Although the dancing hamburger makes me laugh, I must admit that my eating decisions are based on what my daughter is craving. Her hunger is less concerned about the nutritional value of the meal as long as she is able to have the “toy” of the week.
This behavior started when she was 3+ years of age……. Now that she is almost 5 years of age, I must admit I have a lot of toys. She enjoys each new toy for about an hour and then discards them. The end result is that I have a ton of toys.
Having become a connoisseur of fast food toys, I did some research relating to the fast food toy market and here are some facts that I found:
Ø McDonald’s introduced the Happy Meal in 1979. Originally the toys were fairly simple, but over time the toys became more elaborate. According to Happy Toy Depot.
Ø A Wendy’s study revealed that 83 percent of parents are influenced by their children in deciding where to eat, and premium toys heavily influenced their choices. Accordingly, the company more than quadrupled its budget for toy premiums. Other chains were thinking along the same lines and the strategy appeared to be working. According to Newsweek (12/12/88).
Ø Over 10 billion dollars is spent on fast food advertising to children annually in numerous fashions. According to Fast Food Advertising to Children (11/6/2008).
Obliviously the toys are here to stay and our buying decision will continue to be manipulated by our children; however given the amount of funds spent by the fast food companies, I would appreciate it if these companies could come up with a loyalty program that would ease the pain felt by the parents. For example, I take my child to a particular restaurant and after 20 visits and I receive a coupon for a quiet night out at an aged appropriate restaurant where I can have a good glass of wine. This type of loyalty program would interest me and keep me coming back time and time again. I am sure many parents of young children would also be interested in similar programs.
Doug – I think this is a great idea. Many of the restaurants in the quick service industry target kids with their toys and promotional marketing, but forget that a parent is the one that will be driving them there. Great out of the box marketing idea!