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PROMOTION: BUYING THE APPROVAL OF YOUNG PEOPLE SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE MARKETING UNVEILED VOLUME 1 VOLUME 2 VOLUME 3 VOLUME 4 SUMMARY
PROMOTION: BUYING THE APPROVAL OF YOUNG PEOPLE
SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE MARKETING UNVEILED
VOLUME 1 VOLUME 2 VOLUME 3 VOLUME 4
SUMMARY
TV Advertising
Television is an excellent tool to promote the association of brands with celebrities, philanthropic activities, sponsorship or environmental investment initiatives.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified the heavy marketing of energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods as a probable factor in the obesity epidemic1 and has made it a priority in its strategy to fight chronic diseases.2
To reach young people, the industry enjoys many diverse communication channels and tools that multiply the points of contact with consumers.
In addition to direct product promotions, SSB producers strive more than anything to create an emotional link with young people by hooking into their hobbies, passions and interests to entice them and gain their loyalty.
Among young people, the agri-food industry’s promotional activities influence the following3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ,8 :
• knowledge and attitude towards junk food• eating habits and preferences
In the United States alone, US$948 million was spent on advertising by sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) companies across all media in 2010, which represents 5% more than in 20089.
Print MediaPrint advertising reinforces visibility and supports the message and brand image carried by other media (TV, Web, social media).12
ContestsContests help promote products, but also generate website traffic and viral marketing, or even populate company data-bases.
Mobile phonesSmartphones allow promotional strategies to be diversified to reach young people:
Text messaging is an unrivalled tool as 92% of messages are read, 95% of which are read within 15 minutes of being sent, and 25% of which are forwarded to someone else.
• Mobile apps • Games• Contests
• Advertising banners• Wallpapers • Etc.
CHILDREN INFLUENCED BY ADVERTISING
STRATEGIES TO CONSIDER
about 15 hours a week10Ages 2-11
Radio Advertising
Radio ads are used when launching new products, price promotions, sponsorships and events.
8 to 9 hours a week11
Ages 12-17 Cross-promotionCross-advertising allows products to be promoted together by using each one’s visibility to boost the campaign.
Internet
New media feature very prominently in SSB advertising strate-gies. They make it possible to target young people and to take advantage of their viral potential by using them as relayers and content creators.
Peer pressure: 60% of 12-24 year olds say that when plan-ning to buy something, they mainly rely on the opinion of a friend or an acquaintance who has tried the product in ques-tion.14
43% 32% 25%
< 10 hours 11 to 20 hours > 20 hours
Product PlacementProduct placement16,17,18,19 is a more subtle form of adverti-sing that lets you “get around both the requirements gover-ning traditional advertising and some viewers’ aversion to overt advertising”.20
This strategy is used in:
• TV programs• Films • Video games (in-game advertising)
per week13Ages 12-17
According to the WHO, “young people are an ideal target group for Internet advertisers because they stay online for longer periods than adults and participate in a wider range of online activities”.15
Online marketing strategies aimed at young people include:
• Website proliferation • Presence on social media sites (Facebook, MySpace, You-
Tube, Twitter, etc.) • Emails• Creation of advergames (games advertising brands)
Sponsorship and Philanthropy“Nearly all of the food and beverage categories used athletic sponsorships and celebrity endorsements as promotional techniques, and these were primarily directed to teens”.21
The philanthropic activities of SSB companies emphasize their investment in sports, environment and community. This buys the brand a “positive” image in the minds of consumers and is an attempt to get them to “forget” their products’ harmful impact on health.
Provincial QuebecSections 248 and 249 of the province’s 1978 Consumer Pro-tection Act prohibit advertising from targeting children under the age of 13. The development of new advertising techniques as well as the changing media consumption habits of young people call for modernizing the law’s enforcement rules.32,33,34
• In Quebec, modernize the enforcement rules of the Consumer Protection Act prohibiting adver-tising to children so that they take into account young people’s new media consumption habits and the development of new advertising techniques.
Other Provinces Just like Quebec, other provinces have the power to regulate children’s advertising on their territory. To do so, some modi-fications need to be made to the various consumer protection laws in those jurisdictions.
