Internet food marketing on popular children’s websites and food product websites in Australia

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the present study was to describe the nature and extent of food marketing on popular children's websites and food product websites in Australia. Methods: Food product websites (n 119) and popular children's websites (n 196) were selected based on website traffic data and previous research on frequently marketed food brands. Coding instruments were developed to capture food marketing techniques. All references to food on popular children's websites were also classified as either branded or non-branded and according to food categories. Results: Websites contained a range of marketing features. On food product websites these marketing features included branded education (79?0 % of websites), competitions (33?6 %), promotional characters (35?3 %), downloadable items (35?3 %), branded games (28?6 %) and designated children's sections (21?8 %). Food references on popular children's websites were strongly skewed towards unhealthy foods (60?8 % v. 39?2 % healthy food references; P , 0?001), with three times more branded food references for unhealthy foods. Branded food references displayed similar marketing features to those identified on food product websites. Conclusions: Internet food marketing uses a range of techniques to ensure that children are immersed in brand-related information and activities for extended periods, thereby increasing brand familiarity and exposure. The relatively unregulated marketing environment and increasing use of the Internet by children point to the potential increase in food marketing via this medium. Further research is required to investigate the impact of Internet food marketing on children's food preferences and consumption, and regulatory options to protect children.

Associations of Television Content Type and Obesity in Children

“…Food advertisers have extensive presence on the Internet, where advergames are becoming common, 60 and product placement is becoming more common and more sophisticated in broadcast television, movies, and video games. Advertisers are also expanding their reach to novel venues such as Web advertising, cell phone advertising, stand-alone screens in gas stations, and the Scholastic Book Club Flyer sent home periodically with grade school children.…”

Empty pledges: a content analysis of Belgian and Dutch child-targeting food websites

“…to engage children with food and beverage brands (e.g. Kelly et al 2008;Henry and Story 2009;WHO 2013;Paek et al 2014). Because web-based marketing practices typically blend commercial communication with entertainment, children face difficulties to discern *Corresponding author.…”

“…Moore and Rideout 2007;Henry and Story 2009;Kelly et al 2008;Sandberg 2011;Federal Trade Commission [FTC] 2012). Sandberg (2011), for instance, observed an Unhealthy Food Index of 50% on child-targeting websites in 2005, rising to 70% in 2007.…”

“…Nevertheless, such self-regulating guidelines already proved ineffective in the USA (Batada and Wootan 2009;Quilliam et al 2011;Paek et al 2014). Age blocks, ad-break warnings, and parental information also provide means to protect children, although websites seldom use age blocks (Moore and Rideout 2007;Kelly et al 2008). Ad-break warnings, designed to make children attentive of the games' commercial intent, are more common: between 18 and 35% of children's websites use them and they appear in 71% of advergames (Weber, Story, and Harnack 2006;Henry and Story 2009;Paek et al 2014).…”

Food and the Media: Production, Representation, and Consumption

“…See Smith (2007). 8 One of the more recent concerns is over food product marketing via the Internet and the phenomenon of 'advergaming' -the use of web-based games that revolve around food brands and products which, it is claimed, are in effect extended advertisements that encourage deep involvement and prolonged exposure (see Moore, 2006;Kelly, Bochynska, Kornman and Chapman, 2008). 9 Even rarer in this type of study is the attempt to analyse the demographic and material variations that exist across television audiences and the extent to which they might intervene in the process of influence.…”