... NoWhichmedia?Companiesdiffer in the extent of theircoverage for self‐regulatingtheirmarketingmessagesto children, withsomeincludingproductplacement,use of licensedcharacters and theirownbrandedsites in the definition of marketing. The definition of whatconstituteschild‐targetedmediavaries: for exampleNestlé25definesmarketingto children asbeing‘amarketingactivitywhereadultsupervisionisnotpresent’ and communication in media‘whereadultaudienceisnotpredominant’. The tablebelowshowssomeexamples of the coverage of companypledgesacrossmediaincludedunderself‐regulation.Notethat for somemedia the companiesimposecertain22UKOffice of Communications(Ofcom)2007.Seehttp://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/foodads_new/statement/ and seehttp://collections.europarchive.org/tna/20100927130941/http://food.gov.uk/healthiereating/advertisingtochildren/nutlab/nutprofmod23Developedby the SwedishNationalFoodAdministrationtodefinehealthierfoodproducts, and nowused in Sweden,Norway and Denmark.Seehttp://www.slv.se/en‐gb/Group1/Food and Nutrition/Keyhole‐symbol/ and seehttp://www.norden.org/en/news and events/news/first‐anniversary‐nordic‐consumers‐want‐more‐keyhole‐food24FederalTradesCommission(2011)InteragencyWorkingGroupSeeksInputonProposedVoluntaryPrinciples for MarketingFoodto Children. Seehttp://www.ftc.gov/opa/2011/04/foodmarket.shtm25Seehttp://www.conar.org.br/html/livro/REF49NESTLE%20‐%20EU%20Pledge%20Nestle%20Commitment.pdf9criteriaon the percentage of the audiencethatmustbecomprised of children in order for self‐regulationtobeapplicable–furtherdetailsareshown in Table1above.Table4Companystatements of mediaincluded in self‐regulationCompany ... YesFurthergaps in company‐ledself‐regulationThissectionprovidessomeexamples of additionalconcernsraisedduringthisinvestigation. The examplespicturedaretakenfromwebsitesactive and availableduring the periodJanuary‐June2011.Company‐ownedwebsitesWhilemostcompaniesacknowledge the needtocontroladvertisingto children usingpaid‐ for advertisingonthird‐partysites,companiesdonotusuallyincludetheirownweb‐sites,whichtheyseeaseditorialratherthanadvertising.Althoughsomegovernment‐approvedcodes(e.g. the UKCAPCode)includecompany‐ownedsites,mostindustry‐wideadvertisingregulations in Europeancountriesdonot, and industry‐ledpledgesgenerallydonotorareambiguousaboutwhattheyconsider‘advertising’ontheirownwebsites.Manycompaniesusetheirownsitestoattract children withgames,puzzles,clubs and downloadablegifts,orofferbrandedproductswhich children maypestertheirparentstobuy.ExamplesbelowshowNesquik children sgamesonacompany‐ownedsite and anexample of M&Mspromotions(someareas of the siteaskif the viewer‘sageisabove12years).10SocialnetworkingsitesThereisalsoa‘grey’areaconcerning the usebycompanies of third‐partysocialnetworkingsitessuchasFacebooktopromotechild‐attractiveactivitieswithfood‐relatedbranding.Anexample of the use of Facebookisshownbelow:11GeneralisedbrandingCompaniesdonotusuallyinclude in theirself‐regulationanycontrolson the branding of non‐foodproductswithfood‐relatedbrandidentities.Althoughcarryingnospecificmarketingmessage, the associativeeffectcanbeapowerfulmarketingtool. The examplebelowshowsaproductlikelytoappealto children brandedwithanimagestronglyassociatedwithsweetenedbreakfastcereal(Kellogg’sFrosties) and licensedbyowner for useon the product.12Schools and other children ssettingsCompaniesmayallowthemselvestomarket in schools and otherplaceswhere children gather.Thiscantake the form of brandedgoods and equipmentor the activepromotion of samples and brandedgifts in schoolsettings.Indirectuse of schoolssettingsmaybefoundwhenTVadvertisementsuseschoolsaslocations for filmingtheiradvertising. The examplebelowshowsaplayarea