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

Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents
schools. Contests were promoted by store displays that drew attention to information or entry
codes on product packages.
Other in-store promotions were mini-events involving branded vehicles, product sampling,
circus-like activities, and the distribution of toys or other paraphernalia. Juice sampling at Wal-
Mart stores, for example, was combined with the distribution of coloring and activity books
that featured Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Winx, and Curious George, and conveyed messages
about eating five fruits and vegetables a day. A beverage bottler provided equipment for a family
festival at store locations. The festival had auto racing simulators, inflatable play equipment,
games, kiosks with video game trailers, an interactive robot, the opportunity to “star” in a music
video and take home a DVD of the performance, and free promotional items such as hats and
shirts.
Fruit and vegetable companies also used in-store marketing to reach parents and their
children. Several companies had marketing tie-ins with Sesame Street’s Healthy Habits for Life
program, featuring Sesame Street characters and program icons on produce displays, packaging,
or the produce itself. One company created a special fruit stand with a tie-in to Little League
Baseball. Another used an apple display to promote a sweepstakes cross-promotion with Radio
Disney and Playhouse Disney. Another fruit company created an in-store radio spot and used
product giveaways and hanging signs called “wobblers” in cold-case produce sections where an
animated character reminded parents to buy fresh produce for their children. The same company
engaged in a joint campaign that used posters and “wobblers,” brochures, and in-store events to
encourage families to eat more fruit, and provided ideas for making fruit snacks.
Food marketers reported employing a variety of design elements and visual cues to
make product packaging appeal to children and adolescents. As previously discussed, a great
deal of packaging incorporated characters from television and movies, as well as company
spokescharacters. Design elements included bright or contrasting colors; graphics suggesting
speed or explosiveness; themes of “fun,” athleticism, energy, or being “cool”; and animated
characters. Some fruit snacks and canned soups and pastas, for example, depicted explosions of
color in or around the food and portrayed images of children or young teens.
Some product packaging incorporated the word “kids” into the product name or stated
that the product was “for kids.” Packaging for one company’s canned soup and pasta products
promoted a contest to win a week-long vacation at a mansion in Hawaii; the packaging showed
photos of children as the winners and directed children to the company website, encouraging
them to enter with the statement, “Kids, you can win!” 71 Some flavors for beverages had fun- or
quirky-sounding names appealing to children and adolescents, such as “twisted,” “surge,” “rage,”
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