Analysis on a marketing news story which has appeared in 2008 - Essay Example

The news story says that more than 5 million children of the school going age are estimated to be obese in the European Union. Marketing to children implies a host of marketing activities by brands that are directly consumed by children or products and services for which children use their ‘pester power’. The channels used to deliver marketing messages to youngsters today is through a multitude of media ranging from billboards to the Internet, with the primary medium still being the Television.

Food Marketing is one of the dominating categories in television advertisements targeted to children. One of the major concerns in marketing food to children has been promotion of unhealthy food or Junk Food. This has lead to childhood obesity, which is getting prevalent in our society. A study conducted by National Bureau of Economic Research find a link between childhood obesity and junk food advertising on American television2. Childhood obesity is a major health hazard, and has long term consequences including incidence of diabetes and heart failure.

Studies around the world have concluded that even brief exposure to televised food commercials can influence a child’s food preference. Internationally, there has been a hue and cry regarding the marketing of energy dense food to children. The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) has called for a prohibition on advertising of “inappropriate foods and drinks” to children.3 The WHO commissioned a study into the regulatory framework that guides marketing of food to children4. The study touched upon the most prevalent marketing channels like Television, Placements, Sponsorship, Internet Marketing, Sales Promotions and In School Advertising.

Most of the countries surveyed had some form of regulation on children’s advertising to children. Countries like Sweden have enforced a complete ban on advertising to children under the age of 12. Others have varying levels of