Quantifying Child-Appeal: The Development and Mixed-Methods Validation of a Methodology for Evaluating Child-Appealing Marketing on Product Packaging

Christine Mulligan, Monique Potvin Kent, Laura Vergeer, Anthea K. Christoforou and Mary R. L’Abbé
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Christine Mulligan: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
Monique Potvin Kent: School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
Laura Vergeer: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
Anthea K. Christoforou: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
Mary R. L’Abbé: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 9, 1-23

Abstract: There is no standardized or validated definition or measure of “child-appeal” used in food and beverage marketing policy or research, which can result in heterogeneous outcomes. Therefore, this pilot study aimed to develop and validate the child-appealing packaging (CAP) coding tool, which measures the presence, type, and power of child-appealing marketing on food packaging based on the marketing techniques displayed. Children (n = 15) participated in a mixed-methods validation study comprising a binary classification (child-appealing packaging? Yes/No) and ranking (order of preference/marketing power) activity using mock breakfast cereal packages (quantitative) and focus group discussions (qualitative). The percent agreement, Cohen’s Kappa statistic, Spearman’s Rank correlation, and cross-classification analyses tested the agreement between children’s and the CAP tool’s evaluation of packages’ child-appeal and marketing power (criterion validity) and the content analysis tested the relevance of the CAP marketing techniques (content validity). There was an 80% agreement, and “moderate” pairwise agreement (? [95% CI]: 0.54 [0.35, 0.73]) between children/CAP binary classifications and “strong” correlation ( r s [95% CI]: 0.78 [0.63, 0.89]) between children/CAP rankings of packages, with 71.1% of packages ranked in the exact agreement. The marketing techniques included in the CAP tool corresponded to those children found pertinent. Pilot results suggest the criterion/content validity of the CAP tool for measuring child-appealing marketing on packaging in accordance with children’s preferences.

Keywords: child-appealing marketing; marketing to kids; food marketing; marketing power; marketing techniques; validation; mixed methods; product packaging; food packaging (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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