218635 Examining Branded Web Sites Directly Marketing Sugary Cereals to Children: A Content Analysis

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 9:30 AM - 9:50 AM

Lori Dorfman, DrPH , Berkeley Media Studies Group, Berkeley, CA
Andrew Cheyne, CPhil , Berkeley Media Studies Group, Berkeley, CA
Eliana Bukofzer, MPH , Berkeley Media Studies Group, Berkeley, CA
     
Background: Children between the ages of 8 and 18 are online more than 7 and a half hours daily, many visiting Web sites especially for them. Food and beverage marketers have responded, including, sugary breakfast cereal marketers who target young children with Web sites.

Methods: A content analysis of 17 branded cereal Web sites aimed at children, including sites for General Mills, Kellogg's, Post and possibly other brands. We coded each page of every site for the presence of branded foods, associated health claims, and the presence of engagement techniques, including advergames, viral marketing, and behavioral targeting, designed to keep children's eyes glued to the Web page longer.

Results: The 17 Web sites had a total of 452 Web pages targeting children. 5 of the 17 sites, including those for several sugary cereals, had a nutrition claim such as touting the cereal's whole grains or vitamins. 14 contained engaging games, 12 had videos, 8 had either an online or an offline promotion, and 3 gave the child an opportunity to register for the site.

Implications: Food and beverage marketers will follow children wherever they are. Current digital marketing techniques mean that children are spending, on average, 12-14 minutes engaged with marketing for sugary cereals, rather than 30-seconds at a time as with TV commercials. Nutritionists, public health advocates and policy makers need to address digital marketing as well as traditional marketing if they want to reduce the impact of the target marketing of foods and beverages to children.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the Web sites that directly market cereals to children. 2. Describe the use of health and nutrition claims the cereal industry employs to market its products to children. 3. Discuss the techniques used to engage children during digital marketing practices on cereal Web sites.

Keywords: Obesity, Nutrition

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I was the project director for the study, overseeing day-to-day operations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4027.0: Consumer choices - food marketing, labeling and behavior