Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents - Federal Trade ...

Expenditures for Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents
1. Traditional Measured Media: Television, Radio, and Print
Traditional Measured Media (television, radio, and print) comprised 53% of youth-directed
marketing expenditures – $853 million. 27 The bulk of the reported expenditures in traditional
measured media was for television advertising. As noted above, the reporting companies spent
more than $745 million on youth-directed television marketing, accounting for roughly 46%
of all youth-directed marketing expenditures and 21% of the companies’ $3.6 billion in total
television advertising expenditures for their reported brands.
a. Te l e v i s i o n
The companies spent $458 million on child-directed television advertising. Breakfast
cereals accounted for more than 31% of those expenditures, or $142 million, and restaurant
food accounted for 20%, or $91 million. Other food categories with child-directed television
advertising were snacks ($69 million), prepared foods ($42 million), baked goods ($37 million),
and candy/frozen desserts ($33 million). Carbonated beverage companies reported $1.8 million
in child-directed television expenditures, representing only three-tenths of 1% of their total
television advertising expenditures for their reported brands.
The reporting companies spent $376 million on teen-directed television advertising. 28
QSRs accounted for nearly 28% of those expenditures, or $105 million, although this amount
comprised only 8% of the QSRs’ $1.3 billion in total expenditures for television advertising.
Carbonated beverage companies spent $99 million, and the candy and frozen desserts category
spent $69 million on teen-directed television advertising. Other food categories with teen-
directed television advertising were snacks, juice and non-carbonated beverages, and baked
goods; they reported between $20 and $25 million each in teen-directed advertising expenditures.
Figure II.8 shows the total youth-directed television expenditures for the top three food
categories using this promotional category.
The Special Order also sought
expenditure data for advertisements
placed during American Idol, American
Dad, Family Guy, Unan1mous, and The
Simpsons. Among broadcast television
programs, these five shows commanded
the largest percentage share of teens 12-
17 in the audience during the 2005-06
television year, according to The Nielsen
Company. Because these programs did
Dollars (in millions)
Figure II.8: Television Advertising Expenditures
Top 3 For Youth
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
15
187
149
100
309
Restaurant Foods Breakfast Cereal Carbonated Beverages All Other