Anecdote

As a kid, I remember sitting in the cool basement family room when it was too hot to do anything outside. I would turn on Cartoon Network, or Nickelodeon. I wouldn't have thought that this many years later I would remember the commercials more than the shows. It's not that I remember the commercials specifically. But I remember, Fruit by The Foot, Dunkaroos, and Pop-Tarts. But food lends it self to advertising. Over 80% of food in America is branded. I always new about foods that sounded good and looked good on tv, so it was up to my parents to wage war against the television and still try to have me eat healthy. This can be very difficult. It was estimated that during that time, around 1999, 7.3 billion dollars was spent on food advertising in America. Compared to 300 million dollars on nutrition education. I wonder how much advertising has effected my life even to this day. Would I be any different without it?