Packaging of Healthy and Unhealthy Food Products for Children and Parents: The Relative Influence of Licensed Characters and Brand Names

Using a sample of 43 7-8-year-olds and their parents, we examined the extent to which children’s judgments about food products are influenced by the same factors as their parents. The factors manipulated were brand name familiarity, healthiness of product, and use of licensed cartoon characters (children) or celebrity endorsers (parents). Brand name familiarity was a more important factor than familiar cartoon characters on food products or celebrity endorsements. Parents and girls but not boys rated healthy products higher than unhealthy ones (e.g. breakfast cereal vs. pastries). However, parents placed greater weight on healthiness when choosing products for themselves than when choosing for their children. Discussion focuses on the promotion of healthy eating habits in children. INTRODUCTION In a recent report released by the Federal Trade Commission (ABC news, July 30, 2008), major food and beverage marketers were described as spending $1.6 billion in 2006 to promote their products to youth under the age of 17. These promotions include traditional and well studied mass media effects but also less studied forms of marketing such as packaging and in-store displays which often feature cartoon characters. The present study includes the role of cartoon characters on food packages, with a specific emphasis on how such marketing practices, along with the use of familiar brand names, influence children’s attention to healthy and unhealthy food products.