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.

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

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

9. Some Results
83% unhealthy products
Average # marcom cues:
National brands: 3.1 - vs – Private labels: 2.8
Most heavily child-targeting: cereals (30%), soft candy
(75%)
% use of cues
Endorser
Premium
Call-to-action
Games
Sweepstakes
Promotion
Claim
Illustration
Package design
Product design
Savory
100
0
0
0
0
0
50
66,7
0
66,7
Dairy
64,2
1,9
11,3
0
3,8
5,7
62,3
56,6
9,4
5,7
Chocolate Cereals
50
6,3
18,7
6,3
34,4
9,4
25
96,2
6,2
46,9
83,9
25,8
54,8
29
12,9
0
77,4
100
0
74,2
Cacao
100
0
20
60
0
0
100
80
0
0
Soft
candy
57,6
3,4
1,7
1,7
0
1,7
37,3
100
1,7
79,7
…

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