WHO’s Report on Digital Marketing Restrictions and GHAI’s Participation in its Launch

Rampant marketing of unhealthy food products is a serious concern for the international community. To address this pressing health issue, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently launched its publication “Restricting Digital Marketing in the context of Tobacco, Alcohol, Food and Beverages, and Breast-Milk Substitutes: Existing Approaches and Policy Options.”  

For its launch, WHO’s Public Health Law and Policies Unit organized a three part webinar series in June. The first session provided an overview of digital marketing and framed the associated challenges. The second session explored legislative options for marketing restrictions, while the final session focused on monitoring and enforcing these restrictions. 

The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) was invited to the first session, held in June. Aura Guerrero, legal advisor for the Food and Nutrition Program, presented global examples of deceptive or misleading digital marketing strategies employed by ultra-processed food and drink companies. These strategies are designed to increase the appeal of their products or make them appear healthy. The examples featured a range of examples of digital marketing strategies for unhealthy food products, such as influencer marketing and user engagement techniques through social media. 

Below are key elements from this first webinar on GHAI’s perspective on the pervasive influence of digital marketing in the food and beverage industry and critical issues that need to be addressed to protect public health.  

Overview of Digital Marketing 

Advertising, including digital marketing, has been strongly associated with the heightened consumption of unhealthy food products. Digital marketing, in particular, is both extensive and pervasive. It exposes consumers to advertisements more frequently than traditional media does. Furthermore, digital marketing often targets individual users through the collection and utilization of personal data and fosters consumer engagement. Digital marketing strategies include multiple strategies, such as social media advertising, influencer marketing, user engagement tactics, and in-app advertisements, among others that are addressed in WHO’s publication. These digital strategies amplify exposure to marketing and enhance its power and influence over consumers. Throughout GHAI’s presentation, two specific tactics were highlighted: influencer marketing and user engagement tactics.  

1. Influencer Marketing 

   As defined by the WHO, influencer marketing involves a direct commercial collaboration between a brand and an influencer to promote a product or the brand itself. Influencers have been defined as “individuals who amass large followings on social media and exert significant influence over their audience through engaging content.”1 GHAI shared an example of influencer marketing from Brazil illustrating this type of marketing: an Instagram post from one famous media star, who is also a journalist and a lawyer and who has over 2 million followers promoting a cereal produced by a multinational food and drink conglomerate intended for consumption by children. Products promoted through influencers are often high in nutrients of concern, such as salt, saturated fat and sugar, and are not nutritionally adequate despite claims to the contrary. Moreover, these posts frequently lack disclosures regarding the influencer’s commercial relationship with the brand and the commercial nature of the endorsement. 

    

2. User Engagement Tactics

   According to the WHO’s report, user engagement techniques encourage users to participate actively with a brand or product online, including by commenting, sharing or liking content. For instance, GHAI presented an example from Vietnam of a TikTok video advertising a sugary drink through a popular pop group, which challenged its viewers to participate in a dance contest. The video received over a hundred million views and generated engagement among young consumers, including children. In addition to GHAI’s presentation of specific examples of digital marketing, WHO representatives discussed how the report is intended to provide guidance on addressing the impact of marketing unhealthy food and beverages on health. At GHAI, we advocate for restricting all advertisements and marketing, including digital, of unhealthy food products due to their detrimental impact on health and well-being. This issue is especially critical when children and communities living in vulnerable conditions are targeted or exposed to such marketing, or when the marketing is designed to appeal to them. WHO’s webinar series is recorded and can be accessed on the WHO’s website. 

Watch the full recording here: