Battle of the Buzz: Consumers Driven to Food Fears in the Digital Age

Transcription

1 Battle of the Buzz: Consumers Driven to Food Fears in the Digital Age

2 Consumers Driven to Food Fears in the Digital Age In the digital age, food and beverage manufacturers are continually on the defensive as consumers are bombarded with a flood of misinformation from social media and consumer news about the impact of food on health and wellness. Today, media and consumers have more influence over business decision-making than ever before. But is that influence always well informed? Often, when media chooses to ignore important facts, it drives widespread confusion and controversy rather than meaningful change. For example, The Dr. Oz Show and Consumer Reports teamed up in 2011 to study the ingredients in a common children s beverage: apple juice. They claimed to find higher-than-normal levels of arsenic a chemical commonly associated with poison in some apple juice samples. This information was broadcast to nearly 3 million viewers. Their findings spurred extensive media coverage, social media chatter and subsequent consumer concern over the safety of the beverage. However, according to the FDA, most of the arsenic found in the samples was organic, which is harmless for human consumption. Instead of informing consumers with a full view of the facts, these media outlets stirred up unnecessary controversy by reporting just one side of the story. Recent research from the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA) at George Mason University and earlier research from social media consultants KDPaine & Partners unpacks how buzz from social media and consumer news may not always tell the full story when it comes to the health effects of specific food ingredients. This research, when analyzed in tandem with recent research on consumer attitudes and behaviors from Cornell University, Mintel Consulting and Nielsen, shows that consumer news can create unnecessary controversy, which may adversely impact business decision-making. The research reveals the following key insights to help food and beverage manufacturers wade through the buzz and deliver against true consumer demand: 2

3 OVERCOMING THE BUZZ WITH THE FACTS Consumer news may ignore scientific findings to drive readership, creating false controversy at the expense of telling consumers the full story. Widespread misinformation from social media and consumer news may motivate consumers to say they avoid specific food ingredients. Reported ingredient avoidance influences food and beverage manufacturers to make unnecessary changes to formulations and marketing strategies. Even when consumers say they are actively avoiding something, purchase behavior shows they don t always act on what they say. Food and beverage manufacturers should focus on actual purchase data for each of their consumer segments in order to deliver against true consumer demand. 3

4 Consumer News Coverage Ignores Science on High Fructose Corn Syrup When it comes to choosing foods and beverages, consumers seem to rely on the media to help them make decisions. But recent research suggests consumer news outlets may be misleading consumers by failing to present a balanced view of science. The research, conducted by the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA) at George Mason University and supported by a grant from the Corn Refiners Association, examined 120 news outlets covering scientific research on high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) from 2004 to In order to understand the media sentiment around HFCS over time, the CMPA studied 11 one-month time periods that included the publication or presentation of significant scientific information on the health effects of HFCS. This information included a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN) in 2004 and then 10 releases thereafter five that supported the claims in the first article and five that questioned or challenged them. Overall, 1,512 statements regarding the health effects of HFCS were identified within 567 consumer-facing news stories, revealing unbalanced and incomplete coverage of the science. 4 The media still haven t gotten the messages from scientists that HFCS is essentially no different from any other nutritive sweetener. Overall, the coverage placed news values above scientific values. - CMPA President Dr. Robert Lichter Scientific Research, Presentations and Articles Referenced by the CMPA Date Publication or presentation HFCS Sentiment April 2004 September 2007 September 2009 April 2010 July 2010 September 2010 June 2011 June 2012 December 2012 January 2013 February 2013 Consumption of high fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition The fructose nation. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology Fructose in the firing line. Food Navigator High fructose corn syrup causes characteristics of obesity in rats: increased body weight, body fat and triglyceride levels. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior No differences found for cardiovascular disease, weight gain or diabetes, with either HFCS or sucrose. Annual Meeting and Expo of the Endocrine Society Sugar content of popular sweetened beverages based on objective laboratory analysis: focus on fructose content. Obesity HFCS and sugar: studies show no meaningful difference: obesity and diabetes rates continue to rise despite decline in consumption of sweeteners. Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension Lack of evidence for high fructose corn syrup as the cause of the obesity epidemic. International Journal of Obesity High fructose corn syrup and diabetes prevalence: a global perspective. Global Public Health Effects of fructose vs. glucose on regional cerebral blood flow in brain regions involved with appetite and reward pathways. Global Public Health Consumption of sucrose and high fructose corn syrup does not increase liver fat or ectopic fat deposition in muscles. Journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism Negative Negative Positive Negative Positive Negative Positive Positive Negative Negative Positive

