Brand influence on kids
Popular Aussie brands have become so familiar to our children that they have their own personality.
An Australian study asked children to think about some common brands as a person and talk about what they thought of that ‘person’. Children thought Cadbury would be ‘popular’ and someone that other children would like. Cadbury’s advertising on television, although said to be targeting families, includes cartoon characters and jingles. KFC, an elite cricket sponsor, was considered ‘sporty’. Children said that Coca Cola would be ‘popular’ and other children would make friends with it. This isn’t surprising given the recent ‘Share a Coke’ campaign.
Even brands thought of as more adult brands e.g. Red Rock Deli chips were seen to be cool and exciting by 10-16 year old children. Australian children are very familiar with unhealthy brands and that could be influencing how they feel about those foods. Regulation must not be limited to regulating only foods considered ‘children’s foods’.
Kelly B, Freeman B, King L, Chapman K, Baur LA, Gill T. The normative power of food promotions: Australian children’s attachments to unhealthy food brands. Public Health Nutrition 2016
