Endorsement advertising is a persuasive cue in promoting foods to children. Also healthy foods can be promoted as such. But what do parents think about this commercialized persuasion for healthy foods? CTC 2014 Conference (Children and Teen Consumption): Edinburgh

1. Win the kids, lose the parents?
Endorsement marketing for healthy foods
Heidi Vandebosch – Tim Smits – Karolien Huybrechts
@TimSmitsTim – KU Leuven
CTC 2014 – Edinburgh– April 2014
http://www.slideshare.net/timsmitstim/

2. MAIN ISSUE
Ample research demonstrates the effect of
endorsement food marketing on children…
… also for healthy foods.
But what about the parents?

3. BACKGROUND
First wave of child media/marketing research
(Mainly) focus on :
 general effects
 concerns, incl. parental concerns

4. BACKGROUND
Second wave of child marketing research
Specific focus on food marketing
 IOM 2006 report: Food Marketing to Children
 FTC (2008): Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents
Spurred a lot of research on:
• General media effects on food liking/intake
• Specific marketing techniques

5. ENDORSEMENT FOOD MARKETING
Endorser = fictional or real character promoting
a product (in ads, on packages, websites etc.)
Often used marketing technique:
• 17% of ads worldwide (Money et al 2006)
• 9 - 49% of child targeting food ads (Kelly et al 2010)
• Even 73% in sample of TV ads (Castonguay et al 2013)

7. ENDORSEMENT FOOD MARKETING
They often endorse unhealthy foods
• 79% ‘noncore’ endorsed foods (Kelly et al 2010)
• 72% foods of low nutr quality (Castonguay et al 2013)
• Comparable for on-pack endorsers in
supermarket (Hebden et al 2011; Van Assema et al 2011; Smits
CTC2014)
Do such endorsements have a persuasive
impact?

8. ENDORSEMENT FOOD MARKETING
Bezbaruah, N., Stastny, S. N., & Brunt, A. (2014). Journal of Human Nutrition and Food
Science.
Boyland, E. J., Harrold, J. A., Dovey, T. M., Allison, M., Dobson, S., Jacobs, M. C., & Halford, J. C.
(2013). The Journal of Pediatrics
Dixon, H., Scully, M., Niven, P., Kelly, B., Chapman, K., Donovan, R., ... & Wakefield, M. (2014).
Pediatric obesity.
de Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. (2012). Journal of Health Communication
de Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2014). Appetite
de Droog, S. M., Valkenburg, P., & Buijzen, M. (2011). Journal of Health Communication
Kotler, J. A., Shiffman, J. M., & Hanson K. G. (2012). Journal of Health Communication
Lapierre, M. A., Vaala, S. E., & Linebarger, D. L. (2011). Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine
Levin, A. M., & Levin, I. P. (2010). Journal of Consumer Behaviour
Neeley, S. M., & Schumann, D. W. (2004). Journal of Advertising
Roberto, C. A., Baik, J. , Harris, J. L., & Brownell, K. D. (2010). Pediatrics
Robinson, T. N., Borzekowski, D. L. G.., Matheson, D. N., & Kraemer, H. C. (2007). Archives of
Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Smits, T. & Vandebosch, H. (2012). Communications
Wansink, B., Shimizu, M., & Camps, G. (2012). Pediatric Obesity
Wansink, B., Just, D. R., & Payne, C. R. (2012). Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

9. ENDORSEMENT FOOD MARKETING
It is a simple technique and adults often
recognize the child targeted marketing
Though they are susceptible as well (Dixon et al 2011)
Could we use it to promote healthy foods?

10. ENDORSEMENT FOOD MARKETING
Bezbaruah, N., Stastny, S. N., & Brunt, A. (2014). Journal of Human Nutrition and Food
Science.
Boyland, E. J., Harrold, J. A., Dovey, T. M., Allison, M., Dobson, S., Jacobs, M. C., & Halford, J. C.
(2013). The Journal of Pediatrics
Dixon, H., Scully, M., Niven, P., Kelly, B., Chapman, K., Donovan, R., ... & Wakefield, M. (2014).
Pediatric obesity.
de Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. (2012). Journal of Health Communication
de Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2014). Appetite
de Droog, S. M., Valkenburg, P., & Buijzen, M. (2011). Journal of Health Communication
Kotler, J. A., Shiffman, J. M., & Hanson K. G. (2012). Journal of Health Communication
Lapierre, M. A., Vaala, S. E., & Linebarger, D. L. (2011). Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine
Levin, A. M., & Levin, I. P. (2010). Journal of Consumer Behaviour
Neeley, S. M., & Schumann, D. W. (2004). Journal of Advertising
Roberto, C. A., Baik, J. , Harris, J. L., & Brownell, K. D. (2010). Pediatrics
Robinson, T. N., Borzekowski, D. L. G.., Matheson, D. N., & Kraemer, H. C. (2007). Archives of
Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Smits, T. & Vandebosch, H. (2012). Communications
Wansink, B., Shimizu, M., & Camps, G. (2012). Pediatric Obesity
Wansink, B., Just, D. R., & Payne, C. R. (2012). Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine

