dunk
      Food
      Sells
     
    
   
   
    
     
      To
      get
      another
      angle
      on
      the
     
     
      question,
      |
      went
      to
      visit
      Ann
     
     
      Hale,
      a
      marketing
      professor
      in
     
     
      McGill's
      Faculty
      of
      Management.
     
    

    
     
      Hale
      laughed
      when
      she
      saw
     
     
      the
      products,
      andthen
      remarked
     
     
      on
      the
      lack
      of
      nutritive
      value
      in
     
     
      each
      of
      them.
      |
      felt
      a
      curious
     
     
      sense
      of
      deja
      vu.
     
    

    
     
      She
      said
      longevity
      was
      one
     
     
      reason
      for
      the
      persistence
      of
     
     
      the
      brands
      of
      cereals.
      People
     
     
      who
      ate
      these
      cereals
      as
      chil-
     
     
      dren
      were
      now
      feeding
      them
      to
     
     
      their
      own
      children.
     
    

    
     
      “People
      then
      didn’t
      even
     
     
      think
      of
      the
      nutritional
      value
      of
     
     
      what
      they
      made.”
     
    

    
     
      “People
      who
      buy
      these
      are
     
     
      just
      trying
      to
      make
      their
      kids
      eat
     
     
      somethingin
      the
      morning,”
      added
     
     
      Hale.
     
    

    
     
      Hale
      said
      the
      cereals
      were
     
     
      marketed
      to
      capture
      the
      attention
      of
      children.
     
    

    
     
      “When
      you
      think
      of
      the
      product
      decisions
     
     
      a
      family
      makes,
      there
      are
      very
      few
      that
      children
     
     
      havea
      say
      in.
      One
      of
      the
      only
      decisions
      that
      kids
     
     
      make
      is
      what
      cereal
      they
      eat.”
     
    

    
     
      Hale
      said
      that
      attempts
      to
      appeal
      to
      kids
      are
     
     
      thereason
      for
      the
      large
      turnover
      in
      kids’
      cereals,
     
     
      and
      the
      preponderance
      of
      brands
      following
     
     
      consumer
      brands,
      such
      as
      Teenage
      Mutant
     
     
      Ninja
      Turtles
      and
      Dinosaurs.
     
    

    
     
      Children’s
      cereals
      are
      usually
      placed
      lower
     
     
      on
      the
      supermarket
      shelves
      than
      adults’
      cereals
     
     
      in
      order
      to
      attract
      the
      eyes
      of
      children.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Froot
      Loops
      box
      bore
      what
      looked
      like
     
     
      an
      advertisement
      for
      Lego
      toys
      with
      the
      possi-
     
     
      bility
      of
      getting
      one
      with
      several
      cereal-box
     
     
      vouchers.
     
    

    
     
      Hale
      explained
      that
      this
      “co-operative
      ad-
     
     
      vertising,”
      in
      which
      firms
      such
      as
      Lego
      paid
      to
     
     
      advertise
      on
      the
      Froot
      Loops
      box,
      benefitted
     
     
      both
      the
      toy
      company
      and
      the
      cereal.
      The
      toy
     
     
      company
      got
      advertising
      space
      and
      Kellog’s
      was
     
     
      able
      to
      use
      the
      vouchers
      for
      toys
      as
      a
      way
      of
     
     
      selling
      more
      cereal.
     
    

    
     
      Moving
      on
      to
      the
      granola
      bars,
      |
      asked
      Hale
     
     
      why
      Quaker
      would
      produce
      these
      products,
      as
     
     
      they
      were
      low
      in
      nutritional
      value
      and
      not
      very
     
     
      different
      from
      other
      products
      already
      on
      the
     
     
      market.
     
    

    
     
      “It’s
      just
      good
      marketing,”
      said
      Hale.
      “These
     
     
      are
      targeted
      for
      a
      specific
      consumer
      need
      and
     
     
      they
      are
      targeted
      very
      well.”
     
