Every week, students go to the store and stock up on specific brands of food. Although students may not be aware of it, many of their food choices could be influenced by strategic advertising campaigns set into play by food marketers.
You do see a lot of beer commercials around March Madness,\ UW-Madison sophomore Ryan Vande Zande said after viewing parts of the NCAA tournament. Vande Zande's observation was probably not a coincidence, as marketers seek out the attention of college students like him.
In the world of business, marketers decide the price, audience and features of a product. They also manage things like packaging and distribution and conduct market research.
Company marketers often turn to external advertising agencies to carry out the promotions of products. Food is no exception to this model, though Michelle Nelson, UW-Madison assistant professor of journalism and mass communication, said that companies like Kraft Foods sometimes use internal ad agencies that work alongside marketers as they ready products.
For marketers, key audiences include children and younger adults, including college students.
""Some people believe you haven't set your brand loyalty and you have a lot of disposable income [as a young adult],"" Nelson said. ""You have a greater buying potential over your lifetime.""
Nelson said college students in particular can be attractive audiences since they are opinion leaders, trendsetters and future earners. She said fast-food restaurants, snacks and beverages are often advertised to them.
This target marketing could include the beer commercials Vande Zande commented on, which he sees as being further implanted on the UW-Madison campus through advertisements.
""Sporting events get a lot of college-aged guys,"" Vande Zande said about how this audience is probably reached through ads. ""It's a drinking culture nowadays.""
But food marketing does not begin at young adulthood—it reaches back to early childhood. Nelson said food marketers target children with ads during cartoons because their food preferences are not yet set. She said these products are usually cereals, snacks and soda. These ads turn children into influences on their parents' shopping.
""Children see the characters and the fun happy ads, and then when they accompany their parents at the store they recognize the characters and the logos and pester their parents to buy the food,"" Nelson said.
Marketers' focus on children has come under fire as obesity becomes a critical issue.
""Critics have said that one of the big reasons we are so fat is because of food advertising, and particularly advertising unhealthy products,"" Nelson said.
A report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies released on Dec. 6, 2005 states that food and beverage marketing targeted to children 12 and under leads them to want and eat high-calorie, low-nutrient products.
""There's more and more importance being placed on being a socially-responsible company,"" Nelson said. She said this includes Kraft Foods' decision to not market unhealthy products to kids under 12.
While Nelson praised companies basing their marketing on ethics, following diet trends is another tool marketers use to please shareholders.
Nelson said that companies are now required to indicate on food packages if a product contains a certain amount of trans fat per serving. She demonstrated that marketers can counter regulations and promote good qualities in food. Nelson displayed a Girl Scout cookie box, which had a small label saying ""0 trans fat per serving.""
""The two kind of go hand in hand,"" Nelson said, pointing out that social responsibility can lead to profit.
Next time students see that beer commercial during the game or that brand-name box on the shelf, they should perhaps take a mental step back and remember the business force behind the product before they decide to buy it.
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