ABSTRACT
Happiness is a satisfying and pleasurable experience. While brands that link to happiness may suggest enhancements to consumer well-being and welfare, products pertaining to hedonic consumption may not ultimately be beneficial or healthy to consumers. This chapter explores such dilemmas relating to “happy” branding strategies and provides two case examples pertaining to the marketing of McDonald’s “Happy Meal” as well as Newport cigarettes, which has the longstanding tagline “Alive with Pleasure!” Although happiness branding strategies may potentially seem trivial and playful, such marketing practices raise ethical concerns given they are often targeting vulnerable consumers, such as children, who may not fully comprehend the persuasive intent of marketing messages. Moreover, happiness commonly associates with brands that are unhealthy or harmful to consume, including addictive products.