    

    
     
      “All
      of
      these
      brands
      maintain
      a-close
      con-
     
     
      tact
      with
      people
      in
      the
      market,”
      she
      said.
      “They
     
     
      are
      very
      much
      focused
      on
      changes,
      and
      the
     
     
      question
      of
      “What
      is
      a
      way
      to
      make
      people
      buy
     
     
      it?’
      If
      they
      simply
      sold
      granola,
      nobody
      would
     
     
      buy
      it.”
     
    

    
     
      She
      added
      that
      the
      “trendier”
      products
     
     
      tended
      not
      to
      last
      very
      long,
      replaced
      by
      new
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      oft-abused
      junk
      machine
      in
      the
      basement
      of
      Main.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      trends
      in
      the
      competitive
      arena
      of
      the
      super-
     
     
      market.
     
    

    
     
      Hale
      had
      a
      similar
      explanation
      for
      the
      ap-
     
     
      pearance
      of
      types
      of
      cookies
      derived
      from
      other
     
     
      cookies,
      such
      as
      Oreos.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      cookie
      market
      is
      extremely
      competi-
     
     
      tive
      now,”
      said
      Hale.
      “Oreo
      is
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      products
      with
      a
      large
      market
      share.
      Every
      year
     
     
      there
      are
      new
      products
      so
      [companies
      think]
      if
     
     
      they
      don’t
      diversify,
      they
      will
      lose
      their
      entire
     
     
      market
      share.”
     
    

    
     
      She
      said
      the
      same
      thing
      had
      happened
      to
     
     
      soft
      drinks
      such
      as
      Coca-Cola,
      who
      were
      forced
     
     
      to
      expand
      their
      line
      of
      products,
      coming
      up
      with
     
     
      such
      things
      as
      decaffeinated
      Coke
      and
      Cherry
     
     
      Coke
      in
      order
      to
      retain
      their
      market
      share.
     
    

    
     
      The
      ideas
      for
      new
      products
      begin
      with
     
     
      market
      researchers
      who
      determine
      what
      will
     
     
      sell,
      and
      research
      and
      development
      teams
      who
     
     
      determine
      what
      can
      be
      produced.
      most
      effi-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ciently.
      Market
      researchers
      include
      people
      from
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      variety
      of
      backgrounds,
      including
      Social
      Sci-
     
     
      ences
      and
      Statistics.
      Research
      and
      development
     
     
      teams
      also
      include
      a
      lot
      of
      educated
      people,
     
     
      many
      of
      them
      with
      PhDs.
     
    

    
     
      The
      market
      researchers
      work
      with
      focus
     
     
      groups
      (made
      up
      of
      consumers),
      do
      brainstorm-
     
     
      ing
      to
      come
      up
      with
      new
      ideas
      and
      comeup
      with
     
     
      prototypes.
     
    

    
     
      The
      amount
      of
      research
      varies
      according
      to
     
     
      the
      novelty
      of
      the
      product.
      For
      new
      products,
     
     
      researchers
      will
      take
      the
      product
      to
      a
      pre-test
     
     
      market.
      There
      consumers
      will
      be
      given
      the
     
     
      products
      for
      free
      and
      asked
      questions
      about
     
     
      them,
      the
      most
      important
      being:
      would
      you
      buy
     
     
      this
      again?
     
    

    
     
      Pre-test
      markets
      can
      cost
      up
      to
      $50,000
     
     
      per
      product.
      If
      they
      reveal
      interest
      for
      the
     
     
      product,
      then
      the
      product
      may
      go
      to
      a
      test
     
     
      market,
      in
      which
      the
      new
      product
      is
      marketed
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      one
      city.
     
    

    
     
      Test
      markets
      are
      even
      more
     
     
      expensive,
      often
      as
      much
      as
      one
     
     
      million
      dollars.
     
