The use of negative themes in television food advertising

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dc.contributor.authorPettigrew, S.
dc.contributor.authorRoberts, M.
dc.contributor.authorChapman, K.
dc.contributor.authorQuester, P.
dc.contributor.authorMiller, C.
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractThe ability of food advertising to trigger food consumption and influence social norms relating to food consumption has resulted in increasing attention being given to the prevalence and nature of food advertising. The present study investigated the use of negative themes in food advertisements aired on Australian television to determine the prevalence of depictions of violence/aggression, mocking, nagging, boredom, loneliness, food craving, mood enhancement, and the emotional use of food across 61 days of programming time. The results suggest that advertisers are using negative themes to capture attention and invoke an emotional response in the target audience. Sixteen percent (14,611) of the 93,284 food advertisements contained negative themes, with mood enhancement and food craving being the most commonly depicted negative themes. Advertisements with negative themes were more likely to be for non-core foods and to be aired during children's popular viewing times than at other times. The potential for negative themes in food advertising to promote unhealthy food consumption behaviors among children is likely to be of concern to policy makers. Building on this exploratory study, further research is needed to investigate how nutrition-related decision making is affected by exposure to food advertisements employing negative emotional themes.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilitySimone Pettigrew, Michele Roberts, Kathy Chapman, Pascale Quester and Caroline Miller
dc.identifier.citationAppetite, 2012; 58(2):496-503
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.appet.2011.12.014
dc.identifier.issn0195-6663
dc.identifier.issn1095-8304
dc.identifier.orcidQuester, P. [0000-0001-6872-6973]
dc.identifier.orcidMiller, C. [0000-0001-9723-8047]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/72908
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier BV
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0991615
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP0991615
dc.rights© 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2011.12.014
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectObesity
dc.subjectFeeding Behavior
dc.subjectFood Preferences
dc.subjectEmotions
dc.subjectNegativism
dc.subjectNutrition Policy
dc.subjectAdvertising
dc.subjectTelevision
dc.subjectFood
dc.subjectChild
dc.subjectAustralia
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectMale
dc.titleThe use of negative themes in television food advertising
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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