Very interesting article. However, as the article points out, in late September 1985 Phillip Morris buys General Foods owner of Kool-Aid and starts marketing it

Very interesting article. However, as the article points out, in late September 1985 Phillip Morris buys General Foods owner of Kool-Aid and starts marketing it to children using cartoon characters and bright colors? Contradicts the 50s, 60s and 70s before that when General Foods marketed Kool-Aid to children using the same cartoon characters and bright colors, some of which are actually shown and dated in the article. They do mention a shift in the language used buy this after 1985, from 'for your family' directed at moms (with brightly colored cartoon characters though) to direct appeals to teens. But the 1940s ad example shows a boy perhaps 8 years old buying Kool-Aid for his girlfriend and notes that this is possible because it is so inexpensive even children can afford it. This 1940s ad thus is directed at child initiated purchases. Furthermore, the shift from mom-to-child definitely started before the acquisition as General Foods produced numerous commercials targeted at children which ran in frequent rotation during Saturday morning cartoons. The case with RJ Reynolds and Hawaiian Punch seems significantly more compelling. Before they buy the company it is said to be a drink mix for cocktails marketed to adults. Reynolds then upon acquisition redesigns the drink and markets it to children, and uses the same flavor R&D to develop new additives to be added both to new exotic cigarette flavors and to Hawaiian Punch whose advertising targets children.