Browsing by Author "Zhou, Mi"

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    Branded Marketing and Media Campaigns to Support a Healthy Diet in the United States, 1999-2016: Insights to Inform the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Fruits & Veggies (FNV) Campaign
    Kraak, Vivica; Englund, Tessa R.; Zhou, Mi; Duffey, Kiyah J. (2017-03)
    Introduction Obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCD) are serious public health challenges that have created an enormous financial burden on the United States (U.S) health care system. The United States spends an estimated $190 billion annually on obesity-related costs, representing about 20 percent of all medical spending. Childhood obesity is responsible for more than $14 billion dollars in direct medical costs...
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    Digital marketing to young people: Consequences for the health and diets of future generations
    Kraak, Vivica; Zhou, Mi; Rincón-Gallardo Patiño, Sofía (United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition (UNSCN), FAO, 2020-07-30)
    Digital marketing is widely used to promote highly processed food and beverage products with excessive energy and high in fat, sugars and salt (HFSS) to young people, negatively impacting their diet and health. In this paper, we describe the global trends in digital marketing used to promote unhealthy HFSS products to children, adolescents and young adults aged 7 to 24 years. We review the digital privacy policies of 18 major transnational firms — six technology and 12 international food and beverage companies — to promote food and beverage products, brands and healthy and sustainable lifestyles to young people. Our analysis shows that four of the six technology firms have privacy-protection policies for children under 13 years, but that no firm has a digital marketing policy to restrict the targeting of HFSS food and beverage products to young people. Only one of the 12 food and beverage companies studied has publicly pledged not to use digital marketing to promote HFSS food and beverage products to adolescents (aged 13–18). Governments must develop comprehensive privacy-protection laws that restrict firms from using digital marketing to promote HFSS products to young people and only allow products that meet healthy nutrient-profile criteria. Global and national actors should encourage these 18 firms to adopt best practices to use digital marketing to support healthy and sustainable diets, lifestyles and food systems for future generations.
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    Effects of Menu Labeling Policies on Transnational Restaurant Chains to Promote a Healthy Diet: A Scoping Review to Inform Policy and Research
    Rincón-Gallardo Patiño, Sofía; Zhou, Mi; da Silva Gomes, Fabio; Lemaire, Robin Hargroder; Hedrick, Valisa E.; Serrano, Elena L.; Kraak, Vivica (MDPI, 2020-05-26)
    There is insufficient evidence that restaurant menu labeling policies are cost-effective strategies to reduce obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Evidence suggests that menu labeling has a modest effect on calories purchased and consumed. No review has been published on the effect of menu labeling policies on transnational restaurant chains globally. This study conducted a two-step scoping review to map and describe the effect of restaurant menu labeling policies on menu reformulation. First, we identified national, state, and municipal menu labeling policies in countries from global databases. Second, we searched four databases (i.e., PubMed, CINHAL/EBSCO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) for peer-reviewed studies and gray-literature sources in English and Spanish (2000–2020). Step 1 identified three voluntary and eight mandatory menu labeling policies primarily for energy disclosures for 11 upper-middle and high-income countries, but none for low- or middle-income countries. Step 2 identified 15 of 577 studies that met the inclusion criteria. The analysis showed reductions in energy for newly introduced menu items only in the United States. We suggesr actions for governments, civil society organizations, and the restaurant businesses to develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive menu labeling policies to determine whether these may reduce obesity and NCD risks worldwide.
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    Evaluation Summary. Four Studies Conducted for the Partnership for a Healthier America's Fruits & Veggies (FNV) Campaign in California and Virginia, 2015-2017
    Kraak, Vivica; Englund, Tessa R.; Zhou, Mi; Duffey, Kiyah J. (Department Of Human Nutrition, Foods, And Exercise, 2018-02)
    This evaluation summary provides brief descriptions of four studies funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to evaluate the Partnership for a Healthier America’s (PHA’s) branded FNV (Fruits & Veggies) Campaign that was launched in two pilot cities or test locations—Fresno in the Central Valley region of California and the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia in 2015. The PHA designed the FNV Campaign as a new brand to increase the sales and consumption of all forms of fruits and vegetables (e.g., fresh, canned, dried and frozen) to reach Millennial moms, ages 21 to 34 years, and Generation Z teens, ages 15 to 20 years, in the two test locations. The PHA also explored how the FNV Campaign could reach racially, ethnically and culturally diverse populations. During phase one of the FNV Campaign (May 2015 to September 2016), the PHA reported the Campaign as a $5 million dollar/year that used commercial and behavioral branding principles and integrated marketing communication (IMC) strategies to raise awareness and encourage fruit and vegetable sales and intake among targeted populations in the two test locations. Commercial businesses often use IMC strategies in campaigns that combine advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, sponsorships, celebrity endorsement, and point-of-purchase in retail settings across different communication platforms to build brand awareness and loyalty among targeted groups for products, services and ideas. In September 2015, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided a grant to a research team in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia to conduct a multi-faceted and independent evaluation of the FNV Campaign in the two pilot locations of Fresno, California and Hampton Roads, Virginia during phase one. This report summarizes the results of four studies that comprise an independent evaluation of the FNV Campaign conducted between September 2015 and December 2017. During phase two of the FNV Campaign (October 2016 to the present), the PHA announced the FNV Campaign’s expansion to 13 states and cities. These locations included: Fresno, Los Angeles and San Francisco, California; Boise, Idaho; Dallas, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Mason City, Iowa; Syracuse, New York; Washington, DC; Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts; Norfolk/Hampton Roads, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; and Madison, Wisconsin. By May 2017, the PHA had reported more than 25 public- and private-sector partners who supported the FNV Campaign. These included partnerships with state health departments and USDA Cooperative Extension offices in California, Colorado, Georgia and Wisconsin to reach participants in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and SNAP-Education (SNAP-Ed) to encourage fruits and vegetables. We anticipate that the collective findings from this evaluation will be useful as the PHA and partners aim to expand, scale up and sustain the FNV Campaign in other states and nationwide.