11. HEALTHY FOOD ENDORSEMENT
Bezbaruah, N., Stastny, S. N., & Brunt, A. (2014). Journal of Human Nutrition and Food
Science.
Boyland, E. J., Harrold, J. A., Dovey, T. M., Allison, M., Dobson, S., Jacobs, M. C., & Halford, J. C.
(2013). The Journal of Pediatrics
Dixon, H., Scully, M., Niven, P., Kelly, B., Chapman, K., Donovan, R., ... & Wakefield, M. (2014).
Pediatric obesity.
de Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. (2012). Journal of Health Communication
de Droog, S. M., Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2014). Appetite
de Droog, S. M., Valkenburg, P., & Buijzen, M. (2011). Journal of Health Communication
Kotler, J. A., Shiffman, J. M., & Hanson K. G. (2012). Journal of Health Communication
Lapierre, M. A., Vaala, S. E., & Linebarger, D. L. (2011). Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent
Medicine
Levin, A. M., & Levin, I. P. (2010). Journal of Consumer Behaviour
Neeley, S. M., & Schumann, D. W. (2004). Journal of Advertising
Roberto, C. A., Baik, J. , Harris, J. L., & Brownell, K. D. (2010). Pediatrics
Robinson, T. N., Borzekowski, D. L. G.., Matheson, D. N., & Kraemer, H. C. (2007). Archives of
Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
Smits, T. & Vandebosch, H. (2012). Communications
Wansink, B., Shimizu, M., & Camps, G. (2012). Pediatric Obesity
Wansink, B., Just, D. R., & Payne, C. R. (2012). Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent
Medicine

12. HEALTHY FOOD ENDORSEMENT
We can win the kids for healthy foods
But what about the parents?
Tension between
• willingness to promote healthy eating
• commercialization; pester power; etc

13. METHOD
 Participants:
292 parents (254 female) of children in daycare
or kindergarten
39% respons rate
 Dependent Measures
 Attitude towards endorsed fruit/cookie
 Buying intention
Likert-type, 5 points,  > .7

15. METHOD
 Independent Measures
 BLOCK 1: Gender, Age, BMI,Educational
level, Ethnicitiy
 BLOCK 2: General attitude toward
advertising, Belief that advertising causes
pestering, Belief that advertising has
negative effect on children’s health
 BLOCK 3: Frequency of nagging for
endorsed products, Expected child’s liking
of endorsed fruit/cookie

16. RESULTS (COOKIES)
Beta
Model 1 Model 2 Model 3
Block 1: background characteristics
Age parent 0,010 0,027 0,032
Educational level parent -0,120 -0,059 -0,064
Gender parent (0=male, 1=female) 0,133 0,080 0,079
Nationality (0=Belgian, 1=foreign) -0,217** -0,157* -0,116*
How bad do you feel about your child eating biscuits? -0,220** -0,155* -0,143*
BMI child -0,137* -0,104 -0,085
Block 2: general advertising attitudes and perceived
advertising effects
General attitude towards advertising 0,127* 0,120*
Perceived negative (health) effects of advertising -0,356** -0,327**
Pestering power -0,133* -0,109
Block 3: perceived celebrity endorsement effects
Frequency of child requests for celebrity endorsed
products
0,080
Perceived preference of child for celebrity endorsed
biscuit
-0,232**
R square 0,139 0,336 0,377
Significance 0,000 0,000 0,000

17. RESULTS (FRUIT)
Beta
Model 1 Model 2 Model 3
Block 1: background characteristics
Age parent -0,043 -0,023 - 0,040
Educational level parent - 0,073 -0,045 - 0,058
Gender parent (0=male, 1=female) 0, 217** 0,190** 0,172**
Nationality (0= Belgian, 1=foreign) -0, 169* -0,134* - 0,157*
Personal importance daily fruit child -0, 019 0,008 0,025
BMI child -0,139* -0,125* -0,147*
Block 2: general advertising attitudes and perceived
advertising effects
General attitude towards advertising 0,117 0,102
Perceived negative (health) effects of advertising -0,208** -0,193**
Pestering power - 0,018 -0,145
Block 3: perceived celebrity endorsement effects
Frequency of child requests for celebrity endorsed
products
0,109
Perceived preference of child for celebrity endorsed kiwi 0,221**
R square 0,112 0,183 0,235
Significance 0,000 0,000 0,000

18. RESULTS
Within-subjects: difference between healthy vs
unhealthy endorsement?
 Endorsed fruits are not liked more than
endorsed cookies
 Very few predictors significantly discern
endorsed fruit versus cookie attitudes
 Highly educated parents seem to be more
hesitant towards endorsed fruits

19. DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION
 Parents are not more positive towards endorsed
fruits than towards endorsed cookies
 Significant predictors (& inhibitors) of positive
attitude:
 Expected child’s preference
 Perceived advertisements’ negative health
effects
 …
 Minority of parents with strong concerns