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

Food Marketing Activities Directed to Children and Adolescents
licensed characters or characters created by a company for a brand – seem to be an important
factor in getting children to ask their parents to buy a product. 84 Children like animated
characters associated with particular brands, and they want the characters to be both “fun”
and “cool.” In fact, the perceived “coolness” of a food product is apparently one of the most
important factors in driving children to ask parents to buy the product. Messages that associate
a food with “fun” are also persuasive to children. Adolescents, on the other hand, may be more
persuaded by an emphasis on taste.
The responding companies’ research showed that children like premiums with food
products. For example, research submitted by one company indicated that very young children
tend to prefer a small item in the package, whereas older children tend to prefer a large item
that they might obtain by collecting and sending in proofs of purchase. One company found
that, among tweens ages 9 to 12, a favorite way of participating in a promotion was entering
a code from product packaging on a website. Toys available with QSR children’s meals have
been a very effective promotional tool, particularly with younger grade school children; they
appeared to be less effective with tweens. Contests and sweepstakes are used frequently with
both children and teenagers, and can be effective in raising brand awareness among those who
participate. 85 Packaging that refers to prizes likewise attracts attention. Research submitted
by some companies revealed the most popular prizes among children and tweens are cash,
electronic games or gadgets, vacation trips, product supplies, and event tickets. 86
In-store marketing techniques, such as floor decals and shelf-talkers, can be successful
in drawing children’s attention and getting them to request the product. According to some
research, children also use on-shelf coupon dispensers as a way of getting parents to purchase
a desired product. Candy marketing to children sometimes focuses on in-store displays, and
teenagers learn about new beverage products in stores.
Packaging may effectively communicate that a product is for young children or older
children. For one type of prepared food, market research demonstrated that the shape of the
letters on the label and the product name itself would signal that the food was primarily for
younger children. In contrast, children viewed a similar food to be for older youths because
the label used the word “big” and had a product name that sounded more mature. Another
important element is the type or shape of container. For example, in one study, juice in a box or
a pouch tended to signal that the beverage was appropriate for children, but not teens. Color is
an important element in package design to trigger appeal to children and to teenagers, who also
like complex design elements. Interestingly, some of the research found that statements that
imply a product is healthy or nutritious, or healthier than other comparable products, generally
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