Have We Been Conditioned to Like Certain Companies?

I came to a shocking realization in yesterday's COMM 322 lecture. I was astounded by how effectively companies and organizations target kids from an early age so that they will buy products in the future. I've honestly never thought or even dreamed of something like that until after that lecture. It sounded strange at first, but I started thinking more and more about it throughout the day. I started thinking personal thoughts, like 'have I been conditioned to enjoy certain companies?' And I realized yes, it's true. I can't tell you how many times I've chosen McDonald's over other places, but now I remember when I was little I would absolutely love getting the toy that comes with the Happy Meal. Children love toys, and McDonald's really capitalized on that aspect. I'll give another personal example: Fruit Loops. I'm not talking about the cereal in itself, but the ideas and persona that make up Fruit Loops. Children love television, and especially cartoons. The number one commercial cartoon character that comes to my head when I think about my childhood is Toucan Sam. This character was colorful, seemed to go through adventures, and looked like a lot of fun. These things I just mentioned can be seen in just about all Fruit Loop commercials, but now I understand that the whole logic behind them was just to promote Fruit Loops to little kids. Now that my childhood is over, I can't help but think how much things have changed. We live in a world where social media is a very dominant and influential force. I am going to predict that within a short amount of time, social media will find it's way to children. I am also predicting that companies and organizations will use social media to direct the children's attention to it's products. I have yet to see an identical example to the predictions I've made, but I would not be surprised if it comes true. I mean seriously, who knows what the next ten years will bring? I really don't think my parents expected something like the birth of social media to occur within the early 2000's. I can't even imagine how social media will evolve, and how companies will continue to attract the people at an early age.