Jennifer Van Hook, a sociology professor at Pennsylvania State University, explained that the results of this study were so surprising that researchers actually held off the results to ensure that all the data collected was accurate (really?). Using data from a national survey that tracked 19,500 students in the US who attended schools in both 5th grade and 8th grade, researchers found that even though there had been a significant increase in the percentage of schools selling junk food in that time frame (isn’t this a little contradictory? First they tell us that junk food is going extinct…and then they tell us quite the contrary, that it has been on the rise 2 years ago…raaaaaaaaaight), there was no corresponding rise in the percentage of students who where overweight or obese. Instead, the percentage of overweight students dropped from 39 per cent to 35 per cent.

In Canada, provinces like Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and New Brunswick have mandatory food and beverage policies at schools. The findings of this study question the effectiveness of these provincial initiatives aimed to restrict junk food in schools.

It would be interesting to see, and there is nothing on this report that points our or mentions this, if students in this study were affected by a change or increase in physical education and physical activity. A lot of american schools have also instituted a bump in their physical activity programs as a result of heavy criticism from many organizations and groups that claim (and they are right, without a doubt), that the sedentary ways of life of today’s youth have a direct impact of the increase in obesity in kids.

Also, students get in most cases, only 1 meal per day at school. Parents are for the most part, still responsible for breakfast and dinners. A lot of these students frequent fast food venues as well and the new options offered by restaurants could definitely have an impact in how fat (sorry, how obese) kids get. I can lose weight by eating a high-fat and high-calorie lunch every day…no doubt. What I would be failing to disclose is that I am eating a healthy breakfast and dinner and exercise for an hour every day. I am not fond of the study at all. It is misleading and it has a lot of room for interpretation.

Just give kids a soccer ball and send them out to play…problem solved (I am being sarcastic - but it worked for me when I was growing up).

But, of course, there are some people that firmly believe it is simply a hairy elephant and others that claim it is a bear carrying a stick or a very large fish…or if ask some kids, they will tell you without a doubt, it is Manny from Ice Age or Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street. Here is the story and the video - you can judge for yourself:

Original story and video

Regardless, it is your imagination that can lead you to many places. We see what we want to see. No matter what kind of what proof is presented to us, if we simply don’t want to believe something, we won’t. Some people asked me what I believed. My response was simple: I think someone captured a video of something…something that looks like some sort of animal moving in the water. That is completely different to what I want to believe. I want to believe that it is a creature that is extinct. I want to believe that us human beings still have a little bit of kid in all of us and that we can dream, play and have fun.

Life is not about being serious all the time. Life is about enjoying, sharing, imagining, dreaming and smiling.

So, I will enjoy sharing this video and story. I will imagine it is Snuffleapagus. I will imagine Big Bird will follow shortly after. I will dream about the most amazing creatures coming to life. And I will smile. I will smile because we are living in an age where our wildest dreams come true.

While this is a trend that will start in the USA, expect it to also be followed by certain countries as they become more aware of health issues and natural foods.

Here is a video that summarizes some of the findings.

You might recall that some 13 months ago, San Francisco passed a ban that would be effective tomorrow Thursday December 1st, in which it would not only limit the amount of calories per kids’ meal (600 calories) but that would also prevent fast food restaurants from giving toys away for free with the purchase of the meal.

Read the story here

Well, effective tomorrow, the 19 McDonald’s outlets they have in the Bay Area City, will sell the toys separately for 10 cents with the purchase of the children’s combos. These funds in turn would go towards a project through its Ronald McDonald House Charity. This is the way the giant super fast-food chain has chosen to comply with the new ordinance that forbids restaurants from offering toys with the purchase of a kid’s meal, unless the servings have less than 600 calories, a drink option that is not high in sugar or fat, and that also includes a portion of fruits and/or vegetables.

While McD’s began offering apple slices, downsized the servings of fries and introduced both low-fat milk and fat-free chocolate milk and apple juices, this may have not been enough to calm down the Corporate Accountability International group, who claims that McDonald’s is using a charity that helps children to defend a practice that contributes to a range of diet-related conditions.

I guess you can’t please everyone.

There is no formula that will guarantee the SLO will be successful but there are certain things that can be taken into consideration when putting a program of this kind together.

The first one is to ask yourself if this is a seasonal offer. While the holidays, especially Christmas, may seem like a great idea to run a program of this sort, it is actually quite the contrary. Sometimes customers may have some extra discretionary funds available but, let’s face it, the economy is not what it used to be. With all sorts of sales offered in lots of different stores, chances a parent will spend a few extra dollars for a toy a restaurant gives away, will be very limited. What is worst, if this is the case, then you will most likely be stuck with some heavy inventory which you will have to hang on to until the following year.

