針對兒童的國際市場營銷

 

在澳大利亞和國際上，兒童超重和肥胖的患病率達到了前所未有的比例。最近大多數關于兒童超重和肥胖率的研究調查從幼兒園到入學十年以來。在新南威爾士，澳大利亞表明有百分之八的男孩和百分之六的女孩超重，加起來有百分之十七的孩子肥胖超重（布斯 2006）。
 

糧食農業組織和世界衛生組織聯合報告確認已經將兒童食品市場視為兒童超重和肥胖的一個可能致病因素。（世界衛生組織，2003）在品牌種類，購買行為，購買需求和食品消費習慣等方面影響著兒童的飲食偏好，（麥克尼爾在1987年委員會兒童與青少年食品營銷中，2005年；黑斯廷等人；2006年）電視就是典型的電子媒介和兒童參與（林恩，2004）以及用于食品工業廣告的主要來源（黑斯廷等人，2003）.
 

International Marketing To Children 

 

The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity is reaching unprecedented proportions in Australia and internationally. The most recent research on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children, from kindergarten to school year 10 in New South Wales, Australia, indicates 8% of boys and 6% of girls are obese and 17% of both boys and girls are overweight (Booth et al., 2006). 
 

Food marketing to children has been recognized in a joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization as a probable causal factor in childhood overweight and obesity (World Health Organization, 2003), influencing children's food preferences, at both the brand and category level, purchasing behavior, purchasing requests and food consumption habits (McNeal, 1987 Committee on Food Marketing and the Diets of Children and Youth, 2005; Hastings et al., 2006). Television is typically both the main electronic medium with which children engage (Linn, 2004) and the primary source of advertising used by the food industry (Hastings et al., 2003). Previous reviews on food marketing to children have focused primarily on television, as there is a lack of published studies on other marketing avenues. In a systematic review prepared for the UK Food Standards Agency (Hastings et al., 2003), it was acknowledged that the majority of the available research was based on television as an advertising medium, with only 5 out of 50 reviewed studies focusing solely on other marketing techniques. The collective effect of other food marketing techniques, together with television advertising, is likely to augment television advertising's effect on children's food choices and dietary intake (Hastings et al., 2003). 
 

Print media, including magazines, is one such marketing technique that has received little attention in the research arena, with few previous studies available that examine food marketing to children through children's magazines and no studies that systematically assess food marketing within this medium. Magazines are a major component of advertising expenditure by the food industry, contributing 16% of total food advertising expenditure (US $1445 million) in the USA (Center for Science in the Public Interest, 2003), and also enjoy high readership rates. A survey of Australian children's magazine readership in 2004 showed the reach of popular children's magazines among 6–13 year olds to be high, with some reaching almost 20% of the child population (McNair Ingenuity Research Pty Ltd, 2004). The circulation frequency of magazine periodicals allows for continued product exposure to an established magazine fan base. #p#分頁標題#e#

The aim of this study was to assess the content and extent of food marketing within popular children's magazines published in Australia. All types of food references within magazines, including branded food marketing and non-branded food references, were examined. For reasons of simplicity, foods and beverages that were considered to be non-core or high in fat, sugar and/or salt are abbreviated to unhealthy foods, whereas core foods are deemed as healthy foods. Core refers to those foods recommended to be consumed daily, to meet nutrient requirements. Non-core refers to foods that provide energy and/or nutrients in surplus of requirements. 
 

There were a greater number of overall branded references for unhealthy foods, promoting a specific food brand, whereas those for healthy foods tended to be for non-branded food products. Those food-group subcategories with the highest proportion of branded food references, which were paid food marketing, were for ice cream and iced confection, fast food restaurant meals, high-sugar drinks and snack foods. These frequently marketed food types are similar to those indicated in a systematic review of food marketing to children by Hastings et al. (Hastings et al., 2003) for the Food Standards Agency in the UK, as being the most commonly advertised foods, namely soft drinks, confectionery, savoury snacks, fast food restaurants and pre-sugared breakfast cereals. Conversely, those food groups with the highest proportion of non-branded food references were fruit and fruit products, vegetable and vegetable products, core foods combined and low-fat/reduced fat dairy products. 
 

Over half of the identified food references were contained within the editorial section of magazines, which comprised almost equal proportions of healthy and unhealthy food references. All other food reference types, including direct advertisements, competitions, activities, recipes, use of children's icons and links to other media consisted of higher proportions of unhealthy foods than healthy foods. Commendably, it appears that children's magazines do contain a considerable number of references for healthy foods, particularly in the editorial and recipe sections. Further, the majority of these healthy food references are non-branded and thus appear to be unprompted by the food industry and included at the magazine editor's own discretion. However, the inclusion of branded marketing and product placements in the magazines, of which the majority are for unhealthy foods, may undermine any positive health effects of these healthy food references. There is also clear scope for further improvements to the types of non-branded food products that are promoted in magazines, with non-branded references contributing to 49.0% of all unhealthy food references. 
 

Consequently, it is important to both quantify and acknowledge the current levels of food marketing in popular children's magazines to determine children's current potential exposure and to monitor any future changes to magazine food marketing, should tighter regulatory environment for television food marketing occur. The current high levels of food marketing within popular children's magazines, particularly for unhealthy food products, highlight the immediate need for specific regulations pertaining to food marketing to children within magazines. The high readership of many of the magazines included in the current study indicates that exposure to this form of food marketing is potentially high. Further advocacy for the establishment of food marketing regulations, as well as research on the impact of this form of marketing on children's food preferences and dietary behaviors, is warranted. #p#分頁標題#e#

 

References 
 

Booth M., Okely T., Denny-Wilson E., Hardy L., Yang B., Dobbins T. NSW Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (SPANS) 2004: Summary Report. (2006). 

Hastings G., Stead M., McDermott L., Forsyth A., MacKintosh A., Raynor M., et al. Review of the Research on the Effects of Food Promotion to Children (2003) Glasgow: Centre for Social Marketing. 

Linn S. E. Food marketing to children in the context of a marketing maelstrom. Journal of Public Health Policy (2004) 25:367–378. 

McNair Ingenuity Research Pty Ltd. Getting the message through to kids. Kid's magazine survey—national readership figures. (2004) McNair Ingenuity Research Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia. 

World Health Organization. Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (2003) Geneva: World Health Organization.