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>Food</strong> <strong>Marketing</strong> Activities Directed <strong>to</strong> <strong>Children</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Adolescents</strong><br />
Companies frequently targeted contests <strong>to</strong> certain age groups by limiting eligibility for prizes,<br />
such as <strong>to</strong> adolescents ages 13 <strong>and</strong> over, or <strong>to</strong> youth 14 or younger.<br />
ta rG e t e d s w e e p s ta k e s:<br />
In connection with the release of children’s film Charlie <strong>and</strong> the Chocolate Fac<strong>to</strong>ry,<br />
one c<strong>and</strong>y company ran two sweepstakes aimed at children <strong>and</strong> teens. In the first,<br />
open <strong>to</strong> ages 16 <strong>and</strong> under, game pieces in packages offered children the chance <strong>to</strong><br />
win a trip <strong>to</strong> Wannado City theme park <strong>to</strong> be a c<strong>and</strong>y-maker for a day, invent a new,<br />
limited edition c<strong>and</strong>y product, <strong>and</strong> receive a “salary” of $25,000. In the second,<br />
open <strong>to</strong> all ages, children who found a “Golden Ticket” in the packages of one of five<br />
participating c<strong>and</strong>y varieties could win one of five gr<strong>and</strong> prizes, each of which was<br />
based on one of the child characters in the movie. Prizes included a trip <strong>to</strong> Europe,<br />
$10,000 in cash, a shopping spree, a fantasy sports camp adventure, <strong>and</strong> a video<br />
animation studio <strong>to</strong>ur. Runner-up prizes for the sweepstakes included movie kits<br />
containing a DVD, T-shirt, poster, <strong>and</strong> other movie-related items; MP3 players; <strong>and</strong><br />
c<strong>and</strong>y.<br />
Finally, a common method for distributing cross-promotion related prizes <strong>to</strong> children<br />
<strong>and</strong> teens was <strong>to</strong> provide access <strong>to</strong> content online or opportunities <strong>to</strong> instantly win items via a<br />
website. These types of prizes were available upon entering a UPC or other code from product<br />
packaging on<strong>to</strong> the website. In this way, children were given opportunities <strong>to</strong> win <strong>to</strong>ys, video<br />
games, movie tickets, <strong>and</strong> other prizes tied <strong>to</strong> the cross-promotions.<br />
d. in T e R a c T i n g w i T h cR o s s-PR o m o T i o n s v i a T h e in T e R n e T<br />
As part of their cross-promotions, many food companies dedicated space on company<br />
websites or product sites <strong>to</strong> advertise the promotions. Similar <strong>to</strong> packaging <strong>and</strong> s<strong>to</strong>re displays,<br />
website content prominently displayed copyrighted images from the cross-promoted films <strong>and</strong><br />
television programs. QSRs featured unique web pages for <strong>to</strong>ys sold during cross-promotions.<br />
Frequently, websites featured an interactive component tied <strong>to</strong> the cross-promotion, such as<br />
an online game featuring the licensed character or an opportunity <strong>to</strong> win an instant prize related<br />
<strong>to</strong> the promotion. Some websites incorporated the licensed characters in<strong>to</strong> free downloads<br />
offered at the sites, such as wallpapers, screensavers, coloring pages, <strong>and</strong> e-cards. In some cases,<br />
media companies allowed movie trailers <strong>and</strong> extra footage <strong>to</strong> appear on food company websites<br />
advertising the cross-promotion.<br />
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