Win the kids, lose the parents?Endorsement marketing for healthy foods

Heidi Vandebosch – Tim Smits – Karolien Huybrechts

@TimSmitsTim – KU Leuven

CTC 2014 – Edinburgh– April 2014http://www.slideshare.net/timsmitstim/

MAIN ISSUE

Ample research demonstrates the effect of endorsement food marketing on children…

… also for healthy foods.

But what about the parents?

BACKGROUND

First wave of child media/marketing research(Mainly) focus on : general effects concerns, incl. parental concerns

BACKGROUND

Second wave of child marketing researchSpecific focus on food marketing

IOM 2006 report: Food Marketing to Children FTC (2008): Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents

Spurred a lot of research on:• General media effects on food liking/intake• Specific marketing techniques

ENDORSEMENT FOOD MARKETING

Endorser = fictional or real character promoting a product (in ads, on packages, websites etc.)

Often used marketing technique:• 17% of ads worldwide (Money et al 2006)

• 9 - 49% of child targeting food ads (Kelly et al 2010)

• Even 73% in sample of TV ads (Castonguay et al 2013)

ENDORSEMENT FOOD MARKETING

They often endorse unhealthy foods• 79% ‘noncore’ endorsed foods (Kelly et al 2010)

• 72% foods of low nutr quality (Castonguay et al 2013)

• Comparable for on-pack endorsers in supermarket (Hebden et al 2011; Van Assema et al 2011; Smits CTC2014)

Do such endorsements have a persuasive impact?

ENDORSEMENT FOOD MARKETINGBezbaruah, N., Stastny, S. N., & Brunt, A. (2014). Journal of Human Nutrition and Food Science.Boyland, E. J., Harrold, J. A., Dovey, T. M., Allison, M., Dobson, S., Jacobs, M. C., & Halford, J. C.

(2013). The Journal of Pediatrics Dixon, H., Scully, M., Niven, P., Kelly, B., Chapman, K., Donovan, R., ... & Wakefield, M. (2014).

Pediatric obesity.de Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. (2012). Journal of Health Communicationde Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2014). Appetitede Droog, S. M., Valkenburg, P., & Buijzen, M. (2011). Journal of Health CommunicationKotler, J. A., Shiffman, J. M., & Hanson K. G. (2012). Journal of Health CommunicationLapierre, M. A., Vaala, S. E., & Linebarger, D. L. (2011). Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent

MedicineLevin, A. M., & Levin, I. P. (2010). Journal of Consumer BehaviourNeeley, S. M., & Schumann, D. W. (2004). Journal of AdvertisingRoberto, C. A., Baik, J. , Harris, J. L., & Brownell, K. D. (2010). PediatricsRobinson, T. N., Borzekowski, D. L. G.., Matheson, D. N., & Kraemer, H. C. (2007). Archives of

Pediatrics & Adolescent MedicineSmits, T. & Vandebosch, H. (2012). CommunicationsWansink, B., Shimizu, M., & Camps, G. (2012). Pediatric ObesityWansink, B., Just, D. R., & Payne, C. R. (2012). Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

ENDORSEMENT FOOD MARKETING

It is a simple technique and adults often recognize the child targeted marketing

Though they are susceptible as well (Dixon et al 2011)

Could we use it to promote healthy foods?

ENDORSEMENT FOOD MARKETINGBezbaruah, N., Stastny, S. N., & Brunt, A. (2014). Journal of Human Nutrition and Food Science.Boyland, E. J., Harrold, J. A., Dovey, T. M., Allison, M., Dobson, S., Jacobs, M. C., & Halford, J. C.

(2013). The Journal of Pediatrics Dixon, H., Scully, M., Niven, P., Kelly, B., Chapman, K., Donovan, R., ... & Wakefield, M. (2014).

Pediatric obesity.de Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. (2012). Journal of Health Communicationde Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2014). Appetitede Droog, S. M., Valkenburg, P., & Buijzen, M. (2011). Journal of Health CommunicationKotler, J. A., Shiffman, J. M., & Hanson K. G. (2012). Journal of Health CommunicationLapierre, M. A., Vaala, S. E., & Linebarger, D. L. (2011). Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent

MedicineLevin, A. M., & Levin, I. P. (2010). Journal of Consumer BehaviourNeeley, S. M., & Schumann, D. W. (2004). Journal of AdvertisingRoberto, C. A., Baik, J. , Harris, J. L., & Brownell, K. D. (2010). PediatricsRobinson, T. N., Borzekowski, D. L. G.., Matheson, D. N., & Kraemer, H. C. (2007). Archives of

Pediatrics & Adolescent MedicineSmits, T. & Vandebosch, H. (2012). CommunicationsWansink, B., Shimizu, M., & Camps, G. (2012). Pediatric ObesityWansink, B., Just, D. R., & Payne, C. R. (2012). Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

HEALTHY FOOD ENDORSEMENTBezbaruah, N., Stastny, S. N., & Brunt, A. (2014). Journal of Human Nutrition and Food Science.Boyland, E. J., Harrold, J. A., Dovey, T. M., Allison, M., Dobson, S., Jacobs, M. C., & Halford, J. C.

