Junk food has its place but not at the
check-out lane in the grocery store according to a proposed new ban in Berkley, California. Not to worry, one can still buy all the candy and impulse items inside the store on the regular aisles.
Children sitting impatiently in the shopping cart have been easy prey for junk food manufacturers. In most stores, unwholesome wares are set out as attractive bate right at a child’s eye level and within easy “grab” distance. Unfortunately, the entire process perpetuates the obesity epidemic, subsequently ensuring a cascade of bad outcomes including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other costly, miserable complications.
Consider the effect of changing goods on high traffic checkout lanes to fresh fruit, a wholesome drink, a healthy snack, or other beneficial items to “nudge” everyone to embrace healthier lifestyles. Marketing “science” knows how to increase sales, so why not use this ability to encourage health and wellness while still profiting? Marketers and producers would also have the satisfaction of contributing to society rather than encouraging deleterious behaviors.
Interestingly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) introduced the emerging field of
health marketing basics almost a decade ago that draws from traditional marketing theories and principles. Marketing is the process by which products are used to meet human and social needs. Thus, linking folks to a healthy product in the checkout lane is as easy and profitable as linking to an unwholesome attraction.
Surprisingly, more “academic” study has been described regarding marketing than one would expect, as marketers seem to want to “sell” their craft. “Marketing mix” is a term integrating four fundamental marketing elements according to the CDC’s explanation of the four “Ps.” Imagine a campaign to have washed, pre-cut fresh fruit at the checkout lane with the following characteristics.
- Product—items including quality, packaging, design, and brand name, all ready to eat
- Price—charges attractive to the customer and seller, so both benefit particularly as volume increases
- Place—ideal location of items for shoppers
- Promotion—a public health campaign directed towards healthy snacks at the checkout lane
Hypothetically, if marketing a healthy food, drink, or behavior could become as effective as the launch of high salt, sugar, and fat content foods (think about potato chips—bet you can’t eat just one), the profound decrease of disease burden caused by obesity would be measurable.
Limiting the discussion to food and obesity is short sighted. Our current pandemic lends credence to marketing for safe behavior and rapid testing. Imagine the difference in decreasing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19 if rapid, easy testing were effectively marketed and available. For example, home pregnancy tests have been available for decades as have HIV tests.
Hopefully, we will soon have an effective vaccine for COVID-19 prevention. To gain trust, marketing will be critical for acceptance. Getting the product, price, place, and promotion correct would be both immensely helpful to individuals and economically advantageous for the world.
Ethical marketing could reduce the need for regulations and legislation. Marketers’ powers of persuasion used properly would encourage society in the direction of health and wellness without unnecessary restrictions.