Thanks to a new campaign created, like the previous one, by Publicis Conseil (October 2006), the Sugar Collective is raising the issue and alerting and informing consumers about the consequences of reducing sugar in food.
The French consume profoundly modified foods
The Sugar Collective is drawing attention to the major changes in processed foods required by reduced sugar content. Is it really necessary to replace a trustworthy product long known by consumers with additives they know nothing about and that are used to replace sugar’s sensory and technological properties?
Foods eaten on a daily basis by the French have been profoundly modified. Improved labelling, while desirable, would not lead to greater awareness because most consumers are not familiar with the names, processing conditions and possible effects of sugar substitutes. This theme is developed by a three-visual media campaign in the national daily newspapers and the general-interest press.
What about low-fat products?
Three radio commercials, aired at the same time, round out the campaign and attract attention to the calorie content of low-fat products, a subject that is often poorly understood. Most consumers think they know everything there is to know about this type of product.
The goal of the Sugar Collective campaign is to explain, in a humorous manner, what manufacturers are adding to low-sugar products to make up for the qualities of the real thing – not to mention that the ingredients and additives used sometimes have just as many calories as sugar. “Less sugar doesn’t necessarily mean fewer calories.”
It’s up to the consumer to decide!
The Sugar Collective’s information campaign is based on the results of two TNS Sofres surveys that tested French citizens’ knowledge of additives and low-fat products. These studies revealed that sugar substitutes are not well known and that consumers’ selection of low-fat products is based on a perception that, in many cases, only approximates to reality. These results confirm the outcome of previous research: nutritional knowledge among the French remains low, a situation that allows conventional wisdom to prevail.
But, as the campaign makes clear, these sugar substitutes are legal. So the campaign encourages consumers to become better informed in order to make wise choices: “It’s up to you to choose what you want to eat.”
www.alaplacedusucre.com goes even further
Press and radio advertisements direct consumers to a topic-specific website,
www.alaplacedusucre.com, to gain more in-depth knowledge about sugar substitutes. This site provides detailed information about sugar, additives and low-fat products.
Internet users will find answers to questions asked during the campaign, information on additives, and detailed data comparing the calorie content of low-fat and standard products.