Food advertising tactics generate ethical debate
by Larry Aylward, managing editor
Marketing food and meat products to children is not kid stuff. The process can be complex, and has provoked more stir than the ruckus created when a child gets caught with his hand in a cookie jar.
Children influence about $130 billion in annual product purchases, and marketing and advertising strongly influence their preferences. But industry watchdogs are denouncing some food marketers' tactics to amass sales.
Arnold Fege, the director of government relations for the Washington, D.C.-based Parent Teachers Association, criticizes food vendors if he perceives their advertising and marketing programs targeted to kids as beguiling-especially when products are high in fat, salt and cholesterol.
Fast-food companies, as well as food and meat processors, may elevate the spirits of children by offering prizes, toys and other incentives to purchase products, but Fege and other critics are hardly giddy over the enticements.
"The problem with some advertisements is that they are biased," Fege says. "That type of propaganda should not be targeted at a population that is not able to disseminate fact from fantasy-or good from bad."
Parents may do most of the shopping, and may ultimately decide whether to purchase a product at a grocery store or stop at a fast-food restaurant. But children have a say.
Dan Acuff, president of Glendale, Calif.-based Youth Market Systems Consulting, a firm that helps companies devise product marketing concepts geared toward children, points out that children and teen-agers can easily sway decisions of food purchases. Translation: Some parents will give in to badgering children.
"Also, there's evidence that teens do a lot of unassisted shopping," Acuff adds.
Sweet-or sour-marketing?
Nutrition is the sticking point when marketing food products to children. While critics cite unscrupulous marketing schemes, food vendors beg to differ and ask critics to define deception in marketing.
Fege and Acuff object to Oscar Mayer Corp.'s decision to include candy in the company's Lunchable Funpacks line, but an Oscar Mayer executive calls the product "wholesome."
Executives for Madison, Wis.-based Oscar Mayer claimed sales of Lunchable Funpacks-prepackaged meats, cheeses and crackers-would increase if they contained candy.
When Lunchable Funpacks were introduced in the late 1980s, Consumer Reports magazine criticized the product as a "poor way to pack a lunch," citing the product's high fat content. Lunchable Funpacks lean ham combination-which includes a Snickers candy bar and CapriSun fruit punch-contains 20 grams of fat (10 grams of saturated fat), 50 milligrams of cholesterol and 1,260 milligrams of sodium.
Acuff calls candy-added Lunchable Funpacks "two bads" in one package.
Ironically, Bob Drane, Oscar Mayer's vice president of new products and Total Quality Management, told Advertising Age in 1990 that Lunchable Funpacks were a "wholesome alternative" to other products kids crave-including candy.
"The ingredients were foolproof and fun to eat," Drane said. "Lots of moms were worried their kids were eating candy bars and Cokes and Fritos."
Drane tells Meat Marketing & Technology he would like to add one qualifying word to his quote from Advertising Age.
"Lots of moms were worried their kids were eating only candy bars and Cokes and Fritos," he says.
Kids and adults should enjoy a variety of foods, Drane adds.
"Enjoy candy, Twinkies, Coke, Fritos, vegetables, milk, breads, meat and so on," Drane says. "We urge consumers to enjoy the variety that Lunchable Funpacks provide."
Fege contends that Oscar Mayer's decision to add candy to Lunchable Funpacks is a "sleazy" marketing ploy.
"It shows very little consideration for the health of kids," he adds.
Despite criticism, Stephen Shanesy, Oscar Mayer's vice president of consumer products and marketing, says he's comfortable feeding Lunchable Funpacks to his two children.
Shanesy defends Oscar Mayer's marketing strategy.
"We are not here to dictate what people should eat," he states. "We're here to provide a product range of what people want to eat.
"We're very comfortable with the [Lunchable Funpacks line]. Consumers in the marketplace seem to be enjoying it at increasing levels every month."
Drane claims Oscar Mayer added "a small dessert and a drink" to Lunchable Funpacks because of consumer [children and adults] demand. "Our sales indicate we read consumer wishes correctly," he adds.
Figures support Drane's and Shanesy's claims. Sales of Lunchable Funpacks, which also feature granola bars and pudding, were up 26.9 percent during a 52-week period that ended Sept. 11, according to Chicago-based Information Resources. Oscar Mayer owns $242.3 million of the $301.6 million refrigerated lunches category.
Shanesy admits that children are "very much interested" in Lunchable Funpacks, but most marketing and advertising is aimed at parents, especially adult women.