5 Unbalanced Coverage Across Scientific Studies While the science released from 2004 to 2013 was fairly balanced, the media coverage was not. The study published by the AJCN in 2004 suggested a connection between rising HFCS consumption and rising obesity rates. Even though the researchers presented a hypothesis rather than a proven fact, it received the most media attention by far. In fact, it accounted for as much coverage as the 10 later research studies combined. In all, 90 percent of the media coverage went to research that criticized HFCS for negative health effects compared to other nutritive sweeteners. Most outlets even disregarded a statement from Dr. Barry Popkin, an author of the original AJCN article, where he claimed he was wrong in singling out HFCS for making a unique contribution to the obesity epidemic. Another statement released in 2012 issued by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) concluded that HFCS and sucrose are equal in their metabolic effects. Again, many consumer news outlets ignored these findings. In fact, after the statement, more than 70 percent of news sources argued against their findings. Consumer Media References Anonymous Sources The CMPA also found that most coverage was unbalanced based on sources that the media cited. Just over a quarter of all sources (26 percent) that expressed an opinion about the health effects of HFCS were identified as academic experts. Of the academic experts cited, nearly half (46 percent) were not named. Of those who were named, a small number of scientists exercised a relatively large amount of influence. In fact, five scientists (all active in public-policy proposals to limit consumption of nutritive sweeteners) accounted for 43 percent of all opinions. In addition, scientific opinion in the news often stood on its own authority, without pointing consumers toward any evidence to back up the opinion they were expressing. Nearly 60 percent of opinions from experts did not cite specific scientific evidence. ARE HFCS AND SUCROSE EQUIVALENT? 52% 48% 63% 71% 37% 29% Total Pre-AND Post-AND Yes No Opinions about the compositional and metabolic equivalence of HFCS and sucrose before and after the AND s 2012 position paper appeared. 5

6 Coverage Lacked Scientific Context In addition to being unbalanced, the CMPA analysis revealed that HFCS coverage lacked scientific context. Just 16 percent of coverage was supported by specific scientific evidence at all. That coverage was evaluated to see how thoroughly reporters described the research, including details around research design, statistical significance and if historical research was cited. Most stories failed to mention important details, such as how the sample was selected, whether the results were statistically significant, and whether findings indicated clear relationships between variables. Instead of scientific fact, unspecified claims of harm dominated the conversation. These claims include phrases such as it s bad for you and HFCS is unhealthy. Moreover, newly released studies were often presented as unique events rather than links in an ongoing scientific process. In fact, less than 20 percent of coverage that was supported by scientific evidence placed the findings from a new study in the context of earlier findings on the same topic. REPORTING ON RESEARCH DETAILS 80% IDENTIFYING RESEARCH DESIGN 28% SAMPLE SELECTION METHOD 62% SAMPLE SIZE NUMBER OF REPORTS: 71 68% EXPOSURE METHOD KEY TAKEAWAY: Consumer news may ignore scientific findings to drive readership, creating false controversy at the expense of telling consumers the full story. 44% 62% 16% 0% DOSAGE LEVELS USE OF A CONTROL/ COMPARISON GROUP STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE MARGIN OF ERROR 7% ASSERTIONS OF CAUSALITY 17% PUTTING THE RESEARCH IN CONTEXT 14% SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR RESEARCH 43% PUBLICATION OF RESULTS So how does all of this buzz impact consumer attitudes and purchase behavior? 6

