Sydney, Oct 4 : Fast-food giant McDonald's adverts have been voted as the most manipulative on TV.

2900 members of the Parents Jury, a web-based forum for parents to voice their views, have named the Spongebob Squarepants Happy Meal ad as the winner of the Pester Power Award at the third annual Children's TV Food Advertising Awards in Melbourne.

The award, according to the organizers, recognizes the most manipulative food ad on television.

Professor Boyd Swinburn from Deakin University said that the result undoubtedly underlined the enduring frustrations parents had about toys being used as marketing tricks for unhealthy foods.

"The message is loud and clear. Parents are fed up having to contend with McDonald's enticing their children to want its food by using free toy giveaways," News.com.au quoted Prof Swinburn, as saying.

Meanwhile, Woolworths won the Parents Choice award for its Fresh Fruit Kids ad, which promotes healthy food, whereas The Smoke and Mirrors Award went to the Kellogg's Coco Pops Coco Rocks ad for being the most misleading. (With inputs from ANI)