"We don't have any Saturday morning advertisements," he adds. "Consumers are deciding that this is a good lunch option. I like vegetables-and they are an important part of my diet-but there is more to life than cauliflower and broccoli."
Shanesy claims the "fat issue" is different for children than it is for adults. "Our family pediatrician told us that we are better off serving our children whole milk instead of skim milk," he adds.
There is confusion concerning the issue of children and their fat intake, according to Kathi Moy, foodservice director for the Painesville (Ohio) City Local Schools. Moy claims that recent studies differ over the importance of low-fat diets for children.
Parents should encourage their children to eat many foods as dictated by the Food Guide Pyramid, Moy says. They should not outlaw fat in their children's diets, but keep intake at moderate levels, she adds.
A parent who restricts a child's fat intake-labeling certain foods as good or bad-may cause that child to have an eating disorder when the child grows older, Moy claims.
"Cool" or "uncool"
Is it ethical for food vendors to hire or create celebrity characters to endorse their products and make them popular among children?
The nation's top pizza chain, Wichita, Kan.-based Pizza Hut, introduced "The Pizza Head Show" to its television commercials in the summer. Pizza Head, the animated star of the show, was created "in the spirit of Mr. Bill," the have-no-luck clay character from the popular "Saturday Night Live" TV skit in the early 1980s.
The commercials are targeted at children aged 8 to 12 years old. The spots were created to "embody the kind of silly but sophisticated humor that matches [the age group's] lifestyle," says Anne McDonald, Pizza Hut's vice president of advertising.
"Kids are major influencers on dining occasions," McDonald says. " 'The Pizza Head Show' will help us communicate to kids that Pizza Hut is a cool place to eat and have fun."
PTA's Fege, however, insists that Pizza Hut's advertising ploy is uncool.
"At the very least, it's an unfair business procedure," he notes. "It's designed to help build customer loyalty and support."
Youth Market's Acuff is not against cartoon celebrities or animated characters that help promote food products. He has no problem with kids who look up to famous athletes, such as Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, who are spokesmen for McDonald's Corp.
"My only rub is that children under age 7 don't have the ability to judge or evaluate; they're vulnerable," he adds.
Some marketing critics also believe McDonald's Happy Meal is an inferior promotional endeavor because it lures children with small toys. Children should not be tempted with rewards or bribes, critics say.
"[Food purchases] need to be based on objective information," Fege notes.
Says Moy: "Marketing is a big thing; it's everywhere. But sometimes [vendors] can go a little overboard."
Happy Meals come in three varieties: hamburger, cheeseburger and chicken nuggets. Each variety comes with french fries, soft drink and a toy.
Moy says McDonald's should offer more wholesome food in the package, such as a bran muffin or milk.
McDonald's spokesperson Malesia Webb-Dunn says the fast-food chain's founder, Ray Kroc, introduced the Happy Meal so children could have a "fun experience" while eating at McDonald's. Webb-Dunn defended McDonald's overall menu, but would not answer critics' complaints regarding the Happy Meal. She cited the chain's carrot sticks, bran muffins and switch to 1-percent milk as healthy menu items.
Successful strategies
Despite criticism, Oscar Mayer and McDonald's have built hugely successful marketing and advertising campaigns. So, too, have the Melson Meat Co. and Hormel Foods Corp.
Before the motion picture "Jurassic Park" and the Mesozoic-period hoopla it created, there were Dinobergers-dinosaur-shaped beef patties manufactured by North Prairie, Wis.-based Melson. The company has developed a proven marketing strategy that has Dinobergers conquering schools in the Midwest and some Eastern states.
Melson also offers Teddybergers, manufactured in the mold of a teddy bear; and Tirtles, turtle-shaped burgers. The burgers came on the meat scene about three years ago.
"The three burgers are quite popular in schools and restaurants," claims Colette Tiarks, Melson's marketing manager. "They've been an easy sell because of the gimmick."
Melson distributes promotional kits to schools to promote its product. Schools receive two posters to hang prior to the serving date, stickers and other prizes.
Melson's line of portion-controlled products are approved by the Child Nutrition Meal Pattern Requirements. A 3-ounce patty does not exceed 26 percent (13.5 grams) of fat and is about 180 calories.
USDA recently announced that schools in the Federal School Lunch Program will have to make sure that no more than 30 percent of lunch calories in student lunches come from fat.
Melson targets its products to 7- to 12-year-olds, and the company deals product mostly to elementary schools, which usually utilize it monthly.
Austin, Minn.-based Hormel is doing well with its Kid's Kitchen microwave meals in grocery chains throughout the country. The nine-item line was introduced nationally in October 1990 and includes items such as beefy mac, spaghetti rings and franks, and spaghetti rings and meatballs.
