Running Head: Childhood Obesity and Marketing 1

Markesha Gibbons

Childhood Obesity and The Marketing Monster

University of North Texas at Dallas

Sara J. Holmes

October 14, 2019

Childhood Obesity 2

Abstract

There is a crisis in America, nearly 1 in 6 children age ranging from kindergarten to sixth

grade in the United States face obesity. (CDC, 2018) Obesity is a medical condition that occurs

when a person carries excess weight or body fat that might affect their health and is a major cause

of concern. The role of marketing and advertisement comes into argument when considering these

problems. Being exposed to advertising propaganda is inescapable. As advertisement directed at

children is everywhere: on television, on radio, billboards, newspapers, magazines, and

increasingly on the internet. This analysis discusses how children are targeted via

advertisement/commercials on television and online, how they perceive these marketing

advertisings and how it affects their livelihood in the future. Lastly, taking into consideration

who’s to blame (parents, food industry, USDA) and discuss solutions for rectification.

Keywords: Childhood, obesity, USDA, policies, school lunch, stimuli, cognitive, food industry
Childhood Obesity 3

Review of Literature

Aiming through Commercials

It was noted in a review for food advertising commercials conducted on networks -that

were most likely to be viewed by children- that the food industry and its products have

constituted a massive portion of screened advertisement (i.e. tv, computer, tablet). Three types of

food advertising commercials are targeted towards adolescents: Fast food, breakfast cereals and

sweetened soft drinks (Warren, Wicks, Wicks, Fosu and Chung, 2008). Research shows that

many food brands advertised to children on television are also deliberately advertised to them

online as with additional layers of incentives (Moore & Rideout, 2007). The basic cause of

obesity is an imbalance between the amount of energy absorbed through eating and drinking, and

the lack of energy exhausted through absorption and physical activity. Obesity-promoting

behaviors such as frequent fast-food eating occasions away from home, large portion sizes, high

consumption of beverages high in sugar, and breakfast omission may contribute to weight gain,

through overeating or reduced physical activity, means by which the factors can affect health.

Fast food.

According to Grier and colleagues; in 2003, the fast-food market grew 2.6% to reach

$148.6 billion in sales (Grier, Mensinger, Huang, Kumanyika, and Stettler, 2007). The industry’s

marketing and promotional strategies emphasize the convenience, taste, and low cost of fast

food. Fast food commercials often promote it is more convenient and cost-effective to purchase

unhealthy foods withholding the fact that healthful food choices are just as affordable and

fulfilling. Price promotions create awareness of specific menu items, provide purchase

incentives, or create repeat purchases among frequent patrons. An example of this -get more pay

less marketing scheme- is the dollar or value menu at major fast-food companies like
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McDonalds, Jack n The Box, and Burger King. Like exposure to an advertisement is inevitable

so is fast food franchises. Fast food can be conveniently located in several locations including

gas stations, department stores, outdoor parks, schools, and other non-traditional outlets. This

encourages consumers to indulge in unhealthy behaviors, eating while performing other

activities.

Breakfast cereal.

Ready to eat (RTE), nutrient-poor cereals that are high in sugar are the most frequent

child-targeted advertisements, with cereal ads accounting for moderately half of all food

commercials, whereas fast food ads compromised as much as one third (Warren et al, 2008)).

Furthermore, commercials are ten times more likely to promote high-sugar cereals versus low-

sugar cereals (LoDolce, Harris and Schwartz, 2013). The average child -who has access to

advertised television commercials- views twice as many RTE cereal ads per day than a child who

doesn’t. An example of this comparison would be a child who doesn’t have access to a television

or a child who watches subscription-based television with limited to no advertisement breaks.

Although research has proven that RTE cereals have more sugar and sodium and less fiber and

protein, Cereal companies stick too advertising their least nutritious cereals to children for

example, the cereal brand Trix, who specializes themselves as being specifically for kids through

their know slogan: Trix are for Kids.

