FOOD FIGHT! How Mindless Eating and Food Marketing Are...

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FOOD FIGHT!How Mindless Eating and Food Marketing Are Making Us Fat

… and What We Can Do About it

Pierre CHANDON

L’Oréal Chaired Professor of Marketing, Innovation and CreativityDirector, INSEAD Social Science Research Centre

Why Are We Talking about Obesity Now?

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

The Worldwide Obesity Epidemic:

Reality and Perceptions

(Imperfect) definition

Body Mass Index (BMI) Imperfect d Weight in kilograms(Height in meters)2

BMI > 30: Obese.

25 < BMI < 30: Overweight.

BMI < 25: Healthy weight.

BMI is a very simplistic

measure of obesity:

Who are You Calling Obese? ArnoldSchwarzenegger

Beyoncé

Tom Cruise

2

Is Obesity a Real Problem?

We are all concerned Obesity rates are increasing

because the average adult and child is gaining weight.

Most people who are obese don’t want to.

Most people who are obese have tried to lose weight.

Obesity is a serious medical condition x9 diabetes, x3 hypertension,

x2 heart attacks, x3 colon cancer, +33% stroke.

112,000 death (US).

Obese kids 2x more likely to die before they are 55.

Obesity is cost to society

The Obesity EpidemicGood, Bad, Very Bad, Terrible



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In 2012:• 1/3 obese • 1/3 overweight • 1/3 normal weight


Not just in the US 1.6bn People World-Wide are Overweight

> 25%

10-24%< 9%

Obesity rate

1. Micronesia (Samoa, Cook): 80-90%2. Kuwait, USA: 74%3. Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Egypt,

New Zealand, Australia, …: 70%

Which countries have the highest proportion of overweight people?

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Increasing Adult Obesity Rates, Worldwide Increasing Proportion of Adult Who Are Overweight, Worldwide

Obesity Creates Risks to Others

Obese Parents are More Likely to Have Obese Children

People with obese friends are more likely to gain weight

Not just for Humans50% US Cats and Dogs are Overweight

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Fat People, Fat Pets?

Strong correlation, for dogs Fat owner ↔ fat dog (r = .31).

No relation for cats.

Why? Preferences: People choose

dogs who look like them.

Imitation: Dogs’ instinct is to imitate their owners.

Contagion? People share more types of bacteria with their dogs than with their kids.

Being Obese has Serious Medical Consequences (just being overweight is OK)

The Total Costs of Obesity for Society

Source: Algazy McKinsey Quarterly, 2010

Obesity Perception vs. Reality

Source: Hill

Overweight rates have doubled because most people were just below the cut-off and are now just above it.

Obesity has stopped increasing (except for the poor).

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Obesity Perception vs. Reality Why?Increased Social Preferences for Thinness

Weight Gain Ads from the 60’s Increased Social Preferences for Thinness

Beauty in the 15th century

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Increased Social Preferences for Thinness

Beauty today


Beauty in the 16th century


Beauty today

Obese People are Discriminated

Employment

x37 report discrimination

[2-6%] lower salary.

Health care

50% of physicians view obese patients as awkward, ugly, and noncompliant.

Education

Swedish men obese at 18 less likely to get higher education, everything else equal.

Plus…

Obese characters confined to funny or villain roles in media.

Fewer romantic relations.

Bad service interactions

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Two Causes of the Obesity Epidemic:Food Marketing and Mindless Eating

What Explains Rising Obesity Rates?Reduced Calorie Expenditures?

AD

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Earliest possible date

Definite date

Water, Breast Milk2000 BCE

Milk (9000 BCE)Beer (4000 BCE)

Wine (5400 BCE)Wine, Beer, Juice (8000 BCE)

Tea (500 BCE)

Brandy Distilled (1000-1500)

Coffee (1300-1500)

Lemonade (1500-1600)

Liquor (1700-1800)

Carbonation (1760-70)

Pasteurization (1860-64)

Coca Cola (1886)

Juice Concentrates (1945)

Food Marketing

New “Super-Foods” High in Fat, Sugar, and Salt

Source: Popkin

Food Marketing

Food Advertising

4,427

7,609

6,098

2-7

8-12

13-17

Ag

e

Number of food ads seen per year

Food stylists

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Food Marketing

Food AdvertisingFood Marketing

Television Watching and AdvertisingTelevision watching is associated with obesity because:

It reduces calorie expenditures.

