Ferrero gets OK for World Cup collection campaign with Nutella jars

Ferrero took advantage of the World Cup to launch a promotional campaign. For example, anyone who bought 35 jars of Nutella received a soccer ball. This rubbed German politicians the wrong way, and they filed a complaint with the German Advertising Council. Their biggest gripe: that children were being encouraged to consume the sugar- and fat-laden spread. After all, 35 jars of Nutella amount to 15.75 kilograms of hazelnut nougat spread, nine kilograms of sugar, five kilograms of fat, 85,000 kilocalories, and 97.65 euros. Advertising Nutella in connection with soccer is therefore: completely off the mark.

However, the German Advertising Council has now announced that Ferrero's strategy is entirely legitimate, as reported by W&V writes. According to the Advertising Council’s statement, it is a common misconception to assume—more or less as a matter of course—that advertising which children can see or in which children are featured is, as it were, automatically directed at children. The specific sticker collection campaign was by no means directed at children through visual imagery or similar means, but rather appealed to an adult audience. Furthermore, Ferrero explained that many buyers team up with others to have enough stickers to trade. During the 2016 European Championship, for example, an estimated 89 percent of participants took part in groups of at least two, and 75 percent in groups of at least three. Last but not least, Nutella does have a fairly long shelf life. So no one is forced to eat all 35 jars at once. And as long as the portion size is right, a slice of bread with Nutella doesn’t stand in the way of a healthy lifestyle. (ank)