Tony the Tiger and friends’ junk food marketing ‘victory parade’

The characters will be presenting a thank you card to the advertising regulator for allowing them to keep their jobs, as brand characters are not part of the proposed tightening of rules on marketing less healthy food and drink to children which CAP is currently consulting on. They will also be joined by Peppa Pig, Minion Dave, Olaf from Frozen and a Storm Trooper, who will be celebrating their continued ability to earn millions of pounds from licensing deals with sugary food and drink brands, and to keep on using their image to make these products particularly appealing to children. [1]

The Children’s Food Campaign, supported by many health professionals and children’s charities, is organising this action to highlight the Committee of Advertising Practice’s failure to address some of the most glaring loopholes in rules supposedly designed to protect children from exposure to junk food marketing. The current rules, as well as new ones now being proposed by the regulator, do not cover brand characters; nor do they cover packaging or some of the other key ways film and TV characters popular with children are used to promote sweets, cakes, sugary cereals and yoghurts, and other high sugar products. [2]

Malcolm Clark, co-ordinator of Children’s Food Campaign [6], said:

“It is hard to resist the pester power when your child is swept up in the latest children’s animation or film craze, or spots an appealing cartoon character on a sugary product’s packaging or online marketing. Film and character licensing has become a £250million vehicle for encouraging excessive sugar consumption in children, and that needs to stop, along with the use of child-friendly brand characters on less healthy products.” [3] 

“The Committee of Advertising Practice’s consultation on non-broadcast marketing of food and drink to children should have been the starting point for tightening the rules on brand and licensed characters. Instead, the advertising regulator appears to be putting the short-term interests of industry ahead of parents, children’s health and ultimately taxpayers.”  [4]

“However, there is still time for the regulator, and Government, to act. CAP’s consultation is open until 22 July and we urge people to respond directly with their views. In addition, the Government should be introducing brave and bold measures on tackling junk food marketing to children across all forms of media, including a pre-9pm ban on advertising of such products on TV, as part of their imminent Childhood Obesity Strategy.” 

Media Contact:
For further information, and for interviews, please contact Malcolm Clark, co-ordinator of Children's Food Campaign, on malcolm@sustainweb.org / 07733322148 / 0203 5596 777

Photo Call Instructions:

Tuesday 12 July, 10am, on the street outside Committee of Advertising Practice offices, Mid City Place, 71 High Holborn, London WC1V 6QT.  Children’s health campaigners will be in full costume, dressed up as a range of brand and licensed characters. They will be parading outside the office building for 15 minutes, before handing in a over-size ‘thank you’ card into a CAP representative. Campaigners will be available for interview during and immediately afterwards. Photos can be supplied afterwards on request. Email malcolm@childrensfood.org.uk  

Notes:

1)    Full text of thank you card being handed in to the Committee of Advertising Practice by (the campaigners dressed as) brand and licensed characters:

“Dear Committee of Advertising Practice, Thank you for keeping us in a job. And thank you for allowing us to make millions of pounds promoting junk food to children. If you introduced strict rules that properly protected children from exposure to junk food marketing - as parents, doctors, dentists, dieticians, Public Health England and the Health Select Committee are all calling for - then we would be out of a job and/or our earning power would be vastly diminished. We thank the Committee of Advertising Practice for holding firm against these demands, and for refusing to include them in their current public consultation on the rules governing the non-broadcast marketing of products high in fat, sugar or salt (HFSS) to children. We hope both CAP in their consultation response and the Government in their imminent childhood obesity strategy do nothing to jeopardise our ability to continue to make big profits at the expense of children’s health and NHS treatment budgets.”

2) The power of marketing 

Reducing the extent and persuasive power of marketing unhealthy foods to children worldwide are important obesity prevention goals. Public Health England, in their report 'sugar reduction: from evidence to action' concluded that “the use of characters or ‘spokes characters’ can increase preference for, or choice or consumption of, high sugar foods in young children.” 

A systemic analysis of academic papers on the power of licensed characters to influence children’s food choices concludes: “Results suggest that cartoon media character branding can positively increase children's fruit or vegetable intake compared with no character branding. However, familiar media character branding is a more powerful influence on children's food preferences, choices and intake, especially for energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods (e.g. cookies, candy or chocolate) compared with fruits or vegetables.”

In addition, children as young as 18 months can recognise brands, with recognition significantly higher for unhealthy brands than healthy brands. These brand relationships can last into adulthood, with research showing adults holding positive associations with brand characters from their childhood – including being less likely to view the product as unhealthy.

3) Licensing is big business 

Over £250million was spent in the UK in 2014 on film and other character licensed on food and drink products. [The Grocer]  

The Children's Food Campaign’s research, published in March 2016, uncovered Star Wars branded ice creams, biscuits, cakes, yogurts, sugary drinks and Christmas and Easter special products. Further explorations of the character-licensed space revealed last year’s Minions film had tie-ins with many brands, including Haribo, HoneyMonster, Kinder Surprise and Capri Sun. A full list of the products analysed, including images and links to product information and advertising, is available from Children's Food Campaign.

There is a never-ending cycle of licensed sugary products and kids' films. The confectionery industry is already capitalising on this summer’s films e.g. Topps confectionery manufacturers promoting a tie in with The Secret Life of Pets.

4) Public support for marketing restrictions

This policy intervention is widely supported by the public and parents across the UK. Public polling from January 2016 found that 71 per cent agree junk food marketing makes it harder for children to eat healthily. A separate poll from March 2015 among parents of children aged 5-16 showed 68 per cent agreed the Government should more strictly regulate the food industry to tackle how junk food is advertised to children.

5) Response to Committee of Advertising Practice consultation

For a summary of Children’s Food Campaign’s response to the CAP consultation on non-broadcast marketing of products high in fat, salt or sugar to children, and details of how you can submit your own response, see this separate news item.

6) Children’s Food Campaign 

The Campaign aims to improve children and young people's health by campaigning for policy changes in our schools, in our communities and throughout our society that would promote healthy and sustainable food environments. The Children's Food Campaign is supported by over 100 UK-wide and national organisations, including public health professional bodies, trade unions, school food experts, children’s charities and environmental groups. We are co-ordinated by Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming. www.childrensfood.org.uk

7) Obesity Health Alliance

The Children's Food Campaign is also a member of the Obesity Health Alliance (OHA) - a coalition of over 30 organisations committed to share expertise and support Government to tackle the issue of overweight and obesity in the UK.