• In the absence of federal regulations prohibiting adverti-sing aimed at children, Canada’s provinces and territories should explore the possibility of introducing a law similar to Quebec’s and engage in discussions with parents and rele-vant organizations on this subject.
FederalOf course, the provinces can each adopt regulations similar to Quebec’s. However, federal regulations would help to esta-blish the necessity of protecting children from advertising and would apply to all provinces and territories of Canada.
• Consider introducing federal regulations similar to Quebec’s in order to prohibit advertising aimed at children by amending the Food and Drug Act as well as the Competition Act.
• Create a committee to analyze ways of reducing the impact of sugar-sweetened beverage promotion.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Although in some countries concrete actions have been taken to reduce intensive marketing aimed at young people,22 other countries leave the industry to regulate itself, as is presently the case in Canada. According to many healthcare experts and professionals, industry self-regulation and voluntary approaches to children’s advertising have failed to yield the desired results.23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31 Effective regulations are therefore required to actually protect young Canadians from aggressive marketing aimed at them.
OversightAlthough a highly interesting and relevant regulation has been in force for over 30 years in Quebec, the first prosecutions conducted by the Consumer Protection Bureau have been a response to complaints filed by the Weight Coalition in 2007. This highlights a major lack of resources that made it impos-sible to oversee the industry’s advertising practices effectively. However, supervision is at the heart of WHO recommenda-tions concerning regulations on advertising to children.35
• Ensure that provincial and federal regulations are backed by sufficient financial resources and an adequate structure to oversee advertising practices effectively.
A Canadian ConcernIn September 2010, federal, provincial and territorial health ministers agreed to concentrate their efforts to curb childhood obesity and promote healthy weights in order to help Cana-dians lead longer and healthier lives.36
To that end, they endorsed Curbing Childhood Obesity: A Fede-ral, Provincial and Territorial Framework for Action to Promote Healthy Weights.37
In this regard, decreasing the marketing of foods and beve-rages high in fat, sugar and/or sodium to children is part of three strategic priorities outlined in the document to curb obe-sity among young Canadians.
64% of Canadians wanted to
see a ban on all advertising aimed
at children.
(2010 Omnibus Web Survey)
1. World Health Organization (2009). Diet, Nutrition and Prevention of Chronic Diseases, WHO Technical report series 916, section 5.2.4 Strength of evidence, Table 7, 63. Consulted on May 15, 2012 at http://www.who.int/hpr/NPH/docs/who_fao_expert_report.pdf
2. World Health Organization (2009). Prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases: implementation of the global strategy, Report by secretariat. Consulted on May 2, 2012 at http://links.cecollect.com/410/1616/WHO%20-%2011.26.09.pdf
3. Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada (2008). CDPAC Position Statement. Obesity and the Impact of Marketing on Children. Consulted on August 19, 2011 at http://www.cdpac.ca/media.php?mid=474
4. World Health Organization (2009). Stratégie mondiale pour l’alimentation, l’exercice physique et la santé. Consulted on August 23, 2011 at http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/strategy/eb11344/strategy_french_web.pdf
5. Hastings, G., Stead, M., McDermott, L., Forsyth, A., MacKintosh, A. M., Rayner, M., Godfrey, C., ...& Angus, K. (2003). Review of Research on the Effects of Food Promotion to Children. Glasgow, The University of Strathclyde, Food Standards Agency. Consulted on 11 August 11, 2011 at http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/foodpromotiontochildren1.pdf
6. McDermott, L., Stead, M. & Hastings, G. (2007). Case study 4: A marketing strategy to review the effects of food promotion to children. Consulted on August 11, 2011 at http://www.management.stir.ac.uk/research/social-marketing/?a=21314
7. Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming (2004). Children’s food and health: Why legislation is urgently required to protect children from unhealthy food advertising and promotions. Consulted on August 18, 2011 at http://www.sustainweb.org/pdf/child_food_health.pdf
8. Office de la protection du consommateur (2008). Vos enfants et la pub. Éditions Protégez-vous. Consulted on May 2, 2012 at http://www.opc.gouv.qc.ca/Documents/Publications/SujetsConsommation/FinancesAssurances/PubliciteTrompeusePratiques/EnfantsPub/EnfantsPub.pdf
9. Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity (2011). Evaluating sugary drink nutrition and marketing to youth. Consulted on October 4, 2011 at http://www.sugarydrinkfacts.org/resources/SugaryDrinkFACTS_Report.pdf
10. Marie-Ève Nadeau for the Coalition Poids (2011). La publicité alimentaire destinée aux enfants – Recension des effets, stratégies et tactiques. Consulted on May 15, 2012 at http://cqpp.qc.ca/documents/file/2011/Rapport_Pub-aux-enfants-Recension-effets-strategies-tactiques_2011-01.pdf