    

    
     
      To
      me,
      this
      seems
      to
      bea
      lot
     
     
      of
      work
      to
      create
      something
     
     
      which
      doesn’t
      do
      a
      lot
      of
      good
     
     
      and
      may
      do
      some
      harm.
      Hale
      said
     
     
      that
      doesn’t
      necessarily
      mean
      it
     
     
      shouldn’t
      happen.
      “There
      is
      de-
     
     
      mand
      for
      these
      products.
      |
      mean
     
     
      there
      are
      a
      lot
      of
      things
      that
      are
     
     
      not
      good
      for
      us,
      like
      alcohol
      and
     
     
      cigarettes.
      Everything
      carries
      a
     
     
      risk
      with
      it
      these
      days.
      |
      don’t
     
     
      think
      you
      can
      turn
      the
      clock
      back.
     
     
      |
      think
      it’s
      one
      of
      the
      things
      of
      a
     
     
      free
      market
      economy.
      The
      con-
     
     
      sumers
      do
      determine
      whatis
      pro-
     
     
      duced.”
     
    

    
     
      But,
      |
      said,
      surely
      that’s
      what
     
     
      advertising
      is
      about
      --
      creating
     
     
      demand
      for
      products.
      Surely
      the
     
     
      marketing
      machines
      to
      some
      ex-
     
     
      tent
      determine
      people’s
      choices.
     
    

    
     
      “What
      we
      would
      love
      to
      be
     
     
      able
      to
      say
      is
      that
      advertising
      can
      talk
      you
      into
     
     
      buying
      something
      you
      wouldn’t
      ordinarily
      buy.
     
     
      If
      that
      was
      true,
      everyone
      would
      go
      into
      adver-
     
     
      tising.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Gratuitous
      Gratification
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      if
      Hale
      was
      right,
      and
      the
      reason
      for
      these
     
     
      products
      was
      primarily
      consumer
      demand,
      what
     
     
      would
      make
      people
      want
      these
      things?
     
    

    
     
      My
      talk
      with
      Tom
      Naylor
      shed
      some
      insight
     
     
      on
      this
      question.
      “We
      live
      in
      one
      of
      the
      first
     
     
      societies
      where
      people
      are
      not
      dying
      of
      hun-
     
     
      ger,”
      said
      Naylor.
      “So
      the
      industry
      is
      geared
     
     
      toward
      providing
      gratuitous
      gratification,
      rather
     
     
      than
      what
      is
      absolutely
      necessary
      to
      survive.”
     
    

    
     
      Naylor
      said
      food
      manufacturers
      targeted
     
     
      much
      of
      their
      efforts
      towards
      producing
      foods
     
     
      that
      would
      provide
      this
      sort
      of
      gratification
      for
     
     
      the
      least
      amount
      of
      money,
      regardless
      of
      nutri-
     
     
      tional
      value.
     
    

    
     
      “It’s
      socially
      preposterous,
      but
      it’s
      quite
     
     
      rational
      from
      the
      industry's
      point
      of
      view,”
      he
     
     
      said.
      “The
      next
      logical
      step
      is
      they're
      goingto
      sell
     
     
      predigested
      food.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      end
      of
      this
      story
      comes
      with
      me
     
     
      bringing
      the
      food
      back
      to
      the
      newspaper
      office.
     
     
      The
      staff
      fell
      on
      it
      with
      glee.
      As
      |
      write,
      Damion
     
     
      Stodola
      is
      munching
      away
      on
      the
      last
      of
      the
     
     
      Froot
      Loops
      (straight
      out
      of
      the
      box,
      with
      no
     
     
      milk
      involved.)
      |
      don’t
      understand
      how
      they
      can
     
     
      eat
      anything
      that
      colour.
     
    

    
     
      Strange
      things
      indeed.
      Useless
      or
      not,
      bad
     
     
      for
      us
      or
      not,
      it
      seems
      impossible
      to
      enter
      any
     
     
      supermarket
      without
      being
      confronted
      with
     
     
      food
      items
      made
      for
      a
      market
      in
      which
      nutrition
     
     
      seems
      the
      last
      thing
      in
      mind.
      It
      seems
      madness,
     
     
      but
      it’s
      part
      of
      who
      we
      are.