Lesson 5: The Art and Science of
Junk-Food Marketing
Food Marketing Basics
Student
Question
What are the top leading
food items that teens aged
13-17 spend their money
on?
Answer:
Candy, soft
drinks, and
salty snacks
or chips
Definition: Food
Marketing
Food marketing is an
activity or process that
delivers, communicates
or exchanges information
about food that is
important to the
consumer
Food Facts
Kids aged 2-14
spend about $500
billion dollars a
year on food
Teenagers
spend about
$140 billion
Food Products
Targeted to Youth
http://www.iom.edu/~/med
ia/Files/Report%20Files/2
005/Food-Marketing-toChildren-and-YouthThreat-orOpportunity/Productgrowt
hslideFINAL125.pdf
Food Marketing Facts
• US food industry spends •
over $1.6 billion per year
to market to teens
•
• Overwhelming majority
are for unhealthy foods, •
high in calories, sugar, fat,
and/or sodium
Average teen sees 15
food commercials a day
Adds up to about 5,500
commercials a year
Commercials are for highsugar breakfast cereals,
fast food, soft drinks,
candy, and salty snacks
Food Marketing Facts
• Teens see fewer than • Study showed that it is
100 ads per year for
necessary to watch ten
healthy foods such as
hours of kid’s
fruits, vegetables, and television to see ONE
water
advertisement for a
• Similarities to tobacco healthy product
industry marketing
Second Largest
Advertiser
Food companies are
the second largest
advertiser in the United
States, second only to
the automotive
industry
Why is it the second
largest advertised item?
o Because food accounts for 12.5% of
consumer spending, so there is
vigorous competition
o There is repeat business –
consumers need to purchase food
o Food is one of the most highly
branded products
Definition: Food
Branding
• A combination of elements that
communicate a food product through
the use of their name or logo
• It influences a consumer’s decision to
buy a food product and it creates
value
• It is a combination of both functional
and emotional benefits to the
consumer
Branding Example
• Children prefer
branded foods
over foods that
are not branded
• Example of 3 to 5
year old kids that
ate French fries
• If the fries came in a
McDonald’s package,
76.7% liked them more
than the unbranded
package (13.8%), even
though they were the
same product.
Why Brand?
Companies desire to:
–Build brand awareness
–Build recognition
–Build brand preference
–Build brand loyalty
Teens are also persuaded by
the power of these
marketing messages if they
relate to:
– Appearance
– Self-identity
– Belonging
– Sexuality
• Over 80% of US grocery
products are branded
Food Branding Examples
• Do you know
any of these?
– M&M’s have
the official
spokescandies
• And, chocolate is
better in color
– Fans recently voted
for their favorite one
by color
Food Branding Examples
• Oreo’s
– Interactive food
• Dunk in milk
• Twist it
• Eating the crème
in the middle first
• Campbell’s Soup
o M’m! M’m! Good!
• Coca-Cola
o It’s the real thing!
Food Branding Examples
• Arby’s
– It’s Good Mood Food!
• Subway
– Five, five dollar foot
long!
• Kellogg’s
They’re
grrrrreat!
Student
Question
Are there others you
can think of?
How Much is Spent on Youth
Advertising?
• Over $4.5 billion on promotions
• About $2 billion on broadcast and
print publicity
• Roughly $3 billion on youth
packaging
A substantial amount is spent
marketing sugary drinks:
• This includes sodas, sports drinks,
energy and fruit drinks
• The amount of money spent on
sugary ads geared towards teens,
doubled from 2008 to 2010
• Sugary drinks are the top source of
calories in teens’ diets
TOP 3
RESTAURANTS MARKETED TO TEENS
• McDonalds
– In 2006, McDonald’s spent $2.5 million per day
on advertising in the United States.
• 40% total advertising budget was directed at
children.
TOP 3
RESTAURANTS MARKETED TO TEENS
• Burger King
TOP 3
RESTAURANTS MARKETED TO TEENS
• Subway
• Do you think Subway is a healthier option?