11. Infopresse (2011). Guide annuel des médias 2012.
12. National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (2011). Breaking down the chain: A guide to the soft drink industry. Consulted on May 9, 2012 at www.foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/SoftDrinkIndustryMarketing_11.pdf
13. Cefrio (2011). Génération C – Les « C » en tant que consommateurs. Consulted on May 15, 2012 at http://www.cefrio.qc.ca/fileadmin/documents/Publication/GenC_fascicule3.pdf
14. Cefrio (2011). Génération C – Les « C » en tant que consommateurs. Consulted on May 15, 2012 at http://www.cefrio.qc.ca/fileadmin/documents/Publication/GenC_fascicule3.pdf
15. World Health Organization (2009). Marketing Food to Children: the Global Regulatory Environment. Consulted on May 4, 2012 at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241591579.pdf
16. National Policy & Legal Analysis Network to Prevent Childhood Obesity (2011). Breaking down the chain: A guide to the soft drink industry. Consulted on May 9, 2012 at www.foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/SoftDrinkIndustryMarketing_11.pdf
17. World Health Organization (2009). Marketing Food to Children: the Global Regulatory Environment. Consulted on May 4, 2012 at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241591579.pdf
18. Dagenais B. (2008). La publicité : Stratégie et placement média – Ou comment choisir la campagne multimedia la plus efficace, Quebec: Presses de l’Université Laval, 2008.
19. Federal Trade Commission (2008). Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents. A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities, and Self-Regulation. A report to Congress. Consulted on August 18, 2011 at http://www.ftc.gov/os/2008/07/P064504foodmktingreport.pdf
20. Dagenais B. (2008). La publicité : Stratégie et placement média – Ou comment choisir la campagne multimedia la plus efficace, Quebec: Presses de l’Université Laval, 2008.
21. Federal Trade Commission (2008). Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents. A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities, and Self-Regulation. A report to Congress. Consulted on August 18, 2011 at http://www.ftc.gov/os/2008/07/P064504foodmktingreport.pdf
22. World Health Organization (2009). Marketing Food to Children: the Global Regulatory Environment. Consulted on May 4, 2012 at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241591579.pdf
23. Harris, J. L., Lostein, T. Pomeranz, J. L. & Brownell, K. D. (2009. A Crisis in the Marketplace: How Food Marketing Contributes to Childhool Obesity and What Can Be Done, Annu Rev Public Health, 30, 211-225.
24. Harris, J. L., Schwartz, M. B. & Brownell, K. D. (2009). Marketing foods to children and adolescents: licensed characters and other promotions on packaged foods in the supermarket. Public Health Nutrition, 13(3), 409-417.
25. Hawkes, C. (2007). Regulating food marketing to young people worldwide: trends and policy drivers. Am J Public Health, 97, 1962-1973.
26. Wilde, P. (2008). Self-regulation and the response to concerns about food and beverage marketing to children in the United States. Nutr Rev, 67, 155-166.
27. Sharma, L. L., Teret, S. P. & Brownell, K. D. (2010). The food industry and self-regulation: Standards to promote success and to avoid public failures. Am J Public Health, 100(2), 240-246.
