Kramer – Week 7 – Promotional Strategies – Childhood Obesity and Physical Activity
It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child because there are many influences in a child’s life that mold who the child becomes. The same goes for getting the message out about healthy lifestyles – specifically healthy eating and being physically active. Public education messages in multiple types of media are needed to generate support for policy changes that contribute to healthy eating and physical activity and to provide important information about obesity to the general public, particularly parents, children, and adolescents. There is potential for many industries to positively portray healthful eating habits and regular physical activity which could help to change social norms about childhood obesity (Institute of Medicine, 2004). These industries have opportunities to make a difference in getting positive messages out to the public, including children, about how to live healthy lifestyles.
Mass Media Channels
According to an Institute of Medicine’s 2004 report, children of all ages spend a large amount of their leisure time using a combination of various media which affects children’s choices and may have a strong influence on their tendency toward increased obesity and therefore chronic disease risk. Television advertising can especially affect children’s food and nutrition-related knowledge and even purchase decisions, both those made directly and indirectly through parents (2004). I feel that use of mass media is the best way to reach large segments of the population and can therefore be a positive strategy for addressing the issue of childhood obesity. Getting the message out across multiple channels can increase knowledge and change attitudes towards diet and physical activity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), characteristics of mass media physical activity campaigns that have been successful in changing awareness and behavior include the use of a simple message with frequent exposure, especially when included as part of a multiple intervention strategy. Additionally, healthy eating campaigns that make intensive use of mass media and promote a single, simple message - such as increasing consumption of low-fat milk or fruits or vegetable – have been shown to be the most effective mass media campaigns (2012).
Therefore, my campaign will utilize mass media advertising methods such as: television, DVD/Blue Ray previews, and pop-up commercials during internet and app-based gaming. Some ads will target children and some will target adults depending on the television time, type of movie, and type of game or computer use. The messages that will be delivered will be clear, concise, and promote a single behavior such as: choosing multiple colors when filling a plate, choosing low-fat dairy products, filling at least half of a plate with fruits and vegetables, methods for being active at least 60 minutes a day, and fun, active alternatives to watching television or playing video games. The promotion of these behaviors will be enhanced with how choosing this behavior in place of an undesired behavior will help them feel better about themselves, do better in school (or at work), perform better on the playground or in their sport, and for adults, keep them out of their doctors’ offices because their overall health will be better.
In addition to characteristics such as promoting a single, simple message with frequent exposure, using a national health brand or logo to assist consumers in making healthy choices has also proven to be successful. For campaigns that incorporate long-term, intensive mass media exposure, the likelihood of success is increased if it is supported by policy as well as community-based activities and participation (WHO, 2012). This route is more expensive than an advertising-only approach as advertising does reach more people and the message can be reiterated time and time again compared to community-based activities that may only occur a few times and reach a limited number of people. Nevertheless, if and when they can be utilized together, the impact is greater.
In my campaign, the messages delivered via television, movie preview ads, and computer/internet/app ads can be enhanced by incorporating community activities where possible. For example, during National School Lunch Week, activities that promote healthy eating can be held across the country in schools. Other examples for incorporating community activities include: promote healthy eating by inviting the public – especially kids and their families – to an event where they can learn how to purchase healthy foods, cook and serve them, and taste-test different healthy options on the American Heart Association’s National Healthy Eating Day, promote being active on National Get Outdoors Day by hosting community events like a nature hike, sand volleyball tournament, softball tournament, 5K race, bike riding, trail riding, etc. Another message that could be included is one that encourages the children to work with their schools/student councils to put together an afterschool activity such as a jump-roping or running club like Girls on the Run. When children (and adults) have buy-in with a product, they are more likely to use it.
Print Media Channels
Print media is important because it can reach such a large audience, and specialized publications can enable marketers to focus on a target audience with a specific set of characteristics. In my campaign, this would be parents and children (as well as schools) trying to combat the childhood obesity epidemic. The kind of books and other print media that children read and have read to them influences and supports their emotional, social, and intellectual development both directly and indirectly (Barbour, Barbour, and Scully, 2011).Even with all of the digital technology, children and adults are still surrounded and bombarded with print media whether it is newspapers, magazines, billboards, direct mail, posters, flyers, or advertisements on cereal boxes. Advertisers have figured out how to get messages to all ages of people – often without people even realizing they just got a message.
For my campaign, I plan to utilize posters and banners in schools and food marketplaces, handouts to students and letters to parents, billboards, and newspapers/magazines. Children influence much of what their parents purchase for food choices as well as influence family activities. If children can be convinced to desire healthy foods and healthy activities, it’s likely that families will end up reaping the rewards for these behaviors which also means that society will take note and need to make changes to adapt to new wants and needs by these families.
Posters and banners, like other advertisements, will promote healthy eating choices such as low-fat milk, colorful fruit and vegetable choices, and/or lean meat or physical activities in a way that entices kids to want to try them. Posters that hang in school hallways, lunch rooms, and gymnasiums are seen on a daily basis by students which means there is a constant message being sent to students, as well as staff or parents who are in the building. Posters and banners that hang in food marketplaces are seen by any shoppers, but knowing that kids are often shopping with their parents; parents may be nagged into buying something “healthy.”For example, many schools currently have banners promoting the “Got Milk?” campaign that use popular stars with a milk mustache smiling. The Got Milk? campaign not only helped turn around milk sales but also changed the face of consumer marketing forever. Even after 13 years, the organization's groundbreaking "milk-deprivation" strategy--now recognized internationally--continues to evolve and thrive (Manning, 2006).
