This document summarizes a study analyzing food marketing cues on packaged foods targeted at children in Belgian supermarkets. The study found that 83% of products were unhealthy according to nutritional standards. National brands used more marketing cues on average than private labels. Cereals and soft candy used the most child-targeting cues. Regression analysis found that more marketing cues, being a national brand, and lack of nutrition claims or illustrations predicted a product being less healthy. The study concludes that much child-targeted marketing goes undetected by regulators and pledges, calling for more research in this area.
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Marketing cues on child-targeted food packaging
1. Overtuigend (on)gezond:
De Marketing Cues van Voedselverpakkingen
@TimSmitsTim – KU Leuven
Thanks to:Tine Mathues & Silke De Win
Etmaal CommunicatieWetenschap – Wageningen – February 2-3 2014
http://www.slideshare.net/timsmitstim/
2. BACKGROUND
Focus: Child-targeted packaged foods
Marketing often called culprit for childhood
obesity epidemic
Dominant areas of effects research:
Effects of TV or TV-ads exposure
Effects of endorser advertising
3. BACKGROUND
Limitations?
Marketing exposure broader than TV
Other marketing tools than endorsers
Some previous studies on actual food packaging
Packaging = “last moment of truth”
Aid recall of campaign cues ~ endorsers
Consumption cues
Branding/product cues
4.
5. Previous findings
Chapman et al. (2006) – Australia
“food promotions were defined as marketing and sales promotions used on food labels
or as food packaging designed to entice consumers to buy a product at the point-ofsale”
6. Previous findings
Julian & Holdsworth (2008) – UK
83% of all promotions: cartoon characters
58% of all promotions for “less healthy foods” (FSA criteria; binary coding)
Cereals most likely to use multiple techniques
7. Previous findings
Van Assema et al. (2011) – The Netherlands
Endorsers most popular
90% of “marketed” foods for the unhealthy category (Voedingscentrum)
8. This study
Belgian supermarket offerings? In 2013?
Relation between MarCom cues & Healthiness?
National brands vs Private labels?
Methodology
16 food categories in a Belgian retailer
Child-focused (-12 years)
Coding:
Healthiness (FSA nutrient profiling model; binary – cont)
Endorsers, premiums, CTAs, games, promotions, claims
(health, product), consumption illustration, premium
packaging, premium product design, colors
10. Results
In regression analyses:
What predicts a product’s unhealthiness?
(Product category)
More cues
National brands
Nutrition claims (-)
Illustration or promotion (-)
Characteristic color use (-)
Product design (-)
Package design (-)
11. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION
Up-to-date overview of BE supermarket offerings
Regulation & Pledges are only a manifest radar
and much goes “undetected” to policy
Research agenda for children-and-persuasion