Marketing health

HUL stopping marketing to youngsters is welcome

The health of children and adolescents, particularly in a time of increasing prosperity and unhealthy lifestyles, is a major public health issue. By some estimates, 15 per cent of the children in India are overweight, and it is possible that this proportion goes up to over a third when it comes to those from higher-income families. This worrying trend requires a whole-of-society effort if it is to be corrected. In this context it is welcome that giant fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company Hindustan Unilever is following its global parent in ending the marketing of food brands to those aged less than 16. In India, HUL owns brands including Kissan, Wall’s ice cream, and Horlicks. Many marketing and advertising companies have sought particularly to reach younger people in order to increase the market share of product lines from their FMCG clients. It is difficult to end such practices through law or regulation, particularly given the proliferation of digital media and the increasing tendency to use deniable “leaked” advertisements in order to spur viral interest in a brand. The best option is ceasing voluntarily the targeting of younger people as consumers, in the manner Unilever is doing.

It is important that Unilever’s decision not be an isolated act in the FMCG sector. While HUL is the largest company in the space in terms of turnover, it has many influential and wide-reaching Indian and multinational competitors hawking chocolates, ice cream, biscuits, and noodles, among other relevant products. Some of these in the past had explicitly targeted children and teenagers in their marketing campaigns, though the tendency to do so has noticeably decreased in recent years. A voluntary agreement to restrict such marketing in the broader sector would be a step forward for responsible business in India.

Certainly, the sector needs a desperate image makeover. Some of these FMCG companies have, directly and indirectly, been fighting all attempts by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to properly label the content in pre-packaged food. This has clearly been perceived as irresponsible and placing profit above public health. But, in a post-pandemic world, such an attitude will no longer fly. If regulation is not to become more stark and intrusive, it will be necessary for companies, individually and together, to work to restrict the effects their operations have on public health, particularly for exposed and vulnerable groups like children and teenagers.

It is, therefore, essential that its competitors follow HUL into declaring a common moratorium on marketing to children and adolescents. But that itself will not be enough. Dropping resistance to proper labelling, and co-operating with the regulators in designing clear and informative infographics, is the next step. They should already be on board. There is no reason to suppose that a shift towards healthier foods and snacks, if carried out with imagination and energy on the part of the FMCG sector, will lead to a sustained reduction in profits.