Branches of Burger King in New Zealand will stop giving away toys with kids' meals, and the burger chain has stopped TV advertising of meals aimed at children.
Stuff.co.nz reports:
But don't think it's driven by the fight against child obesity - it's purely a marketing decision.
When asked whether Burger King's announcement was based on ethical reasons, Burger King's marketing general manager James Woodbridge said:
"Ethical? Probably not."
"Through a lot of consumer research with parents, they're telling us that they themselves don't see much value in the toy," he said. "It's certainly not a big driver for them coming into the restaurant."
The spokesman added that the market for free toys with kids' meals has moved on, pointing out that it's something that fast food chains started doing twenty years ago.
As a parent, do you agree that toys with kids' meals are a superfluous gimmick? Would you be disappointed to see them discontinued from kids' meals at burger chains in the UK, or would you welcome a similar move?
Personally, I think Burger King are doing the right thing. The bits of plastic junk that come free with fast-food restaurant meals seem to entertain my kids for all of five seconds before cluttering up my house. They moan if they don't get the character or toy they were hoping for, they squabble over who gets which one, and they barely concentrate on eating their over-priced and over-caloried meal because they cannot wait to get their mitts on that little piece of plastic-wrapped tat.
Good riddance, I reckon. But what's your view?
Image credit: Flickr.com/Mike Mozart
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