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    An Examination of Celebrity Endorsement Used to Promote Branded Food and Beverage Products to American Children, Adolescents and Young Adults to Inform Policies to Promote Healthy Food Environments
    Zhou, Mi (Virginia Tech, 2020-04-09)
    Celebrity endorsement is a global billion-dollar business used by food, beverage and restaurant companies to influence dietary behaviors that may contribute to overweight and obesity. Evidence suggests that existing government policies and industry self-regulatory programs in the United States (US) do not adequately protect young Americans from celebrity endorsement that promotes energy-dense and nutrient-poor food and beverage products. This PhD dissertation describes four studies that examine the nature, extent, and perceived influence of celebrity endorsement used by business firms and non-profit organizations to promote branded food and beverage products or branded campaigns to American children, adolescents and millennial young adults to inform future research and policies to promote healthy food environments. Study one created a database of US celebrities (n=732) involved with food and beverage group, brand or product endorsements (1990-2017) to examine celebrity profiles and their endorsement relationships, company partnerships, the nutritional profile of products and brands. Evidence was analyzed using Python version 3.5.5 and SPSS version 24. Study two examined celebrities associated with the Partnership for a Healthier America's Fruits and Veggies (FNV) Campaign (2015-2016). Evidence was analyzed using data visualization tools supported by Python and SPSS, and results informed the FNV Campaign. Study three used Q methodology to explore the views of Millennials, born 1981-1994 (n=40) at Virginia Tech about celebrity endorsement of food and beverage products and brands. Participants sorted 48 celebrity images depicting brand and product endorsements on a normal distribution (+4 to -4) based on celebrity trustworthiness and complete a post Q-sort questionnaire. Data analysis used PQMethod 2.35 statistical software program, centroid factor analysis, and qualitative interpretation of unique factor arrays for sorters. Study four identified relevant evidence about US celebrity endorsement of food and beverage products (2000-2019), used an accountability framework to evaluate the adequacy of accountability structures, and suggested future policies and action needed for diverse stakeholders to use celebrity endorsement to promote healthy food environments. Future research should explore the trend of celebrity endorsement used in the US marketplace and examine the influence of this marketing strategy on young people's food preferences and choices based on more representative experimental research.
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    How have media campaigns been used to promote and discourage healthy and unhealthy beverages in the United States? A systematic scoping review to inform future research to reduce sugary beverage health risks
    Kraak, Vivica; Consavage Stanley, Katherine; Harrigan, Paige B.; Zhou, Mi (Wiley, 2022-02-09)
    Sugary beverage consumption is associated with many health risks. This study used a proof-of-concept media campaign typology to examine U.S. beverage campaigns that promoted healthy beverages and encouraged or discouraged sugary beverages. We used a three-step systematic scoping review to identify, organize, analyze, and synthesize evidence. Step 1 used Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines to search four electronic databases and gray literature through 2021. Step 2 categorized relevant media campaigns using a media campaign typology. Step 3 examined campaign evaluation outcomes. We identified 280 campaigns organized into six campaign typology categories. The media landscape was dominated by corporate marketing campaigns for branded sugary beverages (65.8%; n = 184) followed by public awareness (9.6%; n = 27), public policy (8.2%; n = 23), social marketing (7.1%; n = 20), corporate social responsibility (5.7%; n = 16), and countermarketing (3.6%; n = 10) campaigns. Evaluations for 20 unique campaigns implemented over 30 years (1992–2021) across 14 states showed reduced sugary beverage or juice and increased water or low-fat milk sales and intake. Positive short-term cognitive and mid–term retail and behavioral changes were reported. There was limited evidence for long-term policy, social norm, and population health outcomes. Future research is needed to use media campaigns in strategic communications to reduce sugary beverage health risks for Americans.
