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 />
placed stickers with licensed characters on individual fruits <strong>and</strong> vegetables, which children could<br />
then apply <strong>to</strong> special sheets <strong>to</strong> track their consumption.<br />
Premiums often came in the form of prizes offered through sweepstakes <strong>and</strong> contests. 72 In<br />
2006, children <strong>and</strong> teens had the opportunity <strong>to</strong> win a range of products <strong>and</strong> services, including<br />
cash; college scholarships; magazine subscriptions; a supply of the food product; electronics<br />
(televisions, digital music players, video game consoles, cell phones, cameras); ring<strong>to</strong>nes;<br />
<strong>to</strong>ys; sports equipment <strong>and</strong> athletic apparel; sports trading cards; vacations <strong>and</strong> trips <strong>to</strong> theme<br />
parks, extreme sporting events, <strong>and</strong> movie premieres; tickets <strong>to</strong> movies, concerts, sporting<br />
events, <strong>and</strong> Teen Choice Awards; sports clinics <strong>and</strong> camps; music downloads; the opportunity<br />
<strong>to</strong> appear in advertising for the product; a trip <strong>to</strong> a beach party with cast members from a show<br />
popular with teens; <strong>and</strong> opportunities for children <strong>to</strong> participate in professional sports events<br />
as a “sideline kid,” “kid’s captain,” “kidcaster,” bat boy/girl, or mascot, or <strong>to</strong> meet players.<br />
Sweepstakes sometimes spanned multiple products <strong>and</strong> food categories. For example, one<br />
company’s sweepstakes, which involved free music downloads <strong>and</strong> the chance <strong>to</strong> win bonus<br />
songs, was <strong>to</strong>uted on packaging for breakfast cereal, fruit snacks, <strong>and</strong> baked goods. As discussed<br />
in this Section, many of these contests cross-promoted third-party media properties, <strong>and</strong> many<br />
sweepstakes <strong>and</strong> contests were conducted online.<br />
e. ce l e b R i T y en d o R s e m e n T s<br />
<strong>Food</strong> <strong>and</strong> beverage companies hired celebrity ac<strong>to</strong>rs, athletes, singers, <strong>and</strong> musical groups<br />
<strong>to</strong> serve as endorsers for their products in advertisements <strong>and</strong> at events, on packaging <strong>and</strong> point-<br />
of-sale materials, <strong>and</strong> in sweepstakes <strong>and</strong> contests. Whereas characters from popular television<br />
programs <strong>and</strong> movies were licensed for promotions <strong>to</strong> both children <strong>and</strong> teens, celebrity<br />
endorsers were used almost exclusively in marketing directed <strong>to</strong> teens <strong>and</strong> tweens. In 2006,<br />
a milk marketer’s Internet-based teen-directed promotional campaign included celebrity milk<br />
mustache ads by athletes David Beckham, Alex Rodriguez, <strong>and</strong> Sasha Cohen; singers Beyoncé<br />
Knowles, Kelly Clarkson, <strong>and</strong> Carrie Underwood; <strong>and</strong> ac<strong>to</strong>rs Mischa Bar<strong>to</strong>n <strong>and</strong> Raven Simone.<br />
Celebrity endorsers were featured in print ads, on the campaign website <strong>and</strong> MySpace page, in<br />
banner ads on third-party websites, <strong>and</strong> on posters used in schools; celebrities also served as<br />
judges in the organization’s Scholar Athlete Milk Mustache of the Year contest. The marketer<br />
auctioned a trip <strong>to</strong> the David Beckham Soccer Academy on the campaign website.<br />
One c<strong>and</strong>y company reported having a celebrity gold card program, in which celebrities<br />
could sign up <strong>to</strong> receive samples of new products <strong>and</strong> br<strong>and</strong>ed apparel; celebrities were<br />
encouraged <strong>to</strong> use these items for parties or travel, or as donations <strong>to</strong> charity events. Various<br />
c<strong>and</strong>y companies used musical performers Jesse McCarthy, the Jonas Brothers, <strong>and</strong> the Black<br />
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