Perceptions about the media and behaviour when buying food products: case study with consumers from two cities in the south of Minas Gerais State

Abstract

Media and food advertisements today represent important industrial strategies for the differentiation, promotion and selling of products. Thus, they can exert a strong influence on consumer buying and consumption behaviour. Considering this, the objective of this work was to evaluate the perception of consumers about the media and its influence on food purchasing behaviour through a market research survey with consumers from two municipalities in the south of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. A non-probabilistic sample was used for convenience, totalizing 285 respondents (150 in Varginha and 135 in Lavras), and an interview with questions prepared by the researchers themselves being used as the research instrument. The data were analysed in a descriptive way. Based on the results, it could be seen that, for the sample under study, food consumption could be influenced by the media and by the food advertisements. Exposure to these ads may also be related to opinions about what is most valued in the purchase of food, such as practicality and convenience. Regarding the reading of labels, a low frequency of consumers who frequently read this information was observed. Together, these results reinforce the evidence that marketing strategies have the potential to influence the eating behaviour of the subjects, and, therefore, also contribute to the achievement of public health goals for food and nutrition. In this case, the importance of food and nutritional education strategies for the training of more autonomous and critical consumers regarding their food choices is highlighted.

Keywords:
Public health; Nutritional label; Consumer behaviour; Food industry; Marketing; Communications media; Feeding