | Homepage includes a link to Save Our Apple Jacks, an interactive page aimed at kids to tell them that the taste of Apple Jacks will not be changed: "Great news, NO apple taste" is the slogan. There is also an interactive Frosted Flakes Hockey Game that kids can play with Tony the Tiger, replete with the sound of a cheering crowd. |
KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN (KFC) | Kids' link features photos of the KFC latest "laptop" meal available at KFC and a link where kids can send an e-card with a photo of a KFC entrée. |
KOOLAID, KRAFT, OSCAR MAYER, POST | Site co-sponsored by KoolAid, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Oscar Mayer Lunchables, and Post cereals. Children can look at child-geared food logos in a number of fun activities. Many games, the pieces of which involve one of the sponsored products. For example, there is Quest for Cheese (Kraft Mac 'n Cheese), Lunchables Playground Panic, Honeycomb Craver Course, Fruity Pebbles Bumper Pool. Puzzles and quizzes include AlphaBits Word Wizard and KoolAid Maze Craze. |
LIFESAVERS | Links at the top of the website provide a variety of games: 15 arcade games, 20 sports games, 8 action "extreme" sports games, 11 card games/puzzles, 3 trivia games, 6 multiplayer sports games, and a list of 5 prizes you could win if you play certain games that advertise Lifesavers, including the game pieces. |
M&M's | All games actively involve the M&M's characters and promote its candy. Downloads include M&M desktop wallpaper, icons, sounds, stationery, and autographed pictures. E-cards of characters can be sent from this site. In the Colorworks section, you can play a melody on a keyboard of colorful M&M's and order special M&M's color combinations of your school's colors. |
McDONALD'S | Main page links to Ronald.com with the slogan "You found the Internet's land for fun. Ronald.com!" There are many games, puzzles, quizzes, and coloring pages all with Ronald McDonald and other McDonald's characters, as well as the food entrées available at the restaurant. |
MOUNTAIN DEW | Games and downloads of desktop wallpaper, screensavers, as well as current ads and promotions. You can register to receive a regular newsletter and e-mails of the latest offers or rewards promoted by the company. |
NABISCO | Animated links to 17 arcade games, 16 sports games, 6 card games, and 13 puzzles. Nabisco snacks (i.e., Chips Ahoy and Oreo cookies, Ritz crackers, Cheese Nips, etc.) are prominently displayed and are animated in every game and puzzle. |
OSCAR MAYER | Homepage features links to several interactive sites including Family Fun Park which includes many games, i.e. Create Lunchables: Design your own fun with toppings and You're Full of Bologna Trivia. |
POST | Postopia Party is an animated site including many different games, all featuring or promoting Post's sweetened cereals, Honeycomb, Pebbles, Alphabits, Golden Crisp, Oreo O's, Honey Comb. |
SNICKERS | "Don't let hunger happen to you" is the slogan of this web site. Games (i.e., Hunger Attack), jokes, videos, and e-cards all feature and promote Snicker bars. |
SUNNY DELIGHT | Loud, animated site where viewers can visit Sunny Spots to download commercials or go to D-Cards to send e-cards to friends. |
TWINKIES | "Destination Planet Twinkie." The main page has links to Hall of Fame (gives biographies of hostess characters, including Twinkie the Kid, Happy Ho Ho and King Ding Dong), E-card Express that lets viewers send birthday or post cards that feature the Twinkies characters and products. |