Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Mar 31, 2019
Date Accepted: Sep 24, 2019
"A baby formula designed to fit Chinese babies:" milk formula advertising on Chinese parenting apps
ABSTRACT
Background:
Background China is the largest market for infant formula. With the increasing use of smartphones, apps have become the latest tool used to promote milk formula. Formula manufacturers and distributors have both seized app popularity as an avenue for marketing.
Objective:
This study aims to identify and analyse milk formula advertisements featured on Chinese pregnancy and parenting apps; to build the first complete picture of app based milk formula marketing techniques being used by milk formula brand variants on these apps; and to more fully understand the ad content that undermines public health messaging about infant and young child feeding.
Methods:
We searched for free-to-download Chinese infant feeding apps in the Android App Store. The final sample consisted of 353 unique formula ads from the 79 apps that met the inclusion criteria. We developed a content analysis coding tool for categorizing the marketing techniques used in ads, which included a total of 22 coding options developed across 4 categories: emotional appeal, marketing elements, product claims and advertising disclosure.
Results:
The 353 milk formula ads were distributed across 31 companies, 44 brands and 79 brand variants. Overall, 15 of 31 corporations were international with the remaining 16 Chinese-owned. An image of a natural pasture was the most commonly used emotional image amongst the brand variants (16/79). All variants included branding elements, and 75 variants linked directly to e-shops. Special price promotions were promoted by nearly half (n=39) of all variants. Five variants included a celebrity endorsement in their advertising. A total of 25 out of the 79 variants made a product quality claim. Only fourteen variants made a direct advertising disclosure.
Conclusions:
The purpose of marketing messages is to widen the use of formula and normalize formula as an appropriate food for all infants and young children, rather than as a specialized food for those unable to breast-feed. Policy makers should take steps to establish an appropriate regulatory framework and provide detailed monitoring and enforcement, in order to ensure that milk formula marketing practices do not undermine breastfeeding norms and behaviours.
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