In contrast, there is a significantly low number of marketing and advertisement

commercials for healthy foods. Cereal advertising could encourage good health, such as

health/nutrition messages in advertising for cereals that are low in sugar. If children were

presented with the same efforts and magnitudes to purchase and indulge in healthy food as they

are with the overloading efforts of unhealthy food, obesity in adolescents would be minimized.
Childhood Obesity 5

According to Goldberg and Gunasti (2007) “If exposure to food advertising leads youths to

select less healthful foods, altering the balance of food messages to which they are exposed may

be a useful strategy.” (Goldberg and Gunasti, 2007) Such as eliminating unhealthy

advertisements while enhancing and making healthy options more attractive.

Placement

Marketing has surpassed traditional advertisements for getting its audience’s attention via

a television screen. Despite many channels of opportunity to reach children, they are being

deliberately and unknowingly being target by marketing schemes outside media sources. Product

place is effective when trying to get customers to be more attracted to a product. Unhealthy

products are readily available in all grocery stores, retail stores and gas stations. In grocery

stores, nutrient-poor ready to eat child-targeted cereals are placed strategically where a child can

see it. Cereals that are promoted to be “healthy” are placed on higher shelves out of the eyesight

of children and in the eyesight of adults, who tend to be more health and weight conscious.

How do children process advertisements?

Age.

In this analysis, it is paramount to consider how children process marketing and

advertisement commercials. Children are being conditioned to feel and think a certain way about

food by being exposed to food advertisements via television and the internet at an early age.

Studies show that more than a few factors hinder a child’s ability to understand and process the

intent of advertisement, especially under the age of 7. According to Moses and Baldwin (2005),

“They begin to understand that mental states are representations of the world and that people act

on the basis of these representation rather than on the basis of how the world actually is”. Food

advertisements that are targeted to children communicate direct and indirect messages. Past
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research has examined children’s ability to understand between fantasy and realism. Present

research suggests that children have a natural inclination to act and think in a particular way until

the age of 7. Thereafter, is a switch in their ability to understand direct and indirect messages in

advertisement and its purposes.

Children in the analytical stage (ages 7–11) are more flexible in their thinking and can

consider multiple dimensions and contingencies in their ability to make decisions. Their

intangible understanding of brands and products no longer rests solely on perceptual characters

but also considers their hidden features (Moore & Rideout, 2007). A full understanding of bias

and promotional intent means it is clear advertisers are wishing to advertise their product with

information that is positively misleading after the age of 6 (Moses and Baldwin, 2005). In my

opinion, the food industry should not be allowed to advertise to children until they are of the age

to comprehend misleading information. However, as we will find out there are limitations and

ways around policies that have been previously placed on the food industry.

Trust & Positive Perceptions.

Recent studies have focused on the link between obesity as well as the misleading

information that is provided to consumers. Emotional appeals are hidden behind mixed messages

that are primarily intended to guide consumers’ decisions on food choices. Advertisements are

created with the intent to generate positive perceptions relating to associations with a specific

product or brand. An article that explored positive perceptions and brand trusting, found that,

“One potential reason why exposure leads to consumption is that increased exposure leads to the

development of positive perceptions toward the products advertised; Repeated exposure to

advertising should also lead to stronger brand recognition, which then contributes to brand

familiarity and trust in the brand” (Thai, Serrano, Yaroch, Nebeling and Oh, 2017). Warren and
Childhood Obesity 7

colleagues write, “Developmental psychology theories are helpful in identifying the audio/ visual

cues that heighten a child’s attention and comprehension of advertising” (Warren et al, 2008).

Children who are consistently exposed to advertisements that embody fun, cool, safe, or exciting

emotions are more likely to have favorable views and trust in a brand. This influences purchase

request and food choices, resulting in the consistent consumption of energy-dense nutrient-poor

foods.

Emotional appeal

Notably, young children are more attentive to the most noticeable indicators such as

voice changes, music, animations, or a fun environment. Children are more likely to remember

products and names for purchase requests. Emotional tools such as, fantasy appeals, a favorite

character or jingle are used to distract customers from fact that they are or will be consuming an

energy-dense nutrient-poor product that is high in fat, sodium and/or sugar. This technique is

used in advertisement more frequently than health and nutritional attractions. As stated, young

children can process only a small number of cues at one time, information may be lost when

multiple cues complicate the message. When companies intentionally include emotional appeals

to trigger the mind to remember their product, it is misleading the child viewers and confuses

what products are healthy and unhealthy.

