Characterizing the extent and nature of digital food and beverage marketing in Singapore - a descriptive study

Objective: To characterize the nature of digital food and beverage advertising in Singapore.

Setting: Food and beverage advertisements within 20 clicks on top 12 non-food websites and all posts on Facebook and Instagram pages of 15 major food companies in Singapore were sampled from January 1 to June 30, 2018.

Design: Advertised foods were classified as being core (healthier), non-core or mixed-dishes (example burger) using the WHO nutrient profile model and national guidelines. Marketing techniques were assessed using published coding frameworks.

Results: Advertisements (n=117) on the 12 non-food websites were largely presented as editorial content. Food companies posted twice weekly on average on social media sites (n=1261), with eatery-chains posting most frequently and generating largest amount of likes and shares. Key marketing techniques emphasized non-health attributes for example hedonic or convenience attributes (85% of advertisements). Only a minority of foods and beverages advertised were core foods (non-food website:16.2%; social media: 13.5%).

Conclusions: Top food and beverage companies in Singapore actively use social media as a platform for promotion with a complex array of marketing techniques. A vast majority of these posts were unhealthy highlighting an urgent need to consider regulating digital food and beverage advertising in Singapore.