The Cartoon Characters on Cereal Boxes Are Staring at Your Kids
As adults, we know that making eye contact is considered good form. It's polite and it subconsciously helps build trust between people. That little secret, of course, is widely known among advertisers and marketers. So much so that they use it to not just sell stuff to adults, but also to kids. Think about kids' cereal boxes. What stands out? There's the bright colors and promises of prizes, but there's also the creepy character, staring outward. And a new study has found that stare has a purpose — to sell that cereal to your kid.
Researchers from Cornell University have found that cartoon characters on kids' cereals are often crafted so that the character's eyes are pointed downward at a 9.6 degree. That level of gaze is perfect for meeting the eyes of the average kid browsing the grocery store aisle. In the report, titled "Eyes in the Aisles: Why Is Cap’N Crunch Looking Down at My Child?" Aner Tal and her team conducted two experiments to see if eye contact could influence the cereal's sales.
First, Tal and her colleagues confirmed that the kids cereal boxes are almost always placed about 23 inches off the grocery store's floor, while adult cereal boxes were placed about 48 inches above the floor. In the second part of the test, Tal and her team studied how the gazes were fixed on each grouping. The kids boxes were all looking downward, while the adult boxes were all gazing straight ahead. They then showed 65 people one box of Trix with the rabbit staring straight and one staring downward. The latter box's "brand trust" was 16 percent higher than the former's. "Eye contact with cereal spokes-characters increased feelings of trust and connection to the brand, as well as choice of the brand over competitors," wrote Tal, in her report.
In response to the report, the Grocery Manufacturers Association issued a statement explaining that "The 'Eyes in the Aisles' study provides another set of data on the vast and complex topic of consumer behavior and decision-making." That's pretty bland, right? Well that's because they know exactly what's happening. However, it's good for business. So while Trix and Fruity Pebbles aren't good for kids, nothing is likely to change.
Susan Linn, a psychiatric instructor at Harvard Medical School and the Director of Campaign for A Commercial Free Childhood, told USA Today that in the end, it really doesn't matter what the characters are doing. "SpongeBob is selling carrots; Disney princesses are on soup cans," Linn told the paper. "We want children to develop a healthy relationship to food, one that is not based on a celebrity or particular character endorsing a product." Parents, added Linn, are the key. If parents simply don't buy the unhealthy foods, then the problem is solved. Imagine that!
[Image via Flickr - Mike Mozart]