Unhealthy Gestures.

Given children’s susceptibility to the impact of utilizing advertising, emotional tools to

promote unhealthy products can create confusion as well deliver potentially misleading

messages. (LoDolce et, al.). Advertising schemes are produced with direct and indirect

messages, encouraging healthy behaviors while displaying unhealthy eating behaviors. An

example of this is a commercial portraying a child eating breakfast in the morning; more
Childhood Obesity 8

specifically consuming a bowl of RTE cereal before school, while also sitting on the couch

watching television. The health behavior points to the child eating breakfast, which has been

known as the most important meal of the day before school. The unhealthy gesture is a child

eating a nutrient poor, unbalanced, and energy dense meal while sitting on the couch watching

television. In addition, this gesture suggest that it is acceptable to eat poorly while undertaking

other task, or activities.

Depictions of these erroneous behaviors are distracting from as well as contradicting

towards two key elements. (1) Consumers are receiving misguided information; associating

activities that should maintain free from one another, such as eating and playing. 2) Consumers

are being deprived of vital information by having their attention captured and focused on

decoding emotional stimuli’s, therefore ignoring important nutritional facts if publicized.

Without disclosing important product information such as health effects from consumption is

contributing to cause health problems -such as obesity, heart disease and life-threatening issues-

eliminates the possibility that a child or adult will make a conscious decision to consume a

healthy option.

Who’s responsible for America’s epidemic?

Researchers, doctors, and scientist have suggested that causes of obesity are in direct

correlation to overeating, reduced physical activity, and perchance genetics. These along with

family influence, advertising and policies are all contributors to childhood obesity. Three things

should be explored and considered: (1) Adults are not completely guarded against the effects of

sophisticated advertising (Moses and Baldwin, 2005). (2) There is extensive data that shows

advertising influences a child’s food and beverage preferences, food purchase request, and eating

and drinking patterns. (3) Lastly, it is important to look at food relationships within social
Childhood Obesity 9

situations, traditions and cultural context (Luedicke and Heuer, 2013). All contributing factors

are worth being reviewed to provide insight into the origin of this widespread epidemic.

Parents

Many researchers suggest that parents are exclusively responsible for the food their

children intake and the amount of advertisement they are allowed to view. Some research

suggests that a lack in parental controls over the amount of exposure to screen time, dieting and

food choices and not enforcing enough exercise has been the root to the problem. Research

shows that simply making healthy or unhealthy foods available in the home is a strong predictor

of what children will eat. While advertisement is uniquely at fault, there is some responsibility of

the parents (who are the food buyers). Television advertisements notably influences purchases by

child customers and their parents. Although parents have the authority over buying decisions, the

amount of advertisements they view has a direct effect on their purchasing demands.

It has also been discussed that parents should eliminate their child’s ability to have access

to advertisements. Although I agree to an extent that access to advertisements should be limited,

it can be deemed nearly unrealistic. While parents are a major influence on children’s access to

food, it should be considered that parents are also exposed to marketing. It should be noted that

completely avoiding marketing and advertisements are inevitable as they are located everywhere

including billboards, inside schools and retail stores, and outdoor parks. Through children’s

purchase requests, fast-food marketing to children also reaches parents indirectly. (Grier et. al,

2007) Therefore, it is the responsibility of policy makers and the food industry to ensure a clear

and understandable message is being sent to its consumers.

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Tradition

Many Americanized customs, for involving food in celebratory events such as holidays

and special occasions, have been renowned a contributing factor in the fight against obesity.