for children sponsoredbyachocolatecompanyownedbyNestlé in Genevaairport(which the companyhassinceacknowledgediscountertoNestlépolicies) and the use of classroomsettings for TVadvertisinglocations(not in Europe).13Characterlicensing and brandequitycharactersAlthoughsomecompanieshaveagreedtoreduce the use of licensedcharacters(e.g.filmtie‐inssuchasShrek and ToyStory)otherscontinuetousesuchmarketingdevices.Examplesbelowshowlicensedcharactersfromfilms(Rio,Thor,KungFuPanda)usedtopromoteproductshigh in sugarsorfats.NotethatKungFuPandaisbeingusedbyMcDonald’s,acompanythathasnotjoined the EUpledgescheme.14 In addition,mostcompaniesstillpermitthemselvestousecharacterswhichtheyown and havedevelopedwiththeirbrands(knownasbrand‐equitycharacters),suchasQuiky the bunny(Nesquik) and Tony the Tiger(Frosties).OthersincludeUnileverWalls‘Max the lion’(seepicturebelow).15Productdesign and packagingSelf‐regulationgenerallydoesnotincludepackagingorproductdesign and thesecanbepowerfulmarketingtoolstoattractpurchases. The examplebelowshowsaproductshaped,flavoured and texturedtoappealto children in aboxwithatie in gamelaunchedbyKellogg’sonFacebook and featuring the KraveKrusader(whomustovercomechallenges and obstaclestoreachchocolate).26ShopdisplaysRetaildisplaysarerarelyincluded in company‐ledself‐regulation.Aisle‐enddisplays and check‐outdisplaysarepremiumsites and canbeamajorinfluenceonspontaneouspurchases and, especially in the case of check‐outdisplays, the purchase of anitemforceduponaparentby children taking the product in theirhandswhilewaiting in line.Child‐to‐childmarketingPeerrecommendationisastrongmotivatoramong children and adolescents.Marketersareusinganumber of methods for encouragingchild‐to‐childmarketing,includingpaymentstoyoungpeopletomakerecommendations and encouragement of children tomaketheirown26Seehttp://www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/food and drink/kellogg%E2%80%99s‐moves‐into‐gaming/3026796.article16promotionalmaterials for distribution,e.g.onsocialmedianetworks.Self‐regulationgenerallydoesnotcoverchild‐to‐childmarketing.Examplesbelowshowbrand‐owned,child‐attractivewebsitesasking children tosendemailmessagestotheirfriendsabout the website.NotethatHaribohasnotjoined the EUpledgescheme.NewtechnologyMethods for marketingto children arerapidlyevolving, and manyaredesignedtoby‐passparentsorenhancechild‐to‐childmarketing. In 2007KFC’sadvertisingagencyengineeredaTVcommercialcontaininghigh‐pitchednoiseswhichonlyyoungpeoplearelikelytohear–Ajunk‐free childhood: Responsiblestandards for marketingfoods and beveragesto children Abriefingpaperfrom The StanMarkProject of the InternationalAssociation for the Study of ObesityPreparedbyTimLobstein,TriinParn and AngeAikenheadStanMark ... The StanMarkprojectbringstogetherresearchers and policy‐makerstodevelopaset of standards for marketingfoods and beveragesconsistentwith the resolution of the WorldHealthAssembly.ObjectivesConveneaseries of meetings in Europe and the USAtobringtogetherkeymembers of the scientificresearch community and policy‐making community toconsiderhowmarketingfood and beveragesmayaffect children shealth.Identifycurrent‘bestpractice’approachesto the control of marketing,includingmeasuresnotspecificallyaddressingfood and beveragemarketing,ornotspecificallydirectedto the protection of children. Explore the use of standards and marketingcodestoinfluencecommercialactivity,includingstandardsfromotherindustrialsectors.Proposeaset of standardstoform the basis for across‐bordercode of marketing of foods and beverages.Developweb‐basedresources for policydevelopmentconcerningfood and beveragemarketingto children and relatedmaterialstosupportpolicydevelopment.Projectpartners...