The power advertisements have to influence decisions and affect people’s lives is astounding. They are meant to be big, bright, and flashy to try and attract people to buy their products. Ads are also impossible to avoid. You cannot walk down the street, watch television, or browse the internet without seeing ads all over the place. The problem with this is that younger people can be too easily swayed by these ads and the results have many negative consequences. These upbeat and catchy commercials are luring kids into the habit of eating unhealthily and this should be prevented. The fast food industry takes advantage of this influence over children and is a large factor in the obesity problem America faces today. Fast food chains give …show more content…

This type of advertising is clearly taking advantage of a children’s malleability to exploit a situation. While some may argue that it is parents that are overindulging their children and it’s their responsibility to take care of their children, this “pester power” usually leads to only two results. One is saying no, resulting in increased tensions in parent-child relationships. The other is the usual case of an exasperated parent buying something against their better judgment. “The spokesbeast for the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco company's flagship brand, Camel, is a cartoon camel named Joe. He appears on billboards and in newspapers and magazines where unsuspecting minors might see and be influenced by him. Marketing practices that cause or are likely to cause substantial injury to unsuspecting consumers are illegal under federal law. Smoking injures humans. Therefore, Joe Camel is illegal” (Tell 1). Joe Camel is an example of advertisers trying to use a cartoon character to try and influence minors so they try a harmful and unhealthy product. Ronald McDonald is another character that is clearly meant for a young audience. Advertisers tried to use both of these personalities to try and get youths to try their products at a young age. Why then was only one of these characters exiled? Is a lifetime addicted to cigarettes more harmful than a lifetime of fast food? There are too many similarities between the two and