28. Potvin Kent, M., Dubois, L. & Wanless, A. (2011). Self-regulation by industry or food marketing is having little impact during children’s preferred television. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity. Consulted on May 2, 2012 at http://www.foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/SelfRegulationon_Canada_11.pdf
29. Hawkes, C. & Harris, J. (2011). An analysis of the content of food industry pledges on marketing to children. Public Health Nutrition. Consulted on May 15, 2012 at http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/advertising/MarketingPledgesAnalysis_PHN_5.11.pdf
30. United Nations (2011). Report submitted by the Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter. Consulted on May 15, 2012 at http://www.srfood.org/images/stories/pdf/officialreports/20120306_nutrition_fr.pdf
31. Freedhoff, Y. (2012). If Coca-Cola doesn’t market to kids, why do they sell toys. Weighty matters. Consulted on May 14, 2012 at http://www.weightymatters.ca/2012/03/if-coca-cola-doesnt-market-to-kids-why.html
32. World Health Organization (2009). Marketing Food to Children: the Global Regulatory Environment. Consulted on August 29, 2011 at http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2004/9241591579.pdf
33. Perron, F. (2011). Savez-vous vraiment ce que font vos enfants sur le web? Consulted on February 6, 2012 at http://www.protegez-vous.ca/loisirs-et-famille/savez-vous-vraiment-ce-que-font-vos-enfants-sur-le-web.html
34. Laperrière, J-P. (2009). Analyse comparative de la forme des messages publicitaires pouvant s’adresser aux enfants. Consulted on November 11, 2011 at http://www.grms.uqam.ca/Pages/docs/ER_R_pub_enfants_JPL.pdf
35. World Health Organization (2009). Sixty-third world heatlh assembly – Marketing of food and non-alcoholic beverages to children. Consulted on June 1st, 2012 at http://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA63/A63_R14-en.pdf
36. Public Health Agency of Canada (2011). Curbing Childhood Obesity: An Overview of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Framework for Action to Promote Healthy Weights. Consulted on June 4, 2012 at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/hl-mvs/framework-cadre/intro-eng.php
37. Curbing Childhood Obesity: A Federal, Provincial and Territorial Framework for Action to Promote Healthy Weights. Consulted on June 4, 2012 at http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/hp-ps/hl-mvs/framework-cadre/pdf/ccofw-eng.pdf
BIBLIOGRAPHY
DISCOVER WHAT LIES BEHIND THE MARKETING OF SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGES!
See the full report in the “Sugar-Sweetened Beverages/Marketing” section at www.cqpp.qc.ca.
Promotion—this key element of the marketing mix—helps manufacturers of sugar-sweetened beverages not only to win consumers over but also to gain their loyalty through extraordinarily creative and persuasive commu-nications. By investing in the different media platforms available to them, marketing specialists are able to adapt their message while increasing the opportunities to reach young people.
To learn more, see Volume 4 of the report “Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Marketing Unveiled”.
Phone: 514 598-8058Fax: 514 528-5590Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.cqpp.qc.ca
Address:4126, St-Denis Street, suite 200Montréal (Québec)H2W 2M5
June
201
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The report “Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Marketing Unveiled” is a central component of the project entitled “A Multidimensional Approach to Reducing the Appeal of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages” launched by the Association pour la santé publique du Québec and the Quebec Coalition on Weight-Related Problems as part of the 2010 Innovation Strategy of the Public Health Agency of Canada.
This project is based on a major pan-Canadian partnership involving:• the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec• the Fédération du sport francophone de l’Alberta• the Social Research and Demonstration Corporation • the Université Laval• the Public Health Association of British Colombia • the Ontario Public Health Association
This summary has been made possible by a financial contribution from the Public Health Agency of Canada. The opinions expressed here do not ne-cessarily reflect the official position of the Public Health Agency of Canada.
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PLACE: A SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE ALWAYS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE MARKETING UNVEILED
VOLUME 1 VOLUME 2 VOLUME 3 VOLUME 4
SUMMARY
PROMOTION: BUYING THE APPROVAL OF YOUNG PEOPLE
SUGAR-SWEETENED BEVERAGE MARKETING UNVEILED
VOLUME 1 VOLUME 2 VOLUME 3 VOLUME 4
