Tanita Northcott, The University of Melbourne and Christine Parker, The University of MelbourneThe Australian government has been investigating whether we should ban unhealthy food advertising online, and how it could work. In the United Kingdom, a ban on unhealthy food and drink advertising online will start in October 2025. We recently used the Australian Ad Observatory to investigate targeted junk-food ads on Facebook in Australia. Our study finds that unhealthy food and drinks are promoted in ways designed to appeal to parents and carers of children, and children themselves. Additionally, young men in our study were being targeted by fast-food ads. Kids, young people and parents should be aware of the strategies online advertisers use to normalise unhealthy eating patterns. We should all demand a more healthy digital environment. Our work supports ongoing calls for a ban on junk food advertising online. What did we see in the ads?The Australian Ad Observatory has created the world’s largest known collection of the targeted ads people encounter on Facebook. Our 1,909 volunteers have donated 328,107 unique ads from their social media feeds. This gives researchers an unprecedented opportunity to examine what ads Australians see on social media and how they are being targeted. We searched the database for ads promoting the top-selling unhealthy food and drink brands. These are “discretionary” or “sometimes” foods that tend to be high in fats and sugars. They include fast-food meals, confectionery, sugary drinks and snacks. (To identify unhealthy food and drink categories, we used government guidance on healthy food and drinks.) We also looked at online food delivery companies because of their popularity on digital platforms. They play a likely role in promoting unhealthy foods. We found nearly 2,000 unique ads by 141 separate advertisers observed about 6,000 times by individuals. Ads for fast-food brands made up half of the unhealthy food ad observations in our study. Fast-food giants KFC and McDonald’s combined accounted for roughly 25% of all unhealthy food ad observations. Snack and confectionery brands, like Cadbury, featured in a third of the ad observations. Soft drink brands such as Coca-Cola were promoted in 11% of observations. About 9% of ads promoted online food delivery companies, and typically promoted fast-food options. Other advertisers we might not think of as junk food brands, such as Coles supermarkets and 7-Eleven convenience stores, also regularly promoted junk foods. The power of junk food The vulnerability of children to junk food ads is well established. Children’s exposure to food marketing has been associated with what types of food they prefer and ask their parents to purchase. When they develop preferences for unhealthy foods, this contributes to unhealthy habits and related health concerns. But it’s not only children who are susceptible to unhealthy food marketing. Junk food advertising also shapes the food norms and attitudes of young people aged 18 to 24. Our experiences online and digital technologies more generally can impact our health. These are known as “digital determinants of health”. Food advertisers use the vast amounts of data collected about individuals to target specific audiences. They can seamlessly integrate advertising into everyday life. Our study shows junk food advertising is disproportionately served to young people, especially young men. Young men are seeing a much higher proportion of fast food ads (71%) compared to the sample overall (50%), suggesting fast food is marketed to them more aggressively. Many ads promoted special “app-only” deals, including free delivery, especially for fast food. The ‘halo effect’ We also found examples of ads aimed at busy parents, painting fast food as something that saves parents time, quietens children and feeds families. Even though Facebook accounts are available only to people 13 and over, junk-food ads still use child-oriented themes, such as characters and games. Many appear to be designed to appeal directly to children. This included ads promoting “healthy” foods, such as vegetables, in kids’ meals. The most insidious marketing tactics we found connect junk foods, and the brands synonymous with junk foods, to wholesome or popular activities. This creates a “halo effect”. For example, many ads use “sports-washing” to associate unhealthy foods with healthy sports activities or pleasurable spectator sports. Sports in junk-food marketing can appeal to a broad audience, including young people. While not all of these sport-related ads promoted or displayed unhealthy food products directly, the sport provided the focal point of ads with strong brand-specific elements, therefore forging the connection. Other ads used “mental health-washing”, including ads for chocolate bars, packaged snacks or fast food co-promoting community mental health organisations. Last week a Parliamentary Inquiry into Diabetes in Australia repeated calls for the government