Muturi and colleagues found that “Traditionally, extra weight was an indication of prosperity and

was considered to be attractive. A fat child meant a healthy one; however, in the past decade,

excessive weight in children has become the primary health problem in developed nations and,

increasingly, in other parts of the world” (Muturi et al, 2017). Schools, churches, workplaces,

and the media are all conventionally socialized ways of learning food behaviors. Most US

children attend school for 6 to 8 hours a day to consume as much as half of their daily calories at

school (CDC,2018). Many schools have contracts with fast food restaurants and sale a la carte

foods, which are foods that are normally high in fat. As a unique channel in the food-distribution

system schools are considered influencing food behaviors, product selection, product advertising,

and marketing effects on children’s food choices.

Furthermore, holidays in America are traditionally celebrated by engaging in a big feast

at school, at home, at work or all three. Case in point, the celebration of Thanksgiving and

Christmas is where families come together to partake in voraciousness, devouring great

quantities of food in one occurrence. Lastly, the media participates in glorifying the outcome of

detrimental eating practices by characterizing unhealthful body images. According to Aaker,

“The Internet can help integrate multiple brand-building approaches by being a common

component and a forum where they can appear together, thus demonstrating synergy and

consistency” (Aaker, 2002). Deifying statements such as a Beautiful Big Woman (BBW) to

describe a woman who is visibly and lucidly overweight encourages as well as approves

unhealthy eating habits and behaviors. In turn, the mass media neglects to portray healthful body
Childhood Obesity 11

images – or eating for longevity- by independently praising obsessively skinny or obsessively

obese body images.

Environment

Fast food is also marketed directly to adults. Primarily busy adults or single parents are

targeted either for themselves or for the nourishing of their children (Grier et. al, 2007). In

addition, fast food is more readily available whereas room for physical activity is lacking. The

way communities are built could make it difficult to have access to physical activity. Urban

vicinities have been labeled as ‘‘food deserts,’’ because of the scarcity of fresh produce, lean

meats, and other low-calorie high-nutrition foods available to residents. In contrast high

concentrations of fast food, high calorie, energy dense and nutrient poor food options are

available in abundance (Wilkin, Katz, Ball-Rokeach, and Hether, 2015). The opportunity for

residents of lower-income neighborhoods to find fruits and vegetables at reasonable prices is

constrained because of the reduced numbers of supermarkets in their neighborhoods. As a result,

food advertisers play on this fact and encourage parents to buy unhealthy foods at and extremely

low cost.

Marketing & Advertisement Propaganda

The food industry creates an image of what is acceptable and desirable to eat through

marketing and advertising propagandas. Frechette (2015) writes “What children see in television

advertisements impacts junk food choice and baffles them as to what products are nutritional”.

Exposure to advertising influences key dietary foundations among children (ages 2–11),

including their food-related beliefs, preferences, purchase requests, and short-term choices,

ultimately determining their food choices in adulthood. (Moore & Rideout, 2007) More

surprising than the link between food advertising and product demands by children are the
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missing factors, such as nutritional information, about the products that are on the market. In

addition, the minimal health-conscious messages that emphasize the importance and benefit of

consuming fruit and vegetables are missing. Replaced with mixed messages and products that

will ultimately put consumers lives at risk by causing deadly diseases.

A stated, most companies advertise their products via television and internet. If a

business wants the Internet to add leverage to a brand and its communications program, the

business starts with an all-inclusive view of brand building (Aaker, 2002) Web sites for children

are designed to be playful and involving, with “brand immersion” as a key objective (Ferrazzi

and Benezra 2001). The Internet demands focused attention, by keeping children interacted, and

children must actively seek out desired content rather than being passively exposed to it, as is the

case with old-fashioned media (Aaker 2002). Online marketing also provides advertisers with the

ability to interact with children for several minutes, rather than capturing their attention for only

30 seconds like television commercials.

However, children’s attention and involvement are likely to be directed at the games and

other Web site amusements, leaving fewer cognitive resources available to scrutinize message

information if available. (Moore & Rideout, 2007) For example:

The Oscar Mayer website allows children or adults to experience the Wienermobile in multiple

ways and over an extended time period. At the online Family Fun Park, they can choose to play a

game of “Weiner Pong,” which uses hot dogs as paddles, or drive the animated Wiener Patrol,

gaining points by picking up schoolchildren and Oscar Mayer products while avoiding mustard

slicks. (Aaker, 2002)

Policy Restrictions
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This childhood obesity crisis has attracted the attention of public policy makers,

consumer interest groups, health professionals, academics, and industry leaders regarding the

health and livelihood of the nation. Recognizing children’s vulnerabilities, the Federal

Communications Commission (FCC) has placed restrictions on television networks, reiterating

on the number of commercial minutes allowed per hour during children’s programming.

