Abstract
To assess the marketing of food on Facebook in relation to Government regulations and the industry’s self-regulatory codes in Thailand, Facebook pages of 30 of the most popular food brands with young people in Thailand and consumer engagement (number of likes, shares, and comments) were recorded and had their marketing content transcribed during the month of December 2017. We coded the contents into 17 marketing techniques and conducted content analysis of these posts in relation to Government regulations and the industry’s self-regulatory codes. A total 752 posts were identified in one month. Retail food brand pages had the highest figures for engagement by Facebook viewers. The most common marketing techniques were the use of pictures (632 posts), followed by branding elements (569 posts) and hashtags (438 posts). Out of a total of 228 spot advert posts, all confectionery adverts and almost all (99.5%) soft drink adverts did not display the advertising license number and none of the confectionery adverts displayed the warning messages as required by law. Confectionery, retail food, and soft drink advertising violated the industry’s self-regulatory codes. The food brand Facebook pages in Thailand do not comply with Government regulations and the industry’s self-regulatory codes. The Government, civil society organizations, and academia should monitor these violations and improve enforcement.
Highlights
At least 2.8 million global deaths were attributable to overweight or obesity in 2010 [1]
The retail food administrator of the Facebook page contributed to the highest numbers of posts in December 2017 (31,781 posts), followed by soft drinks (4626 posts) and confectionery
When advertising strategies on Facebook were assessed against three Government regulations, this study indicated that none or a very small proportion of food Facebook brand pages had complied
Summary
At least 2.8 million global deaths were attributable to overweight or obesity in 2010 [1]. The prevalence of obesity has nearly tripled since 1975 [2]. In 2014 worldwide, 11% of men and 15% of women over 18 years old were obese. An estimated 42 million children under five were overweight in 2013 [3]. In 2014, the Thailand national health examination survey reported 37.5% obesity in Thai adults over 15 years. In Thai men, the prevalence of adult obesity rose from 28.4% in 2009 to 32.9%
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