7 SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT A vocal minority on social media adds to the confusion More than ever, consumers turn to Facebook, Twitter and other digital communities when making purchase decisions seeking advice from their networks and expressing their own opinions. Therefore, marketers use these channels to understand consumer sentiment by assuming it provides the big picture. The louder the buzz, the truer the sentiment must be, right? Not always. From October 2010 October 2011, at the height of the HFCS debate, the Corn Refiners Association commissioned social media consultants KDPaine & Partners to sift through nearly 300,000 social media posts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and a variety of blogs and forums. Here s what they found: The Majority Are Unengaged in the HFCS Conversation The research also found that nearly 168,000 low-volume posters those who post only once, or at the most twice a year were fairly unengaged in the HFCS conversation and tended to comment or post once and then move on. While their comments skewed negative, the infrequency of their posts didn t indicate significant apprehension. Social media can be a useful medium for determining a mere snapshot of consumer sentiment, but it doesn t always tell the full story. To separate the bluff from the buzz, social data should be analyzed alongside other consumer insights such as survey data and purchase behavior. A Select Few Drown Out True Sentiment KDPaine & Partners found that a small fraction of users were creating a disproportionate amount of content. In fact, 10 percent of all social media users posting about HFCS generated more than a third of the content. Nearly two-thirds (61 percent) of these high-volume posters were classified as suspicious accounts robots, pay-per-click (PPC) sites, content farms or faux followers and friends. Clearly, this content doesn t speak for consumers at large, but for the interests of a select few. 7

8 Unbalanced buzz confuses consumers, creates unnecessary controversy After being inundated day after day with unbalanced buzz from social media and consumer news, it s no surprise that consumers are confused about food ingredients. Recently published research conducted by Cornell University and commissioned by the Corn Refiners Association uses consumer attitudes to understand the magnitude of that confusion and the motivations behind it. The study, conducted in 2011, surveyed a group of 1,008 highly educated mothers ages 25 to 55, revealing their attitudes around HFCS. Even among this demographic thought to be most prone to food fears, a relatively small percentage said they avoid HFCS. Researchers asked the following unaided question at the beginning of the survey: Is there any food ingredient that you have avoided in the past three months? Based on their answers, respondents were divided into three categories: 28 percent said they avoided HFCS and were labeled as HFCS Avoiders 60 percent said they avoided sugars in general and were labeled as Sugars Avoiders 12 percent said they avoided neither and were labeled as Non-Avoiders Internet and Image Matter for HFCS Avoiders Of those consumers who claimed to avoid HFCS, two motivating factors were uncovered. First, they may be getting unbalanced information from social media and consumer news. Second, they tended to seek approval from others and may, therefore, spread unbalanced information. The moms were asked to note where they received information about HFCS and which sources were most influential, including friends and family, television, magazines, newspapers, food package labels, the Internet and health professionals. HFCS Avoiders were found to be most likely to get their information from the Internet (24 percent), which is two times more than Non-Avoiders. The next most-referenced information sources for HFCS Avoiders were magazines and newspapers (18 percent). 8

9 Where Do You Get the Majority of Your Information About HFCS? (Standard Deviations in Parentheses) HFCS Avoiders (n=283) Sugars Avoiders (n=601) Nonavoiders (n=124) Friends and Family 4.95% 2.82% 4.03% Licensed Health Professionals 4.59% 3.49% 3.99% Internet/Online 24.38% 29.96% 12.90% Television 10.60% 19.81% 33.87% Magazines and Newspapers 18.37% 14.31% 12.09% Food Package Labels 16.61% 13.14% 9.68% Other 16.25% 10.65% 8.1% Additionally, avoiding HFCS seemed to be more about image and less about health and science for the HFCS Avoiders who were surveyed. The research showed this group displayed a higher need for social desirability than those who did not express sweetener avoidance. It was also much more important to HFCS Avoiders that their friends know they buy organic and/or natural foods and beverages. This aligns with a social psychology concept known as The Prius Effect, which describes the tendency for some consumers to espouse certain beliefs because of what it signals to their peers. KEY TAKEAWAY: Widespread misinformation from social media and consumer news may drive consumers to say they avoid specific food ingredients. This reported avoidance influences food and beverage manufacturers to make unnecessary changes to formulations and marketing strategies. But even if consumers say they avoid an ingredient, does it really pan out when they make purchases? 9

