High on Attractiveness, Low on Nutrition: An Over-Time Comparison of Advertising Food Products on Israeli Television

ABSTRACT

This content analysis examines Israeli television food advertising. It compares 2008–2009 and 2012–2013, two periods immediately before and several years after regulatory, educational, and public-advocacy efforts have been advanced to raise awareness of and tackle the television–obesity link. Advertisements were drawn from a composite week sample aired on Israeli broadcast channels from 4:00 p.m. until midnight in each of the two periods. Nearly a quarter of ads were for food products, even after a significant drop over the years. The most common food categories included candies and sweetened drinks, whereas fruit and vegetables were among the least common products advertised. The most prevalent central message in food advertisements was that the product makes for an economically sensible purchase, with a much lower focus on the health qualities of the food products. Food advertisements were characterized by a very short duration and an increased reliance on emotional, rather than cognitive, appeal, especially in ads for low-nutrient foods. A significant increase was observed in 2012–2013 in the reliance on thin models in food advertisements, and these were most often associated with high levels of physical attractiveness, promoting the thin ideal. Findings are discussed in light of theory, previous research conducted worldwide, and audience effects. Implications are addressed for health and media industry regulation efforts.

Funding

The research reported in this article was partly supported by a grant from Israel’s Second Authority for Television and Radio.

Notes

¹ To ascertain whether the changes observed in the advertising messages are purely rhetorical or are based on actual changes in food composition across the years, an analysis was conducted of the actual energy composition of the advertised foods. In each sample, all identifiable food products advertised were recorded for their nutrition information (caloric value, far percentages, fiber, and sugar amounts) through visits to the supermarket. To ensure comparability, the analysis focused on products that either appeared identically in both years (n = 14) or for which there was a comparable, though not identical, product in both years (n = 35). These 49 food products covered 11 food categories, including spreads and sauces, soups, soft drinks, coffee/tea, water, alcoholic beverages, energy bars, cookies and cakes, candy/sweets, dairy products, and salty snacks. Paired-sample t-tests were conducted for the different nutrition values across the two samples and revealed no meaningful statistically significant differences in any of the recorded nutrition values (data available from the authors). Although the lack of statistically significant differences may be attributed to the relatively small samples size, the overall trend seems to indicate that little has changed over the years in the actual composition of the food products advertised on television. We can, therefore, cautiously support the argument that the change observed in the advertising is largely more a matter of rhetoric and form than a matter of actual nutrition shift.

Additional information

Funding

The research reported in this article was partly supported by a grant from Israel’s Second Authority for Television and Radio.