to restrict the marketing and advertising of unhealthy food to children on television, radio, in gaming and online. The federal government should soon issue its report on how best to limit unhealthy food marketing to children. Our study supports the government’s proposal to ban all unhealthy food and drink advertising online. The proposed ban should cover not just unhealthy food itself, but also any mention of the brands synonymous with those foods. This is because mentioning these brands brings such foods instantly to mind. We also recommend the government should include all types of promotions. This includes ads from online food delivery companies, supermarkets and sports clubs that cross-promote unhealthy foods. Many are concerned about the impact of social media and its algorithmic content feeds on children and young people. Our study highlights the food and drink ads targeting children, young people and harried parents can also create an unhealthy digital environment. Tanita Northcott, Research Fellow, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne and Christine Parker, Professor of Law, The University of Melbourne This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. |
Junk food is promoted online to appeal to kids and target young men, our study shows (2026-06-11T11:51:00+05:30)
Rashmika Mandanna: For me, fragrance is memory (2025-09-22T13:17:00+05:30)
 Rashmika Mandanna: For me, fragrance is memory Mumbai, July 21 (IANS) Actress Rashmika Mandanna has announced the launch of her fragrance brand, and said that for her, perfumes bring back special moments that might otherwise be forgotten. Called Dear Diary, her perfume brand is inspired by Rashmika’s own life experiences and deeply personal reflections. “For me, fragrance is memory. I don’t remember most things, or maybe it's just selective memory, but perfumes bring back special moments that might otherwise be forgotten. It’s how I hold on to the people, places, and experiences that shaped who I am.” She said with Dear Diary, she wanted to give everyone a way to carry their stories with them. “To connect, to feel comforted, to feel a warm hug, and to express who they are, unapologetically," said Rashmika. Rashmika also shared a video on social media talking about her new fragrance brand. She wrote in the caption: “This one’s really really realllllyyyy close to my heart. It’s not just a brand.. not just a perfume.. it’s a piece of me. Scent has always been such an important part of my personal life.. and today I share that with you..” She added: “I am so grateful I get to do this.. I am so excited but also soooo nervous.. but I hope I have all your blessings to go ahead with this..” Ahead of the announcement, the actress had shared her excitement on social media. She dropped a video where she was heard saying, "Okay, I can't believe I am finally recording this. Like you know by now, I have been working on something very very very close to my heart- it's not just a project, it's something I've poured my love into for you- for every message, for every cheer, every bit of love you have sent my way for the years. This is me sharing a little piece of that with you." "I hope you feel it, I hope you love it - can't wait to share it with you. It's launching tomorrow, and I am very very very very excited about this and very nervous, and very grateful," she added.The post was captioned, “Been keeping something special to myself for a while now… and trust me, it’s not easy when all I want to do is share it with you… Just a little longer…”Rashmika Mandanna: For me, fragrance is memory | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com |
Paid ads on Twitter combined with TV ads reduced acquisition costs for mobile networks in the UK (2014-05-10T05:57:00+05:30)
 "In an analysis conducted for Twitter, MarketShare – the leader in advanced marketing analytics – has found that TV ads were more effective when combined with Twitter paid advertising for the category examined. This study – which focused specifically on new mobile service subscribers in the UK – found that for mobile carriers, TV advertising generated new customers at an average of $131 each when there wasn’t Twitter paid advertising. But for those carriers combining television ads with Twitter advertising, customer acquisition cost for TV advertising dropped to about $83, a 35% improvement. “Now more than ever, major brand marketers need to understand the complex interplay between different marketing channels, and online-offline in particular,” says Jon Vein, Co-founder and CEO of MarketShare. “This analysis for Twitter is shedding new light on today’s complex consumer journey and how companies can profit from these insights in an increasingly multi-screen world.” “We have always believed that Twitter is a powerful complement to television, and this study supports that,” says Adam Bain, President of Global Revenue for Twitter. “MarketShare’s ground-breaking work, using big data techniques and leading edge