Business Excellence, Vol. 17 No. 2, 2023.
Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.22598/pi-be/2023.17.2.55
THE IMPACT OF MARKETING ACTIVITIES ON CHILDREN'S HEALTHY FOOD CHOICES
David Skala
orcid.org/0000-0001-5468-3677
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics & Business, Trg J. F. Kennedyja 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Dora Gaćeša
orcid.org/0000-0002-0975-5069
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics & Business, Trg J. F. Kennedyja 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Ružica Brečić
orcid.org/0000-0003-3327-2187
; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics & Business, Trg J. F. Kennedyja 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Abstract
Purpose: Within marketing and consumer research, prior studies have often
tackled children's decisions concerning food in a fragmented manner, either by looking
solely at attitudes or behaviours. Such an approach restricts the comprehensive
comprehension of children as consumers. This study examines how marketing actions
(specifically, the word claim used) help encourage children to prefer healthier choices.
Design/methodology/Approach: 215 children, aged 6 to 9, took part in a simulated food
choice task, with participants drawn from two schools in Zagreb. Parents gave their
written informed consent for their child's involvement in the study. Findings and
implications: The results emphasise the significant role of specific word claims like
„healthy", „popular" and „tasty" or emoticons „smiley“, „heart“ and „muscle“ in
influencing children's food choices. Utilising these claims increases the likelihood of
children opting for healthier food options. These insights hold practical implications for
crafting interventions that promote healthier eating habits in children. Limitations:
Hypothetical food choices may not fully represent children's behaviours in real-life
settings. Exploring alternative labelling strategies beyond word claims would allow for comparisons and identification of effective methods to motivate healthy choices.
Originality: By investigating the impact of marketing activities on children's healthy food
choices, this study introduced an innovative perspective, focusing on the effectiveness of
word claims and emoticons as labelling strategies. These results enhance our
comprehension of the factors influencing children's dietary decisions and provide a basis
for developing interventions to cultivate healthier eating habits.
Keywords
marketing activities; children; healthy food choices; word claims; labelling.
Hrčak ID:
311071
URI
Publication date:
11.12.2023.
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