Mostly because it influences calorie intake.

Eating in front of the TV is even worse because distraction increases intake.

Television advertising Increases consumption quantity and not just

brand choice.

A ban on TV advertising to children in French TV channels in Québec reduced exposure to food advertising by 155% and consumption by 19% among French-speaking families compared to English-speaking families.

Indirect effects Advertising interacts with other drivers of

consumption (price, product quality) and with social factors (peer pressure).

Portion Supersizing Food Marketing

Supersizing

350 calories

600 calories

1,000 calories

600 calories

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Food Marketing

And the Winner is…

McDonald’s Mega Mac

754 calories46 grams of fat

Burger King’s Triple Whopper



Wendy’s Classic Triple with CheeseHardee’s Monster Thickburger

1,420 calories107 grams of fat

Food Marketing

And the Winner is…

Triple Bypass Burger(8,000 calories)

Taste Worth Dying For®.

Food Marketing

Supersizing

100 cl, 34 oz430 cal

80’s

120 cl, 40 oz516 cal

90’s

190 cl, 62 oz817 cal

00’s

19 cl, 6.5 oz81 cal

50 cl, 17 oz215 cal

25 cl 8.5 oz108 cal

40 cl, 14 oz172 cal

Food Marketing

Supersizing

France

94 cl, 32 oz62 cl, 21 oz35 cl, 12 oz

USA

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Supersizing Influences You even if You Never Choose the Big Size

53

48

45

(Chandon et al. 2013)

0 cl

6%94%

67%33%

Calories ordered

Food Marketing

Ambiguous Size Labels“Extra Large”

“Small” (Burger King)

“Medium” (McDonald’s)

Effects of Labels on calories ordered

114

93

86Regular Big King

Small Regular Big

Mini Small Regular

(Chandon et al. 2013)

Duccio's "Last Supper" (1310)

Food Marketing

Larger Plates and Glasses

Delbeuf Illusion

Size of Plates in Paintings of Last Supper

year

Results

x 3.04

(1% overdose)

x 3.63

(+21% overdose)

because under-estimation of amount poured.

Instructions: Triple the dose

Wansink & Wansink 2010Chandon & Ordabayeva 2012

Mindless Eating

People Focus on Food Quality, not Quantity

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Mindless Eating

Health Halos

Subway 2003 Advertising Campaign: “It’s okay, I ate Subway”

Subway 2002 Advertising: Half the calories of a Big Mac

Mindless Eating

Health Halos Effects on Fast-Food Choices

648 600

1,011

487

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Actual calories Estimated calories

Cal

ori

es

(to

tal m

eal

)

With a couponfor aMcDonald's BigMac (600 cal)

With a couponfor a Subway12" BMTsandwich (900cal)

Chandon & Wansink 2007

Mindless Eating

The « Negative Calorie » Illusion

Negative calorie illusion

Healthy salad withburger

Cherry on cake

Especially strongamong dieters

Chernev & Gal (2010)

200

400

600

Estimatedcalories

89

597

511

global estimation

Separateestimation

686

+

Frazier video

What Can We Do About It?

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Food Reformulation?

Why not Simply Sell Healthier Foods?

Short Long

Food Reformulation?

President George H.W. Bush

Video

Better Food Marketing

Market Healthy Food Like Junk FoodBetter Food Marketing

Market Healthy Food Like Junk Food

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Back to Basics

Respect Eating Norms

Time of the day

% of people eating

Don’t snack alone throughout the day

Back to Basics


Time of the day

% of people eating

Don’t snack alone throughout the day

Back to Basics


France

UK

France vs. UK

Back to Basics

It’s not That Complicated

Michael Pollan

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Beware of Weight Stereotypes

Survey of US women 18-40 (Glamour)

Remember that Real Beauty Comes in Many Shapes

Evolution of menEvolution 2, 2007Dove 2006

Real Beauty Comes in Many Shapes

Evolution of menEvolution 2, 2007Dove 2006

Thank you!

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