V. Allan Krejci, Hormel's director of public relations, cites statistics from a 1990 American Frozen Food Institute survey which says that 48 percent of mothers permit their 9- to 12-year-olds to use microwave ovens on their own.
Hormel markets Kid's Kitchen to children and parents.
"For children, free stickers, posters and promotions have great appeal," Krejci says. "For parents, the targeted message is Kid's Kitchen represents a convenient product line with foods that are historically favorites of children."
McDonald's is banking on a new direct marketing campaign. The chain recently began testing "McMoms," a promotional newsletter mailed to mothers that includes coupons redeemable at the fast-food restaurant. "McMoms" was instituted because McDonald's marketers believe moms decide where to take kids for fast food.
Line of ethics
An ethical marketing and advertising should be a priority, Acuff points out. Such plans should be created out of more than one brain-storming session at the executive table, he adds.
"There's a lot we don't know about how kids process information," Acuff adds. "Children look through certain filters that adults don't look through."
Acuff says he knows of no food company that has entered a marketing territory deemed unethical. "I'm not sure the line has been defined," he adds.
"The basic questions are: What is bad for kids, and what is good for kids? I don't think anybody has the answers."
Acuff stresses moderation. "If a [food marketer] is blatantly manipulating children to overindulge, that would be wrong," he insists.
Fege says consumers should be able to make informed decisions when buying food. He adds that children, too, need to receive proper information to form appropriate eating habits.
Moy says she has no problem with most marketing schemes, yet they should be geared toward "more wholesome foods that are higher in fiber."
"Kids are our future," she says. "It's up to us to teach them well."
Marketers need to target different age groups
Food and meat companies' brain trusts need to think more when it comes to children's marketing, claims Dan Acuff, president of Glendale, Calif.-based Youth Market Systems Consulting, whose clients include Pizza Hut, Nike and Pepsi Cola.
"Food companies think that kids are kids," says Acuff, who holds a doctorate's degree in education and is "self taught" in child development. "Kids aren't just kids. They are very different according to age levels."
In other words, food marketers shouldn't place all of their schemes in one marketing basket. An 8 year old may not take to the same marketing strategies as a 5 year old. Here is what children think at different age groups, according to Acuff:
-- From birth to age 2, children are gathering information. "The primary task is sensation," Acuff says. "Children are exploring the world with their eyes, mouths and hands."
-- Children aged 3 to 7 begin to notice and understand more of what is going on around them. "[That age segment] is all about fantasy, visual images, sound and relationship to space," Acuff claims. "It's the stage of imagination and play."
Kids under 7 years old experience a "sentration," according to Acuff.
"That means kids don't pay attention to the whole visual stimulus," Acuff says. "They tend to sentrate or fixate on one predominant visual object."
-- Food marketers should note that major changes occur in children's brains around the age of 7 or 8.
"The brain shifts to emphasis on the left brain," Acuff says. "The left brain is all about logic and sequential learning. Around 7 or 8, children leave some of their fantasies behind."
-- Between the ages of 8 and 12, children become more realistic in their approach to the world, Acuff points out. For instance, in terms of marketing, a 9-year-old boy may be more impressed with a product endorsed by Michael Jordan than by Mickey Mouse.
-- Children in early adolescence, aged 13 to 15, are searching for identities and adapting to logic, Acuff says. They may not be impressed with a cartoon character promoting a half-pound hamburger with all the fixings.
A 'cause' for marketing
More food companies should partake in "cause" marketing and advertising, insists Arnold Fege, director of government relations for the Washington, D.C.-based Parent Teachers Association.
"We've been asking companies for a long time to stop the manipulative advertising and start the 'cause' advertising," he adds.
Pizza Hut and McDonald's Corp. have taken up the cause.
Pizza Hut recently kicked off its 10th annual Book It! National Reading Incentive Program for children in kindergarten through sixth grade.
"We have nearly 20 million kids in this program," claims Rob Doughty, Pizza Hut's vice president of public relations.
Teachers set reading goals for individual students. When students attain their goals, they receive a certificate for a free personal pan pizza.
McDonald's has also instituted various reading programs, in addition to creating a network television cartoon character to instruct children on appropriate fitness procedures.
McDonald's recently introduced an advertisement called "Immunized for Healthy Lives," which teaches children the importance of proper immunization. And independent operators of more than 9,400 McDonald's are implementing their own charity programs to benefit their respective communities, according to a spokeswoman.