News

Australian QSRs under fire for direct mailing practices

December 6, 2010

Quick-service chains across the country have been feeling the heat to healthy-up their kids’ meals or stop using toys to attract younger customers. But Americans aren’t the only ones questioning QSR marketing practices toward this demographic.

Two chains in Australia are being criticized for what some are calling “predatory” marketing, as they send direct mailings that include special offers, free food vouchers and competitions to children under 12.

Hungry Jack’s and Taco Bill Mexican Restaurants have been the focus of a submission to the Australian Senate to check into privacy laws created by the Obesity Policy Coalition. The group, which includes the World Health Organization, Diabetes Australia, VicHealth and the Cancer Council of Victoria, would specifically like to amend the Privacy Act to outlaw direct mail advertising to children.

Also under fire are the companies’ online promotions offering free meals for kids’ birthdays and vouchers for free ice cream. The promotions are coming from both e-mails and direct mailings sent to households.

According to the Chicago Independent Press, parents in Australia are specifically pointing the finger at restaurants’ “kids clubs,” which require personal information to join, including addresses and demographics.

Some have wondered whether such a targeted campaign could happen in the U.S. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, passed in 1998, prohibits commercial sites from soliciting personal information from kids without parental consent.

As the Chicago Independent Press notes, however, social media vehicles such as Twitter, where children can be tracked without parental consent, have perhaps muddied the waters.