Towards evidence-based marketing: The case of childhood obesity

Citation

Stead M, McDermott L & Hastings G (2007) Towards evidence-based marketing: The case of childhood obesity. Marketing Theory, 7 (4), pp. 379-406. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593107083163

Abstract
Contentious commodities such as tobacco, alcohol and fatty foods are bringing marketing under scrutiny from consumers and policymakers. Yet there is little agreement on whether marketing is harmful to society. Systematic review (SR), a methodology derived from clinical medicine, offers marketers a tool for providing resolution and allowing policymakers to proceed with greater confidence. This article describes how SR methods were applied for the first time to a marketing problem -- the effects of food promotion to children. The review withstood scrutiny and its findings were formally ratified by government bodies and policymakers, demonstrating that SR methods can transfer from clinical research to marketing.

Keywords
children; food promotion; policymaking; systematic review

Journal
Marketing Theory: Volume 7, Issue 4

People

Professor Gerard Hastings

Emeritus Professor, Institute for Social Marketing