Kraft Shifts Kids’ Marketing
Kraft Foods will stop advertising its less-healthy products to kids six to 11 as it shifts marketing strategy to highlight healthier foods.
Kraft will phase out TV, print and radio for brands that don’t meet its “better-for-you” nutritional criteria, which is based on data from the Food & Drug Administration and the proposed 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines. The media support will instead back brands like sugar-free Kool-Aid, some Lunchables (such as Fun Pack Chicken Dunks) and half-sugar Fruity Pebbles cereal.
The shift will mean a drop in kid-targeted promotions for brands like Oreos, Kool-AID and some Post cereals, but Kraft will continue in-store promos that aren’t kid-specific. It will also continue advertising to parents and all-family audiences. Kraft spends about $800 million a year on media advertising; that spending level isn’t expected to decline.
Kraft will phase out kids’ advertising for non-compliant products worldwide by 2007. Meanwhile, Northfield, IL-based Kraft plans to develop new healthier kids’ products to round out its portfolio, with new brands as well as healthier versions of existing products.
“We recognize that parents are concerned about the mix of food products being advertised to younger children,” said Exec VP-Global Corporate Affairs Mark Berlind in a statement. These initiatives “are part of our ongoing efforts to help address that concern.”
Kraft also will put a “Sensible Solution” label on products that meet the “better-for-you” criteria, which denotes foods with nutritional benefit (such as whole-grain, protein or calcium) and those low in fat, calories, sugar or sodium, such as Post Shredded Wheat, reduced-fat cheese, Minute Rice and Triscuit crackers.
“We’re working on ways to encourage both adults and children to eat wisely by selecting more nutritionally balanced diets,” said Senior VP-Global Health & Wellness Lance Friedmann in a statement.
