An outstanding piece in today's NY Times that reviews the massive penetration many food companies have in the media our children are exposed to. I think it is tragic that schools contract with soft drink companies and other vendors to raise as much as $100,000 a year
Television, of course, remains the most powerful medium for selling to children. Marketers know that children love animals and cartoon characters, and industry observers say they have used that knowledge not just to create new shows, but to produce a new generation of animated pitchmen.
Some critics say children often can't differentiate the programs from the commercials and that food companies and producers of children's shows have helped blur the line by creating characters that leap back and forth, from pitchman to program character.
International Herald Tribune August 4, 2003
New York Times August 3, 2003