ABSTRACT
Marketing to children remains firmly in focus for public policy makers, be it in relation to advertising High Salt Sugar and Fat (HSSF) food and drink (Moore 2007), the effects of internet advertising and advergames (Nairn and Hang 2012; Panic et al. 2013), or corporate use of children as brand ambassadors selling to their friends (Nairn and Mayo 2009). Recent years have seen the UK government banning advertising of HSSF products in and around TV programs of particular appeal to children; the Advertising Association banning members from using children as brand ambassadors; and food and drink companies in the US and Europe producing voluntary codes to restrain the advertising of less healthy products to children (CFBAI 2015; EU Pledge 2015). These issues are not only important for national governments and industry groups but are increasingly within the remit of the biggest global NGOs who provide internationally aligned impetus for regulation change. For example, the WHO (2010) recently provided strong recommendations to all nation states on food and drink marketing to children, and the United Nations (2014) has recommended that its member states “prohibit all forms of advertising to children under 12 years of age, regardless of the medium, support or means used, with the possible extension of such prohibition to children under 16 years of age” (p. 23).