analytics, helps us quantify how Twitter can be a force multiplier, making television advertising even more effective than ever”. Study Goals and Findings MarketShare’s analysis aimed specifically to measure the impact of Twitter paid products – promoted tweets, accounts and trends – on driving subscriber growth for mobile carriers in the UK. Results shed light on Twitter’s role in driving new mobile subscribers, the role of marketing spend in stimulating Twitter engagement and increasing sales, and how Twitter advertising affects TV ad performance. Results indicate an “amplification” effect from Twitter promotions that helped mobile carriers improve ROI on their television ad spending. Paid Twitter programs also drove increases in other business outcomes for UK mobile carriers, including positive user commentary about marketing campaigns and branded search volume. The study showed that Twitter paid advertising at a relatively small amount of spend – about 1.5% of total budgets on average – produced 9.5% of marketing’s overall contribution to sales. By comparison, online display ads consumed 5.1% of ad spending and delivered 5.5% of results. Print spending, meanwhile, was 31.7% of the total, while delivering 34.5% of the results. MarketShare also measured how “share of voice” in the world of Twitter conversations (tweets; re-tweets, mentions, etc.) contributed to a lift in sales for UK mobile service providers. The study established that a simulated 10% increase in positive share of voice for service produces a 0.5% lift in sales. Likewise, a 30% boost in positive service-related conversations would lift sales 1.5% percent. As marketing complexity continues to expand, big brands are seeking new insights into how marketing channels interact, and how best to allocate marketing dollars. Now, with the help of MarketShare’s advanced marketing analytics expertise, Twitter has quantified the financial impact of paid advertising on its platform with true return-on-investment (ROI) metrics that help brands make more informed marketing choices. Future analysis will further explore the interplay between Twitter, TV and other marketing channels across more categories and geographies." MarketShare, 19-Dec-2013. Source: Article, Image: flickr.com |
Scandal rocks Miss Supranational 2013 pageant: Polish business partner fails to distribute winner's prize (2013-12-01T23:07:00+05:30)
Gerhard Parzutka von Lipinski poses with Ekaterina Buraya of Belarus, Miss Supranational 2012, during the press conference of the Miss Supranational 2013 pageant in Minsk, Belarus.
A reliable source informed Critical Beauty that Gerhard Parzutka von Lipinski, the Polish producer, host and launch partner of World Beauty Association (WBA), the Panamanian-based company that owns and produces the Miss Supranational pageant, has failed to distribute the cash prizes for the 2013 winner, Mutya Datul, and her runners-up. This information was sent via e-mail to all license holders by WBA Chief Operating Officer, Marc Russell, dated November 15, 2013. WBA is now considering a possible class action against von Lipinski, who heads his company called Nowa Scena, This source then forwarded the e-mail to Critical Beauty. The e-mail also reveals that von Lipinski pretended to be WBA President Tryny Marcela Yandar Lobón when he wrote a
Gerhard Parzutka von Lipinski (front row, third from left) eyeing a contestant during the swimsuit preliminaries of Miss Polski 2013 pageant last June in Poland.
circular e-mail to all license holders on October 17, 2013. The e-mail looked suspicious as it had been written from a different e-mail address that Yandar Lobón never had. Russell's e-mail also mentioned Edwin Dominguez, the national director of Panama. Russell states that Dominguez does not work for WBA. Russell writes: "We assume that our National Director from Panama will wake up from his frivolous mistake to assist Mr Gerhard Parzutka von Lipinski when seeing the poor financial statements of Nowa Scena since 2010." [I don't quite understand what Russell is saying, but it seems to suggest that he wishes that Dominguez should
Gerhard Parzutka von Lipinski and Panama's national director Edwin Dominguez. Date & location of photo unknown.
have reported von Lipinski immediately to WBA after having seen Nowa Scena's near-bankrupt situation in 2010. Russell's e-mail ends with a note of disappointment, accusing von Lipinski of behaving "greedy and dubious at the end of our 5-yrs launch and regret the damage our clean and superb brand may suffer" - and a little bit of optimism: "We will do our best to get the situation under control and will inform you about our owners’ next exciting steps." We'll see about that. Photos from Miss Supranational website and Gerhard Parzutka von Lipinski's Facebook page. By Rafa Delfin: Updated:11-30-2013. Per readers' request, publishing Marc Russell's email here. Judge for yourself. Source: criticalbeauty.com......................................................
 |