Furthermore informative separators are also required between commercials and programs to

remind children that they are watching advertisements and to help them be more vigilant (FCC ,

2006). An attempt was made to censure food marketing promotions who targets children on

Saturday-morning television using promotional characters and sweepstakes based on frequent

purchases. However the attempt was dismissed when advertisers begin directing the audience to

the online source. It is important to recall that with the exception of online privacy, marketers in

the United States are rendered substantial freedom to promote to children on the Internet using

whatever methods they deem to be most effective and appropriate.

More questions are being raised about the impacts of food marketing. (Moore & Rideout,

2007) Agreeing, policy leaders and officials have made an effort to rectify the problem. The U.S

Department of Agriculture (USDA), launched a campaign to revamp the nutritional labeling of

products. Strategies used in the campaign included revamping nutritional labeling of products by

the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Similarly, the ‘Let’s Move’ movement was a national

campaign launched by the U.S. White House, First Lady Michelle Obama, with the goal of

confronting childhood obesity through engaging and empowering parents and consumers in

physical activity and nutritional decision-making (Muturi et al. 2017). In addition, the USDA

required improving the nutritional standards of the National School Lunch program, increasing
Childhood Obesity 14

children’s opportunities for physical activity and improving access to high-quality foods in all

U.S. communities.

Environmental. To succeed in changing youths’ diets, the availability of healthier foods

is a key first step. Healthy food environments may contribute to enhanced and maintain changed

behaviors. It is essential, especially in urban areas, to put an emphasis on safe and secure built

environments. Reiterating the importance of physical activity and dietary practices attributes to

adolescents’ healthy behaviors and lifestyle choices (Mutui et al. 2017). Recent announcements

of the formation of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative and revision of the

CARU guidelines indicate that steps are being taken by the industry to try to remedy the

situation. (Moore & Rideout, 2007) The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act has

mandated that schools provide healthier foods (CDC, 2006) A considerably more ambitious

approach is to develop a center with a mandate to develop national advertising campaigns that

promote youths’ healthier eating

Literacy. Despite attempts adolescents are likely to remain exposed to advertising

messages for less healthy foods. Moving forward food and media literacy should be bestowed

upon all children. Interpersonal channels, media and other communication marketing and

promotional strategies, is the root to health communication, behavior change interventions, and

the way processed information affects behavior; (Muturi, Kidd, Lindshield, Adhikari and Zies,

2017). A message for healthful foods should be readily available as they are for unhealthful

foods. Creating changes in schools such as incorporating appropriate food and media literacy

programs; making fruits, vegetables, and other appealing healthier foods readily available and

prominently placed (on the cafeteria line or in vending machines) could potentially encourage

youths to make keen healthy options. Additionally, the teaching media literacy is intended not
Childhood Obesity 15

simply to give children an understanding of how media and advertising operate but, more

important, to motivate them to be more vigilant regarding the advertising targeted at them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, nearly 1 in 6 school age children face obesity however, this analysis and

prominent research show that there is an adverse reaction to this obstacle (CDC, 2018). Obesity

is a medical condition that occurs when a person carries excess weight or body fat that might

affect their health, It is paramount to identify the cause and interposing factors to be able to fix

this epidemic in the future. It is important to take into consideration every aspect of the problem

to see how it can be rectified. Exposure to an advertisement is certain; as it is on every media

source such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines and more than ever on the internet. I’ve

concluded that for the livelihood of the nation it is the responsibility of the parents, the food

industry marketing and advertising efforts and food policymakers to come in agreeance to ensure

that changes are made in the way adolescents build relationships with food.
 Childhood Obesity 16

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