Second, if someone likes your offer, you could potentially get better results if you would offer some sort of variety. Let’s say you went ahead and pulled the trigger on a holiday self liquidating offer and you decide to give away plush polar bears. I would highly encourage you to try to get your vendor to put together a variety of some sort; maybe one with a cool hat, another one with a scarf and one wearing boots! If one of your clients buys one for US$ 1.99, chances are they could potentially buy the other 2. By getting one client, your potential for additional sales from that same client have automatically increased. Whereas if you only buy a reindeer in a sled…well, and let’s say for some reason it tanks, then chances are it will tank all across the board, follow me?

Third, the amount customers are willing to spend is also crucial to the success of your SLO promotion. I have seen some restaurants selling RC cars, plush items, cool gadgets, etc. for several dollars - some as high as US$ 5.99! Yes, a suggested retail price of a given item may be high but let’s be real, NOBODY likes to pay retail and certainly, nobody is going to consider paying retail for a toy at a restaurant, regardless of how cool the item is.

Fourth - how cool is the item? Will kids like them? Will parents like them? Will both, boys and girls like them? Play it safe and offer something that is equally attractive to boys and girls, and that is not too edgy. Edgy things, while cool, scare some parents away. Parents still control expenses in the household, unless you are giving away video games and targeting kids older than 12.

So in summary, with the holiday season quickly approaching, if you are considering a self-liquidator to generate additional funds for your restaurant, think about it twice as this is no kid stuff…or at least, consider something that can be sold past a given date, something that is offered in a variety - and make sure your really cool item is not overpriced.

As we all know, customer service and how quickly we respond to clients’ feedback, suggestions or complaints, could quickly turn a bad situation into a positive or could trigger a mass reaction of negativity towards a product, service or brand. Today this is further emphasized by how quickly information can be passed from one individual to several in a matter of seconds. Yes, social media is great about sharing your greatest new product, but it can also very quickly divulge bad news.

Here is a story about a McDonald’s restaurant that suffered the wrath of social media:

Read the story here…

Is there a moral to this story? Yes, of course! Many would say that complaints need to be addressed quickly and effectively. I would say…keep your playgrounds clean.

On the Border Kid’s Cheese Quesadilla with Mexican Rice took the silver with a mere 1,220 calories (that is about 35% less than first spot!). Bronze goes to Outback Steakhouse Joey Spotted Dog Sundae with a very close, 1,216 calories).

I will have to say this…I absolutely love eating at The Cheesecake Factory and while I don’t have kids, I can still say that I probably would not allow them to have the 1,810 calorie meal. That being said, I really do not believe you can judge a meal solely based on their calorie and fat content. Further, the portion sizes of The Cheesecake Factory are, well, simply put, over-sized. Sometimes you can easily take half of the meal to go, and that applies to the kids’ meal sizes as well. If you do that, suddenly you have already cut your meal from 1,800 calories to below 1,000. Don’t get me wrong, that is still huge.

One more thing I would have to add is that I don’t recall knowing anyone that eats at The Cheesecake Factory every day or even every other day (go ahead and blame our economy for that). Most of the time, people eat out to reward themselves or to celebrate a special occasion. So, is it bad to treat yourself out once in a while? Is it bad to allow a kid to consume that big of a meal? I know some kids that are extremely active and can probably burn off that many calories in one afternoon (and can probably keep their parents in shape in the process). While this may not be the norm, regulating the calorie content should not be the responsibility of the government. The restaurant should simply disclose the content information and allow adults to behave responsibly, at least when eating or when selecting the foods they want to stick in their mouth.

It is about education, not about regulation. On that thought, I think I will have some cheesecake tonight…or at least cheese-stick, is only 2 letters off anyway.

The toys were all very small, measuring only about 1.5 inches (4 cm.) and were chosen from among 11 different possibilities during pre-testing, assuring their appeal among children, whose age group is generally not tuned in to gender-specific toys. Among the top were trucks and monsters - both appealing to both boys and girls.

In another experiment, where toys that were included were not needed to finish the set, again, children’s ratings of perceived tasted and likability favored the meals with collectible toys, particularly the meals with a toy that they needed to complete their set.

When planning a promotion, it is extremely important to offer items as part of a collection and to encourage your customers to collect the whole set. It is equally important to have all the options available during the length of the program. Some restaurants may only release a particular item during a whole week, thus making customers have to wait a whole week to go and get a new item. While you may try to guarantee a visit per week, you could potentially alienate your most important customers - the ones that will come to your location several times per week. Your toys should come packed in an assorted variety, preferably in equal quantities of each item. There is no doubt that kids will be attracted to certain items of the collection and may not favor some - this is why the development of the item is crucial to ensure that all items in the set are equally attractive to all kids.

