Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents - Federal Trade ...
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents - Federal Trade ...
Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents - Federal Trade ...
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<strong>Marketing</strong> <strong>Food</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Children</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Adolescents</strong><br />
Program for <strong>Children</strong>’s Advertising (amended 2006), available at www.caru.org/guidelines/guidelines.pdf.<br />
The program requires, among other things, that advertising <strong>to</strong> children include no misleading claims; not disparage<br />
healthy lifestyles or depict excessive consumption; provide a clear distinction between advertising <strong>and</strong><br />
edi<strong>to</strong>rial content; <strong>and</strong> contain no sales pressure, including urging children <strong>to</strong> ask parents <strong>to</strong> buy a product. Id.<br />
56. Examples of <strong>to</strong>ys subject <strong>to</strong> cross-promotional arrangements with food products include: Bratz <strong>and</strong> G.I. Joe<br />
dolls (advertised <strong>and</strong> distributed with QSR children’s meals); Hot Wheels <strong>to</strong>y cars (advertised with cereal,<br />
fruit snacks, <strong>and</strong> QSR children’s meals); Tonka <strong>to</strong>y trucks (advertised with fruit snacks); Bionicle building<br />
<strong>to</strong>ys (advertised with QSR children’s meals); the Build-a-Bear Workshop (advertised with QSR children’s<br />
meals); Ty Beanie Baby dolls (advertised with c<strong>and</strong>y); <strong>and</strong> Barbie doll merch<strong>and</strong>ise <strong>and</strong> DVDs (advertised<br />
with <strong>to</strong>aster pastries <strong>and</strong> QSR children’s meals).<br />
57. One company developed a Neopets-br<strong>and</strong>ed breakfast cereal, sold with Neopets trading cards, which promoted<br />
an interactive, virtual pet website popular with children. Another product’s packaging directed children<br />
<strong>to</strong> Wal-Mart’s Toyl<strong>and</strong> website for the “hottest <strong>to</strong>ys.”<br />
58. For example, packaging for QSR children’s meals, c<strong>and</strong>y, carbonated beverages, <strong>and</strong> breakfast cereal promoted<br />
the Six Flags Amusement Parks, Wannado City theme park, SeaWorld, <strong>and</strong> Busch Gardens, while<br />
packaging for c<strong>and</strong>y, non-carbonated beverages, <strong>and</strong> macaroni <strong>and</strong> cheese promoted Chuck E. Cheese.<br />
Sometimes, these messages appeared <strong>to</strong> be directed <strong>to</strong> adults with children, or <strong>to</strong> an audience that included<br />
both adolescents <strong>and</strong> adults in their 20s.<br />
59. Companies promoted Nintendo Wii <strong>and</strong> Xbox game consoles on product packaging for breakfast cereals,<br />
snack chips, <strong>to</strong>aster pastries, <strong>and</strong> fruit snacks, in some cases advertising a sweepstakes <strong>to</strong> win a new console.<br />
Other promotions featured individual video games, such as a QSR promotion for Dance Dance Revolution,<br />
which was featured on the company website, in-s<strong>to</strong>re displays, <strong>and</strong> <strong>to</strong>y premiums sold with the food.<br />
60. Various food products promoted Major League Soccer, the National Football League, the U.S. Figure Skating<br />
Association, the Harlem Globetrotters, U.S. Youth Soccer, Little League Baseball, the American Youth<br />
Soccer Organization, <strong>and</strong> Youth Basketball of America on their packaging.<br />
61. Company websites often featured details <strong>and</strong> rules of entry for promotion-related sweepstakes <strong>and</strong> contests.<br />
62. Although the target companies were required <strong>to</strong> report only cross-promotions with films rated G as targeted<br />
<strong>to</strong> children, <strong>and</strong> with films rated PG as targeted <strong>to</strong> adolescents, a number of companies reported that their<br />
cross-promotions with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest met the Special Order’s other criteria for<br />
child <strong>and</strong> teen-directed marketing.<br />
63. Companies that reported selling br<strong>and</strong>ed merch<strong>and</strong>ise or licensing br<strong>and</strong>ed merch<strong>and</strong>ise in 2006 included<br />
marketers of c<strong>and</strong>y, cereals, snack cakes, snack meats, QSR children’s meals, <strong>and</strong> carbonated beverages.<br />
64. Other br<strong>and</strong>ed merch<strong>and</strong>ise intended for use by children <strong>and</strong> adolescents includes: T-shirts, hats, bags, belts,<br />
watches, wallets, flip flops, plush <strong>to</strong>ys, backpacks, lunch boxes, stickers, journals, stationery, pencils <strong>and</strong><br />
pens, jewelry, key rings, snow globes, iPod covers, cell phone charms, lip balm, sippy cups, c<strong>and</strong>y dispensers,<br />
pillows, blankets, nightlights, alarm clocks, <strong>to</strong>y bake sets <strong>and</strong> grocery food sets, <strong>and</strong> Christmas s<strong>to</strong>ckings.<br />
65. On the website of one dairy organization, a game allowed players <strong>to</strong> help a baby search for milk in a room<br />
<strong>and</strong> then drink it. The website for a canned soup br<strong>and</strong> had a game that required players <strong>to</strong> “keep the slurp<br />
fac<strong>to</strong>ry running by slurping up bowls” of the canned soup product.<br />
66. While open <strong>to</strong> all ages, the contest was open <strong>to</strong> children under 13 only with parental consent <strong>and</strong> the game<br />
featured images of players who appeared <strong>to</strong> be teens.<br />
67. In 2006, one c<strong>and</strong>y company sent <strong>to</strong> its opted-in database of children <strong>and</strong> teens a series of email newsletters,<br />
which advertised new product varieties, sweepstakes, events <strong>and</strong> games, a summer <strong>to</strong>ur of its br<strong>and</strong>ed c<strong>and</strong>y<br />
van, <strong>and</strong> quizzed children on their favorite activities. On Valentine’s Day, the newsletter featured e-cards <strong>and</strong><br />
text messages children could send <strong>to</strong> friends.<br />
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