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    Mapping the Celebrity Endorsement of Branded Food and Beverage Products and Marketing Campaigns in the United States, 1990–2017
    Zhou, Mi; Rajamohan, Srijith; Hedrick, Valisa E.; Rincón-Gallardo Patiño, Sofía; Abidi, Faiz; Polys, Nicholas F.; Kraak, Vivica (MDPI, 2019-10-04)
    Celebrity endorsement used to promote energy-dense and nutrient-poor (EDNP) food and beverage products may contribute to poor dietary habits. This study examined celebrity endorsement of branded food and beverage products and marketing campaigns in the United States (US) from 1990 to 2017. Celebrity endorsement data were collected from peer-reviewed and grey literature. Interactive data visualizations were created for the endorsement relationships between celebrities, companies and products whose nutritional profiles were compared with the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Smart Snacks Standards. Logistic regression was used to explore associations between celebrities’ demographic profiles and the nutritional profiles of products. Results showed 542 celebrities were associated with 732 endorsements representing 120 brands of 59 companies across 10 food and beverage categories. Two thirds (67.2%; n = 80) of the brands represented EDNP products that did not align with the USDA’s Smart Snacks Standards. Logistic regression analysis indicated that Millennial (p = 0.008) and male celebrities (p = 0.041) were more likely to endorse EDNP products than Generation Z teen and female celebrities, respectively. No statistical significance was observed for celebrities of other demographic profiles. This study may inform future policies and actions of the US government, industry, researchers and consumer advocacy organizations to use celebrity endorsement to promote healthy food environments for Americans.
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    A Profile of Celebrities Involved in the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Fruits & Veggies (FNV) Campaign
    Kraak, Vivica; Zhou, Mi; Duffey, Kiyah J.; Williams, Jerome D. (2017-01)
    Most Americans do not consume the minimum daily 4.5-cup equivalent servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 (DGA). In 2015, the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) launched a $5 million dollar branded marketing campaign called FNV (Fruits & Veggies) in Fresno, California and Hampton Roads Virginia to increase sales and consumption of fruits and vegetables among ethnically and racially diverse millennial moms (21-34 years) and Generation Z teens (15-20 years). Pro bono celebrity endorsement is a feature of the FNV Campaign’s IMC strategy, complemented by the use of print, broadcast and social media; sponsored community events; and in-store food retail marketing. A Virginia Tech evaluation team examined the FNV Campaign celebrities’ demographic profile (i.e., race, ethnicity, sex and age); food category and brand endorsements; and company or organization partnerships between April 2015 and December 2016. Methods: The FNV Campaign celebrity names (n=82) were obtained from the FNV website, verified by PHA staff, and entered into a larger Excel database of celebrities (n=552) associated with food and beverage group, brand or product endorsements in the United States between 1990 and 2016. We collaborated with computer scientists to use a python-based scripting engine and data visualization tools to analyze and display the relationships among each FNV Campaign celebrity; company, organization or campaign association; and brand or product category endorsements. We created a scatterplot for each celebrity’s food and beverage category or product endorsement to assess whether it met the U.S. DGA 2015-2020 and USDA’s Smart Snacks in School Standards. Two interactive dedrograms illustrated the FNV celebrity endorsement relationships between products, brands and companies. Results: The 552 unique celebrities were associated with 745 endorsements representing 159 brands across 13 food and beverage categories. The 82 FNV Campaign celebrities represented 15% of the entire database. Two thirds were male (68%; n=56) and they are primarily white (46%; n=38) or African American (43%; n=35). FNV Campaign celebrities were associated with a quarter (23%; n=37) of brands promoting fruits and vegetables; water, low- or no-calorie beverages (LCB or NCB) ≤60 calories/12 ounce-serving; and dairy or milk. The FNV Campaign celebrities were involved with 121 endorsements across 12 food and beverages categories. Three quarters (76%; n=62) endorsed only FNV; 12% (n=10) endorsed FNV and another brand; and 10% (n=8) endorsed FNV and 2-3 other brands. Apolo Ohno and Serena Williams endorsed FNV and 5-8 other brands. More than two thirds (70%; n=14) of FNV celebrities endorsed associated with products high in fat, sugar and sodium. Conclusions: Empirical evidence is needed to evaluate whether the target populations recognize the FNV Campaign celebrities, and how they view multiple endorsers for fruits and vegetables versus sugar-sweetened beverages, restaurant meals, salty and sweet snacks and desserts. We offer six recommendations to build an evidence base that will reveal whether the FNV Campaign’s celebrity endorsement is effective to encourage Americans to buy and consume more fruits and vegetables.
