Healthy and unhealthy food in Italian television ads for adults and children

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of the research is to investigate how healthy and unhealthy foods (e.g., those of little nutritional value, but high fat and sugar content) are represented in televised advertising, analyzing the differences in persuasive strategies used to promote them. Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis was performed on 62 food advertisings broadcast on the main Italian national TV channels, focusing on target, representation of food consumption, number and gender of the main characters, visual and sound effects (i.e. music jungles etc.) and references to nutritional properties. Findings – Results showed that healthy food products are marketed almost exclusively to adults, using adult-oriented advertising techniques, whereas unhealthy food advertisings rely on communicative formats and appeals more suited for children and adolescents. Originality/value – The research first investigated, with a simple descriptive approach, how television advertising of unhealthy food products relies on specifically crafted communication in order to attract young consumers' attention and, ultimately, affect their buying intentions.