Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this research is to trace the evolution of the claims used for advertising food products in Italian magazines, by analysing the content and structure of the claims, the target audiences and the elements that have the greatest influence on the presence of the claims in food advertising.Design/methodology/approachOn the basis of the research conducted by Pratt and Pratt (1995), revised and adapted to the Italian food context, the authors designed a matrix of 1,316 advertisements, which were selected based on the analysis of 67,340 advertisements and using the reference to the food sector as a discriminator. The advertisements were extrapolated from a sample of six Italian magazines, so as to determine the extent to which the various demographic groups in Italy are exposed to print advertising for food, beverages and food supplements. The authors examined the frequency of the relevant advertising forms over a period of four years, from January 2014 to December 2017.FindingsThe results revealed the main types of claims used in the four-year period, as well as the statistically significant differences between the different magazine panels, as concerns the frequency and the types of messages. Moreover, a strong relationship between the number of advertisements in the magazines and the time of the year was also ascertained, as well as significant gender variations.Originality/valueThis study introduces the trends and dynamics of the Italian printed advertising for food to the relevant scientific literature. The results yielded by this research have added further implications and contributions to the existing studies, as concerns claim diffusion based on type, gender and seasonality, and the authors also provide important insights to various socio-economical stakeholders.
Highlights
In recent years, given the ever more specific demand for healthy and balanced diets, consumers bought more and more food products that are able to satisfy the health-and-wellbeing duo (Anastasiou et al, 2019; Campos et al, 2011; Cecchini and Warin, 2016; Kerr et al, 2015)
The objective of the present study is twofold: first and foremost, to analyse the evolution of food advertising with particular reference to the use of claims, and second, to identify the main differences and significant data related to the types of claims, to gender and to seasonality, by analysing the frequency and content of the advertisements for food products, beverages and food supplements published in six Italian monthly magazines that appeared between January 2014 and December 2017
What was the frequency distribution of the different modes in which food was advertised, and what were the promotional statements regarding food products, beverages and supplements that were used in the magazines?
Summary
Given the ever more specific demand for healthy and balanced diets, consumers bought more and more food products that are able to satisfy the health-and-wellbeing duo (Anastasiou et al, 2019; Campos et al, 2011; Cecchini and Warin, 2016; Kerr et al, 2015). The objective of the present study is twofold: first and foremost, to analyse the evolution of food advertising with particular reference to the use of claims, and second, to identify the main differences and significant data related to the types of claims, to gender and to seasonality, by analysing the frequency and content of the advertisements for food products, beverages and food supplements published in six Italian monthly magazines that appeared between January 2014 and December 2017.
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