Like posters and banners, billboards can send a very direct message. Unlike posters and banners that may be placed “only” in schools and food marketplaces, billboards are open for viewing by any consumer and with the right message, can get all people talking about health. An example of this was billboards placed in Georgia by Children’s Healthcare that were controversial. Children's Healthcare crafted an ad campaign intended to highlight the roles of parents and caregivers in the widening epidemic of childhood obesity. They were definitely noticed because their messages were not “sugar-coated,” in fact, they were “arresting and hard-hitting” and meant to grab people. According to CNN, posters and TV spots of obese children with doleful eyes were as stark as their accompanying messages: "Being fat takes the fun out of being a kid," and "It's hard to be a little girl if you're not," to name a few (Grinberg, 2012). With the right message, billboards are a relatively inexpensive way to reach a large audience and have a direct impact on choices made by both kids and parents.
Student handouts and parent newsletters may not be as poignant as some methods, but they ensure the message is at least delivered. In order to enhance the likelihood that the message is heard, the handouts and newsletters need to be clear, concise, and attractive so they are both read and understood. Handouts and newsletters allow the message to be broken down into segments which can allow better absorption of the message. For example, a handout sent home in one week may focus on eating green vegetables and the benefits experienced by the child. The parent newsletter that week could also focus on green vegetables and explain both the benefits to the child as well as the parent. The following week may build on that message and focus on red vegetables and fruits. The information may be more in depth, but by breaking it down into segments of a bigger message, it’s more likely to deliver the message of why and how to eat better or be more active.
Lastly, the use of newspapers and magazines is important. Newspapers can allow for a wide distribution area but possibly a less direct audience. However, newspapers are relatively inexpensive and depending on length of run-time, the ad is likely to be seen by repeat audiences. Use of a newspaper for advertising may also be effective in increasing awareness in a specific geographic area which may help garner support for those in the target audience. In contrast, by advertising in a magazine, besides having better printing styles and a typically longer shelf-life than newspapers, marketers can focus on a specific audience (i.e. parents) because audiences can be reached by placing ads in magazines which have well-defined geographic, demographic, and/or lifestyle focus. (Inc., n.d.). This allows one to reach an audience that has higher potential for persuasion if the message relates closely to the topic of the publication.
Online Media Channels
Internet marketing is largely unregulated and essentially knows no boundaries so it has the ability to be seen and heard almost anywhere. Often, internet marking can be so blended into a website that it’s hard to tell between “information” and “advertising.” According to MediaSmarts, internet marketers are able to collect data about specific users through varying channels such as online registrations, surveys, and “cookies” which are electronic tattletales that tell where kids surf, how long they stay there, and what they download (2012). Because of this, the internet provides an opportunity to very carefully target specific audiences with very specific messaging.
I think it would be a disservice to the public if my campaign didn’t utilize online media sources for marketing healthier lifestyles such as healthy eating and physical activity. Obviously, there are multitudes of websites that advertise “health.” Therefore, there are multitudes of opportunities for advertising specific healthy eating and physical activities on these websites. Likewise, there are many apps for health which rely on advertising in order to remain free. These also offer opportunities for “pop-up” ads pertaining to healthy eating and physical activity.
Children may be less likely to utilize health websites and/or apps, but they are online. Therefore, other opportunities for targeting a message to children come in forms of pop-ups, direct ads, or interactive games/commercials on gaming websites, kid-friendly sites like Crayola.com or PBSkids.org, toy store websites such as Toys-R-Us or American Girl, and video sites like Netflix. The more “bells and whistles” the ad contains, the more likely it will be noticed. Other industries are already utilizing these methods so it only makes sense that child health campaigns use the same means.
Another option for getting messages to a target audience includes the use of social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. While sites like this usually require membership, it can still be a very useful tool in delivering up-to-date information and messaging. For example, my campaign could start a Facebook page with similar information that is being used elsewhere in the campaign such as information sent home via school handouts, parent letters, or even banners and billboards. The Facebook page itself is “advertised” by asking “friends” to like the page, but once they do, whenever something new is added to the page, the audience has an opportunity to see it almost immediately (depending on web access). Similarly, Twitter accounts can be set up but instead of waiting for someone to find the account for my campaign, my campaign can actively target subscribers and ask to be “followed.” When followed, that account will be notified when any new “tweets” are sent from my campaign.
Conclusion
Creating an environment in which U.S. children and youth can grow up healthy should be a high priority for the nation. Yet the prevailing pattern of food and beverage marketing to children and youth in America represents, at best, a missed opportunity, and at worst, a direct threat to the health prospects of the next generation (National Research Council, 2006). Media, when used correctly, is a definite ally to public health. Regardless of the form of media, by improving the overall commercial environment and providing young consumers and their families with the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed and sensible choices regarding healthy lifestyles, my campaign could be a key childhood obesity prevention strategy.
References
Barbour, C., Barbour, N.H., and Scully, P.A. (2011). Children and the media. Retrieved from
Grinberg, E. (2012). Georgia's child obesity ads aim to create movement out of controversy. Retrieved from
Inc. (n.d.). Advertising media – Print. Retrieved from
Institute of Medicine. (2004). Advertising, marketing, and the media: Improving messages fact sheet. Retrieved from
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth. (2005).Preventing childhood obesity: Health in the balance. Washington (DC): National Academies Press. Industry, Advertising, Media, and Public Education.Available from:
Manning, J. (2006). Got milk? Marketing by association. Retrieved from
National Research Council. (2006).Food Marketing to Children and Youth: Threat or Opportunity?. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press
Reger, B., Wootan, M.G., and Booth-Butterfield, S. (1999). Using mass media to promote healthy eating: A community-based demonstration product. Retrieved from
World Health Organization. (2012). Population-based approaches to childhood obesity prevention. Retrieved from
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