Learning Objectives

After completion of this module students will be able to:

• Describe the influence of food advertising on obesity.
• Explore the ways in which marketing companies could influence decreases in obesity.
• Consider new ideas for marketing healthy foods to children and adults.

Key Concepts - Food Advertising:

• Advertising is expensive (example of Super Bowl costs $4 million), but businesses and marketing consider it an investment because it works.
• Advertising gives us information, tries to get us to do something (i.e., to persuade us to buy something), and promotes a point of view or opinion.
• One theory of advertising is AIDA—Awareness of product, Information about product, Desire product, Action.
• There have been increases media spending by food category (soda, candy, cereals higher/more money spent and least amount spent on fruits/vegetables).
• There are a variety of effects of advertising, including influences nutrition knowledge and perceptions of healthy diet and choices.
• Interventions could include 1) increasing advertising spending on fruits, vegetables, and healthy foods (e.g., carrots) through package labeling, for example and 2) teaching advertising literacy in schools.

Key Concepts - Changing Food and Media Environment

• Food environment has changed considerably in past twenty years, and Americans are eating more especially highly processed foods, grains, and cereals.
• Americans spend about half of their household food budget at restaurants or eating out.
• There are over 3,000 combinations of meals/foods that children can choose from in restaurants, and only 12 meet nutrition standards for children and 15 meet standards for adolescence (based on dietary guidelines).
• Companies spend over 15 billion dollars a year are food advertising targeting children.
• Marketing/advertising influences, money spent on advertising, how advertisers market to children.
• 50 companies pledged to change how they introduce “better for you foods” and limit how they will use characters to advertise unhealthy foods.
• “Whoa” foods include cupcakes, candies are unhealthy, “Go” foods include vegetables and fruits and healthy foods, and “Slow” foods are those that are higher in fat and should be consumed in moderation.
• More money is spent on “Whoa” food advertising than “Go” foods.
• Parents have concerns about the media’s influence and how they promote unhealthy foods and children’s “Pester Power.”
• Interventions that include advertising mediation and concept oriented consumer education and policy issues geared towards education and awareness compared to those that restrict parents’ choices have been shown to be most helpful.

Video Microlectures

• Video: Food Advertising
  Dr. Michelle Nelson, Department of Advertising, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Video: Changing Food Environment
  Dr. Barbara H. Fiese, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Optional Readings

• Sumanac, D., Mendelson, R., & Tarasuk, V. (2013). Marketing whole grain breads in Canada via food labels. Appetite, 62, 1-6.