Product: The 4 Ps of marketing — selling junk food to communities of color
Thursday, July 25, 2019What do Pepsi Limón, Doritos Salsa Verde, and Tapatío hot sauce-flavored Fritos all have in common? The food and beverage industry created these unhealthy products to attract Latinx consumers.1,2 Companies like PepsiCo develop products that are specifically designed to entice people of color — and this practice is nothing new. For example, in the 1990s, McDonald's developed products aimed at Latinx communities called the "Fiesta Menu," which included guacamole and beef tortas.3
Many food and beverage products promoted and sold to communities of color, such as sodas, processed snacks, and fast-food meals, are low in nutrients and high in sugars, salt, and fats.4 These junk foods can increase disease risk or interfere with management of chronic conditions — especially in the absence of healthier food and beverage options. Meanwhile, communities of color have been the hardest hit by the current epidemic of diabetes and other nutrition-related diseases.5
Although food and beverage companies market junk foods heavily through advertisements and social media promotions, the product being marketed is itself a form of marketing.6 Product development is just one of several ways that companies engage in target marketing,6 the practice of using tailored approaches to sell products to specific groups, such as communities of color. While there are benefits to food and beverage companies being inclusive with the products they offer and appealing to many cultures and ethnicities, doing so becomes a problem when such products are unhealthy.
What is target marketing?
Target marketing applies the "marketing mix" principles: product, price, place, and promotion. The "4 Ps" model is foundational to today's digital marketplace and is widely adopted by both marketing practitioners and academics. Some business experts also add other Ps, such as "personalization," to the mix.
The targeted marketing of unhealthy food and beverages to communities of color is common across all four marketing mix categories, as companies have designed:
- products especially for communities of color;
- prices designed to appeal to specific income groups, such as "value menus" targeting low-income neighborhoods, as communities of color are disproportionately represented within them;
- places that are saturated with unhealthy food products, due to zoning in certain communities that allows concentrations of fast-food restaurants or proliferation of outdoor advertising of unhealthy food and sugary beverages7; and
- promotions that exploit cultural images, symbolism, and language that are recognizable to communities of color to sell products or build brand loyalty.
Special flavors and designs
In a 2014 list compiled by business2community.com, of the top six brands that succeeded at understanding Hispanic marketing, McDonald's ranked first. According to the business website, McDonald's had recently been named Marketer of the Year by the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies, citing the fast-food chain's "commitment to leading with ethnic insights, consistent focus on Latino research and business practices, and budgeting of multi-cultural business strategies."8 [caption id="attachment_10637" align="alignleft" width="300"]
A screenshot of McDonald's jalapeño double burger advertisement.[/caption]
The image used to promote the article featured an ad for the "Nueva Jalapeño Double Latin American-issima!," a special jalapeño-loaded double cheeseburger. While the article highlighted the strategic use of the marketing mix to reach Latinx consumers and other communities of color, it was "product" that best illustrated how the 4 Ps work.
Junk food products that are specially designed for communities of color have been a long-standing target marketing practice, one that holds special appeal for youth and brand loyalists. For example, consider the iconic Oreo cookie. Over the course of its century-long history, variations have included the dulce de leche Oreo,9 watermelon Oreo,10 and even a rainbow Oreo, launched in support of gay pride.11
And while some junk food and beverage companies use special ingredients and flavor formulations to appeal to communities of color, others rely on packaging. In a separate brief, we discuss how Coca-Cola manufactured special Coke cans with Hispanic surnames on them and created temporary tattoos attached to those cans to target Latinx consumers. Sometimes, it's simply a product's name that's directed at communities of color. In 2003, Hip Hop artist Nelly launched an energy drink named "Pimp Juice," after one of his songs, stirring controversy among African Americans and nutrition advocates alike.12