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Food Marketing and Power: Teen-Identified Indicators of Targeted Food Marketing

Author

Listed:
  • Charlene Elliott

    (Department of Communication, Media and Film, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

  • Emily Truman

    (Department of Communication, Media and Film, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

  • Nikki Stephenson

    (Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada)

Abstract

Food marketing is powerful and prevalent, influencing young people’s food attitudes, preferences, and dietary habits. Teenagers are aggressively targeted by unhealthy food marketing messages across a range of platforms, prompting recognition of the need to monitor such marketing. To monitor, criteria for what counts as teen-targeted food marketing content (i.e., persuasive techniques) must first be established. This exploratory study engaged teenagers to explore the “power” of food marketing by identifying what they consider to be teen-targeted marketing techniques within various food marketing examples. Fifty-four teenagers (ages 13–17) participated in a tagging exercise of 19 pre-selected food/beverage advertisements. Assessed in light of age and gender, the results showed clear consistency with what indicators the participants identified when it comes to selecting “teen-targeted” ads—with advertisements most frequently chosen as “teen-targeted” containing humor (particularly irony) and celebrities. When it comes to specific indicators used by teenagers, visual style dominated, standing as the marketing technique with the most “power” for teenagers. The findings shed much needed insight into the elements of power—and more precisely, the specific marketing techniques persuasive to teenagers—which are necessary to inform monitoring efforts and to create evidence-based policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Charlene Elliott & Emily Truman & Nikki Stephenson, 2022. "Food Marketing and Power: Teen-Identified Indicators of Targeted Food Marketing," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-13, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:13:p:7815-:d:847862
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Arnaud Bigoin-Gagnan & S. Lacoste-Badie, 2018. "Symmetry influences packaging aesthetic evaluation and purchase intention," Post-Print halshs-02531994, HAL.
    2. Arnaud Bigoin-Gagnan & Sophie Lacoste-Badie, 2018. "Symmetry influences packaging aesthetic evaluation and purchase intention," Post-Print halshs-01940835, HAL.
    3. Drew D. Bowman & Leia M. Minaker & Bonnie J. K. Simpson & Jason A. Gilliland, 2019. "Development of a Teen-Informed Coding Tool to Measure the Power of Food Advertisements," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-19, November.
    4. Kelly, B. & King, L. & Chapman, K. & Boyland, E. & Bauman, A.E. & Baur, L.A., 2015. "A hierarchy of unhealthy food promotion effects: Identifying methodological approaches and knowledge gaps," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(4), pages 86-95.
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    Cited by:

    1. Zisis Kozlakidis, 2023. "Promoting Health for Adolescents: An Editorial," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(14), pages 1-4, July.

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