(2013). The Journal of Pediatrics Dixon, H., Scully, M., Niven, P., Kelly, B., Chapman, K., Donovan, R., ... & Wakefield, M. (2014).

Pediatric obesity.de Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. (2012). Journal of Health Communicationde Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2014). Appetitede Droog, S. M., Valkenburg, P., & Buijzen, M. (2011). Journal of Health CommunicationKotler, J. A., Shiffman, J. M., & Hanson K. G. (2012). Journal of Health CommunicationLapierre, M. A., Vaala, S. E., & Linebarger, D. L. (2011). Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent

MedicineLevin, A. M., & Levin, I. P. (2010). Journal of Consumer BehaviourNeeley, S. M., & Schumann, D. W. (2004). Journal of AdvertisingRoberto, C. A., Baik, J. , Harris, J. L., & Brownell, K. D. (2010). PediatricsRobinson, T. N., Borzekowski, D. L. G.., Matheson, D. N., & Kraemer, H. C. (2007). Archives of

Pediatrics & Adolescent MedicineSmits, T. & Vandebosch, H. (2012). CommunicationsWansink, B., Shimizu, M., & Camps, G. (2012). Pediatric ObesityWansink, B., Just, D. R., & Payne, C. R. (2012). Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

HEALTHY FOOD ENDORSEMENT

We can win the kids for healthy foods

But what about the parents?Tension between• willingness to promote healthy eating• commercialization; pester power; etc

METHOD

Participants:292 parents (254 female) of children in daycare

or kindergarten39% respons rate Dependent Measures

Attitude towards endorsed fruit/cookie Buying intentionLikert-type, 5 points, > .7

METHOD

Independent Measures BLOCK 1: Gender, Age, BMI,Educational

level, Ethnicitiy BLOCK 2: General attitude toward

advertising, Belief that advertising causes pestering, Belief that advertising has negative effect on children’s health

BLOCK 3: Frequency of nagging for endorsed products, Expected child’s liking of endorsed fruit/cookie

RESULTS (COOKIES)Beta

Model 1 Model 2 Model 3

Block 1: background characteristics

Age parent 0,010 0,027 0,032

Educational level parent -0,120 -0,059 -0,064

Gender parent (0=male, 1=female) 0,133 0,080 0,079

Nationality (0=Belgian, 1=foreign) -0,217** -0,157* -0,116*

How bad do you feel about your child eating biscuits? -0,220** -0,155* -0,143*

BMI child -0,137* -0,104 -0,085

Block 2: general advertising attitudes and perceived advertising effects

General attitude towards advertising 0,127* 0,120*

Perceived negative (health) effects of advertising -0,356** -0,327**

Pestering power -0,133* -0,109

Block 3: perceived celebrity endorsement effects

Frequency of child requests for celebrity endorsed products

0,080

Perceived preference of child for celebrity endorsed biscuit

-0,232**

R square 0,139 0,336 0,377

Significance 0,000 0,000 0,000

RESULTS (FRUIT)Beta

Model 1 Model 2 Model 3

Block 1: background characteristics

Age parent -0,043 -0,023 - 0,040

Educational level parent - 0,073 -0,045 - 0,058

Gender parent (0=male, 1=female) 0, 217** 0,190** 0,172**

Nationality (0= Belgian, 1=foreign) -0, 169* -0,134* - 0,157*

Personal importance daily fruit child -0, 019 0,008 0,025

BMI child -0,139* -0,125* -0,147*

Block 2: general advertising attitudes and perceived advertising effects

General attitude towards advertising 0,117 0,102

Perceived negative (health) effects of advertising -0,208** -0,193**

Pestering power - 0,018 -0,145

Block 3: perceived celebrity endorsement effects

Frequency of child requests for celebrity endorsed products

0,109

Perceived preference of child for celebrity endorsed kiwi 0,221**

R square 0,112 0,183 0,235

Significance 0,000 0,000 0,000

RESULTS

Within-subjects: difference between healthy vs unhealthy endorsement?

Endorsed fruits are not liked more than endorsed cookies

Very few predictors significantly discern endorsed fruit versus cookie attitudes

Highly educated parents seem to be more hesitant towards endorsed fruits

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION

Parents are not more positive towards endorsed fruits than towards endorsed cookies

Significant predictors (& inhibitors) of positive attitude: Expected child’s preference Perceived advertisements’ negative health

effects …

Minority of parents with strong concerns