10 Consumers say they avoid ingredients but don t actually do it With the spread of unbalanced information across social media and consumer news, this leaves food and beverage manufacturers are asking, How do I reach my consumer in all of this confusion? The Sweetener360, a recent study commissioned by the Corn Refiners Association and conducted by Nielsen and Mintel Consulting, showed that analyzing purchase behavior of key consumer segments might be the key to answering that question. The study identified the sweetener attitudes and behaviors of six distinct lifestyle segments accounting for 88 percent or $54.8 billion in sales across 15 high-volume food and beverage categories. Three of the six segments are not concerned with health news and sweeteners. The other three, much like the demographic studied by Cornell, were found to be much more aware of health news and say they consider it when making purchase decisions. WALTER No health worries Doesn t care about sweetener ingredients; dines out most often. Teresa Making ends meet Is balancing saving money with healthy decisions. SANDRA Taste over health Needs to satisfy everyone in the family taste driven. Joan Diabetic & dieter Has diabetes and is trying to lose weight by avoiding sugar. Julia Seeks healthy balance Wants to have good habits for children, even if they don t do it for themselves. STACEY All natural Prefers all-natural lifestyle, sometimes trending toward the extreme. While these consumers may say they are concerned about specific sweeteners, the study showed that every segment is a very important purchaser of products containing sugar, HFCS and low-/no-calorie sweeteners. In fact, the research shows that each consumer segment buys sweetened food and beverage products in proportion to its size as a part of the general population. KEY TAKEAWAY: Consumers may say they are actively avoiding a specific ingredient, but their purchase behavior shows they are not. 10

11 Putting it all together Many consumer news outlets continue to create controversy that isn t based on scientific fact, and the cycle of media-induced ingredient avoidance shows no signs of stopping. So how should food and beverage manufacturers separate fact from fiction? SO WHAT? To receive a customized report that compares consumer attitudes with purchase behavior around up to five of your brands, visit The analysis will uncover your light, medium and heavy brand buyers, showing the differences in what consumers say and what they actually do when purchasing your products. In order to wade through the buzz, data shows that manufacturers should look past what consumers say they avoid and focus on actual purchase data for each of their consumer segments. This focus can help deliver against true consumer demand, without wasting resources on product reformulations and marketing campaigns that miss the mark. Key Insights Consumer news may ignore scientific findings to drive readership, creating false controversy at the expense of telling consumers the full story. Widespread misinformation from social media and consumer news may motivate consumers to say they avoid specific food ingredients. Reported ingredient avoidance influences food and beverage manufacturers to make unnecessary changes to formulations and marketing strategies. Even when consumers say they are actively avoiding something, purchase behavior shows they don t always act on what they say. Food and beverage manufacturers should focus on actual purchase data for each of their consumer segments in order to deliver against true consumer demand. 11

12 About Sara Martens Sara Martens serves as a consultant for The MSR Group s major consumer products and services companies. She has spent nearly 20 years in marketing and advertising and has worked extensively in branding and strategy development. She is a member of the Marketing Research Association (MRA), Omaha Federation of Advertising and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Journalism Alumni Association. About the Corn Refiners Association The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) is the national trade association representing the corn refining (wet milling) industry of the United States. CRA and its predecessors have served this important segment of American agribusiness since To learn more, visit