Even more important, maybe there is a way to get kids to eat healthier. I can certainly see some restaurants in the future going as far as offering a specific item of the collection redeemable ONLY if purchased with a healthier kids’ meal. But, could this turn into the Beanie Babies promotion? When parents were going to McD’s to buy a happy meal to get the toy and the food never made it out of the restaurant?

While KFC claims their decision was made effective to support parents in making dietary decisions on behalf of their children, I believe it was actually a consequence of the continuous regulations Australia has imposed over the fast food industry on how it targets kids as a whole.

Just a few months ago in May, the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) issued an announcement that they had won an award for self-regulation. Days later, on Monday May the 9th, 2011, The Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) launched the first Australian blueprint for legislation that offers children genuine protection from junk food marketing, which was backed by the Australian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance, the Australian Medical Association and the Coalition on Food Advertising to Children. Read the summary proposal here: Proposal Summary

I would not be surprised if other fast food chains follow KFC’s steps. Parents should be able to regulate what kids eat, not the government.

McDonald’s recently launched The Smurfs®, Happy Meal promotion celebrating the release of The Smurfs®, Columbia Pictures’ and Sony Pictures Animation’s 3-D family comedy. The worldwide Happy Meal program promotes the importance of good environmental stewardship and family togetherness. The Happy Meal fun, which focuses on the great taste and appeal of fruits and vegetables, kicked off at participating McDonald’s restaurants in Latin America on July 14 and in North America a couple of weeks later, rolling out around the world through November.

Smurfs may only be three apples tall, but the legendary blue characters are helping McDonald’s make a difference this summer in more than 100 countries around the world. Customers will see a specially created live-action and computer animated global television commercial; in-restaurant Smurf signage and packaging; and social media updates on Facebook and Twitter. The global McDonald’s Happy Meal promotion will be brought to life on McDonald’s interactive, online experience for kids, called Stage M (http://fun.mcdonalds.com/stagem/index.html).

This action-packed site has been Smurf’d to feature exciting new content that motivates and encourages them to be a friend of the planet. A new music video featuring Smurf characters uses colorful animation and fun tunes to teach kids about the environment. Online components also include kid-friendly activities and games focused on sustainability and augmented reality applications that allow parents and kids to Smurf-ize themselves.

These are some of McDonald’s initiatives throughout the world:

- North America: McDonald’s restaurants in North America have teamed up with national nonprofit Keep America Beautiful (KAB) to invite kids to “Smurf the Earth” by choosing Apple Dippers in their Happy Meals. Those Apple Dipper packages feature a digital code and when that code is entered at HappyMeal.com, McDonald’s and KAB will plant a tree (up to 100,000) in needed or devastated areas within national forests across the country.

- Latin America: McDonald’s restaurants will launch a one-of-a-kind Smurfs augmented reality program that transports kids into the Smurfs’ village with Papa Smurf and all his pals. Augmented reality imagery will be printed on Happy Meal boxes and in-restaurant menu board displays featuring animated “Smurfs” footage, which also will connect customers with the movie experience. “Clumsy” carrot bags will have fun themed packaging to encourage kids to choose these items.

- Brazil: The program will showcase the fun personalities of the Smurfs with plush toys followed by Smurf figures with fun functions. In-restaurant signage, crew apparel and packaging will feature scenes from the Smurfs’ village. One million sunflower packets also will be given away.

- Europe: McDonald’s is bringing the Smurfs characters to life across its digital properties in Europe. New and engaging content, such as a Smurfs game that invites children to help take care of Papa Smurf’s flower pot garden, reinforces messages of sustainability while teaching about the importance of keeping the environment safe and clean. Mobile activations and in-restaurant avatar items also will unlock Smurfs fun at McDonald’s. All European countries will feature plush Smurfs Happy Meal toys.

- United Kingdom: Children and families will “Get Smurfin’ and Grow Crazy” with McDonald’s as they learn about the environment with the help of all the Smurfs characters. A Smurfs drawing competition invites children to receive their very own mini Smurf flower garden and the chance to win a Smurfs gardening kit. Happy Meals will feature up to 10 specially-designed Smurf plush toys that capture the unique and loveable personalities of the Smurfs. “Smurfilicious” fruit bags and “Clumsy” carrot bags also will have fun themed packaging to encourage kids to choose these items.