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    Stakeholders’ Views About the FNV Campaign to Increase the Sales and Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables in Two U.S. Cities
    Kraak, Vivica; Englund, Tessa R.; Zhou, Mi; Duffey, Kiyah J. (2017-12)
    In 2015, the PHA launched the branded FNV (Fruits & Veggies) Campaign in California and Virginia to increase sales and consumption of fruits and vegetables among millennial moms (21-34 years) and Generation Z teens (15-20 years). This study explored diverse stakeholders’ views and expectations about the FNV Campaign’s design, implementation and effectiveness in the test locations—Fresno in the Central Valley region of California and the Hampton Roads region of southeastern Virginia (May 2015 to September 2016); and their views about future expansion, scaling up and sustainability. Methods: We used a purposive sampling strategy to recruit and interview diverse stakeholders (n=22) (i.e., government, business, trade associations, public-interest non-governmental organizations, private foundations, and academic institutions) by phone (n=18) or in-person (n=4) between July and October 2016. We used a 15-item interview guide to explore stakeholders’ views and expectations about eight constructs (i.e., design, reach, adoption, effectiveness, impact, expansion, scaling up and sustainability) for the FNV Campaign. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative research principles and NVivo 11 software. The written transcripts were coded and analyzed for emergent themes. The results were summarized as perceived opportunities and challenges for the eight constructs. Results: Stakeholders represented national, state or local government agencies (36.4%; n=8), private-sector businesses (18.2%; n=4), industry trade associations (9.1%; n=2), public-interest organizations (9.1%; n=2), academic researchers (13.6%; n=3) and private foundations (13.6%; n=3). Design opportunities included breadth of creative marketing strategies including celebrities. Challenges were inadequate formative research conducted and confusion about the FNV brand and message content. Reach opportunities were social media and in-store fruit and vegetable retail potential, whereas challenges were underutilization of food-retail partnerships and desire for objective and rigorous evaluation data. Adoption opportunities were diverse sponsorship, assistance of local partners, and community excitement generated by FNV association. Adoption challenges were lack of a clear long-term communication plan between PHA and partners, limited flexibility for local adaptation, and lack of evidence to show that FNV brand or messages had increased fruit and vegetable sales or intake. Effectiveness and impact opportunities were some positive sales data from Virginia and public relations impressions. Challenges were a lack of targeted outcomes, limited transparency to share sales data and Campaign results with funders, and one-year pilot was inadequate to show positive effects. Expansion opportunities included potential to expand partnerships with SNAP retailers and untapped community-based supporters. Perceived challenges were that FNV targeted high-income food retailers were SNAP participants did not shop, and more than a campaign is needed to reach low-income consumers. Sustainability opportunities were well-resourced national partners and community-based organizations that could play a central role, and potential for commodity produce groups to support the Campaign. Challenges were sustaining clear communication with partners over time, fundraising, and keeping FNV brand and messages resonating with diverse audiences. Conclusions: This qualitative evaluation can inform the design and PHA partnership engagement strategy as the FNV campaign expands to other locations to increase fruit and vegetable sales and consumption among ethnically, racially and culturally diverse Americans. We offer four recommendations for evaluating the FNV Campaign’s effectiveness, impact and sustainability in other locations.
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    A Surrogate-based Generic Classifier for Chinese TV Series Reviews
    Ma, Yufeng; Xia, Long; Shen, Wenqi; Zhou, Mi; Fan, Weiguo (2016-11-21)
    With the emerging of various online video platforms like Youtube, Youku and LeTV, online TV series' reviews become more and more important both for viewers and producers. Customers rely heavily on these reviews before selecting TV series, while producers use them to improve the quality. As a result, automatically classifying reviews according to different requirements evolves as a popular research topic and is essential in our daily life. In this paper, we focused on reviews of hot TV series in China and successfully trained generic classifiers based on eight predefined categories. The experimental results showed promising performance and effectiveness of its generalization to different TV series.
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    Temporal Focus and Analyst Scrutiny: Evidence from Earnings Conference Calls
    Zhou, Mi (Virginia Tech, 2017-03-17)
    Using the setting of earnings conference calls, this paper investigates the temporal focus of management presentation during those calls, i.e., the extent to which managers allocate their discussions to future firm prospects relative to past firm performance. I find a negative association between firms' past performance and the future focus of management presentation. Moreover, the association is less negative for firms with more long-term investors and is more negative for firms with high litigation risk. Additionally, I find that the temporal focus of management presentation is positively associated with that of analyst questions. I also find that managers' future focus is positively associated with the number of analysts following the firm but negatively associated with forecast quality of analyst reports (lower accuracy and higher dispersion). Finally, I find the future discussions in management presentation is positively associated with the time that analysts took to release the next quarter's forecasts.