– If so, why?
TOP 3
RESTAURANTS MARKETED TO TEENS
• Subway
– Marketing makes you think it’s healthier!
– Subway commercial “Greasy Fast Food”
» http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxqRg2Nohso
–
–
–
–
–
Subway is not really any healthier.
Many of their items are still high in fat and saturated fat.
Meat is highly processed.
Cheese is highly processed.
Most menu options are high in sodium.
TARGET MARKETING
• McDonalds and KFC
– Target African-American youth with TV
advertising, targeted Web sites and banner ads.
 African-American children and teens see at least 50
percent more fast-food ads than their white peers.
PASS OUT ANNUAL
ADVERTISING BUDGET
FOR PRODUCTS/BRAND
OF FOOD AND
BEVERAGES IN THE US,
2001
Why do food companies
want to market to teens?
– They have money to spend
on goods and services
– They can decide what they
will spend their money on or
have purchasing influence
– They will be future adult
consumers
How does marketing
influence teen choices?
• Affects their:
– Food preferences
– Purchasing habits
– Consumption of
foods
– Eating behaviors
• Influenced to choose higher
calorie, low-nutrient foods
– Promote positive
outcomes from consuming
these foods
• Foods appear cool, fun and
exciting to buy!
APPEAL TO TEENS
• Messages That Relate to Teens
– McDonalds “First Date”
commercialhttp://www.tvspots.tv/video/27586/McDONALDS-FIRST-DATE
• Uses Humor
– “Very Funny” Egypt McDonalds
commercialhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wuvqv9IycgM
• Uses Celebrities
– “I’m Lovin It” 2003 commercial with Justin
Timberlakehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI-xHMM8wXE
APPEAL TO TEENS
• Often Has Entertainment Ties to Products
– Burger King; Twilight Saga promotional products.
• Snack Items Are Commonly Used for Advertising
– Snack items are found to be popular among teens.
NEGATIVE IMPACT
• Teenagers ages 13-17 purchase 800-1,100 calories
in an average fast food meal, roughly half of their
recommended total daily calories.
• At most fast food restaurants, a single meal contains
at least half of young people's daily recommended
sodium.
• At least 30% of the calories in menu items purchased
by children and teens are from sugar and saturated
fat.
NEGATIVE IMPACT
• At Burger King, a 42-ounce "King" drink is now "large";
a 32-ounce "large" is now a "medium"; a 21-ounce
"medium" is now a "small"; and a 16-ounce "small" is
now "value."
• Most fast food restaurants have at least one healthy
side dish and beverage option for a kids' meal, but the
healthy options are rarely offered as the default.
• Does fast food marketing entice you with healthier
options? If so, how?
Recommendations for
improvements for that
coincide with Teen Marketing
• Food Manufacturers change
their product to be
substantially lower in:
–
–
–
–
Total calories
Fats
Salt
Added sugars
• Higher in nutrient content
Recommendations for
improvements for that
coincide with Teen Marketing
• Shift their advertising and
marketing towards
healthier foods
• Restaurants should
expand and change their
menus to serve healthier
options to children and
youth
Recommendations for
improvements for that
coincide with Teen Marketing
• Engage several methods of
promoting healthy foods:
–
–
–
–
Print
Broadcast
Internet
Wireless-based technology
• Develop and market teen-friendly
products with less added sugar
and no artificial sweeteners or
fake colors
Recommendations for
improvements for that
coincide with Teen Marketing
• Make nutrition and ingredient
information easily accessible
• Stop targeting teens with
marketing for sugary drinks
• Remove nutrition-related
claims from high-sugar
products.
What Should the Fast Food Industry Do?
• Develop and advertise healthier options for
menu.
• Develop standards for appropriate marketing
approaches to children and teens.
Food For Thought
In the US, there are few
policies and standards for
food marketing or
advertising aimed at teens.