References

Family & Child Insight’s experience with research, insight, and strategy focusing on families and children is examplified in cases and publications as references below.

Publications as references

These publications are references based on Maria Kümpel Nørgaard’s previous academic research as a PhD and PostDoc at MAPP, Department of Management, Business & Social Sciences, at Aarhus University, with cross-disciplinary projects involving collaboration with various research and business partners.

Based on my experience, I strongly believe that great collaborations create various perspectives to topics and solutions, which bring robust value in short and long term. I am grateful from what I have learned from these collaborations.

For details, please see my ORCID profile and/or my Google Scholar profile:

When children grow older and become adolescents, their own own decisions, choices, and purchases of products and services, increase in number, and often among peers. They use own decisions, brands, and products to build a social identity.

Snack food choices are among the first purchase decisions adolescents make among peers. This makes a peer setting more than a family setting appropriate in research to understand the social dynamics in peer groups.

Convincing adolescents to choose healthy snacks requires extra and cross-disciplinary effort from innovation and marketing.

This is what the Cool Snacks project at AU investigated. Please, see below some of the articles as references I have previously contributed to as a Post Doctoral Researcher at AU MAPP in this project:

Adolescents’ acceptance of novel healthy snack product solutions are impacted by both social and individual factors in out of home contexts

Adolescents’ acceptance of novel healthy snack product solutions based on fruit and vegetables in a pre-launch purchase setting is determined by both social and individual determinants. Social factors are predominating with a focus on word of mouth and peer influence, but also social exploration activities. Individual factors such as health consciousness only has a weak impact, and snack neophobia is partly mediated by the social factors. This indicates that adolescent healthy snack solutions and research should focus on adolescents in a peer group context. This research is based on a quantitative product test including sensory perceptions in pre-launch purchase settings among adolescents.

Nørgaard, M.K., Sørensen, B.T., & Grunert, K.G. (2014). Social and individual determinants of adolescents’ acceptance of novel healthy and cool snack products. Appetite, 83 (1), 226-235. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2014.08.028

Adolescents accept novel healthy snack concepts consisting of a mix of components and various social profiles in out of home contexts

Adolescents respond positively to novel healthy snack concepts based on fruits and vegetables. Preferences are impacted by a perception of coolness and peer influence, whereas buying intentions are impacted by personal factors such as perceived importance of snack attributes and snack neophobia. This indicates the need of considering both preferences and buying intentions in product development as well as focusing distribution first on safe peer group contexts such as school canteens and later on food stores. This research is based on a quantitative online concept test of product and communication solutions among adolescents.

Nørgaard, M.K., Sørensen, B.T., & Brunsø, K. (2014). A concept test of novel healthy snacks among adolescents: Antecedents of preferences and buying intentions. Food Quality and Preference, 33,17-26. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2013.10.010

Adolescents attach social and symbolic meanings to snacks and are socially influenced by peers in their snack choices out of home

Adolescents experience social peer influence during their snack choices out of home, which impacts their perception of important snack attributes, as compared to personal factors. They choose snacks which support their social self-image in peer group contexts. This indicates a need of focusing on social peer group contexts when the topic is snack choices among adolescents, and also of involving adolescents in peer groups in research. This research is based on a quantitative online survey followed-up by qualitative focus groups among adolescents.

Nørgaard, M.K., Hansen, K.N., & Grunert, K.G. (2013). Peer influence on adolescent snacking. Journal of Social Marketing, 3 (2), 176-194. DOI: 10.1108/JSOCM-06-2012-0028

Adolescents respond positively in their sensory perception of healthy snack mixes with snack food neophobia as an impact factor

In the attempt to impact adolescents to accept healthy fruit and vegetable snacks, one solution tends to be snack combinations such as a mix of vegetables with energy-dense food sources. Snack food neophobia among adolescents impacts their acceptance. This research is based on a quantitative sensory product testing among adolescents.

Mielby, L.H., Nørgaard, M.K., Edelenbos, M., & Thybo, A.K. (2012). Affective response of adolescents toward fruit- and vegetable-based snacks and the role of neophobia, gender, and age. Journal of Sensory Studies, 27, 425-438. DOI: 10.1111/joss.12007

Children’s perspectives are key in many decision-making situations relevant to them because of an impact on their life and world.

This also goes within a family decision-making setting, as for instance in food buying and consumption.

Families are in an increasing number of situations becoming more democratic in their communication patterns and decision processes, which in practice means that children are being invited more in as active participants and influencers. Still, it depends on the situation.

In food buying and consumption, this impacts responsible marketing and innovation, e.g. encouraging choices of healthy food.

This is what my PhD project at AU MAPP was about. Please, see below articles as references which was part of my PhD:

Children gain influence and participate actively in family decision making

Children gain active influence and are active participants in family decision making about buying behaviour such as food choices. As for instance, children gain most influence on small meals, snacks, and unhealthy food, indicating a need of focusing on perspectives from both parties in research of this. This research is based on a mixed-methods approach combining a qualitative ethnographic study with a quantitative questionnaire survey among parents and children.

Nørgaard, M.K., Brunsø, K., Christensen, P.H., & Mikkelsen, M.R. (2007). Children’s influence on and participation in the family decision process during food buying. Young Consumers, 8 (3), 197-216. DOI: 10.1108/17473610710780945

Family communication in decision making is becoming more open with children’s use of various active influence techniques

Family decision making is characterised by a more open communication style inviting perspectives from both children and parents, though still with some focus on conflict avoiding to protect the harmony. Children use various active influence techniques to gain influence on decisions and they are becoming smart in their use by understanding their parents and their needs. This indicates a democratic process which invites a focus on both parties and qualitative approaches for an in-depth understanding in research. This research is based on an in-depth approach with a qualitative study with participant observation & semi-structured interviews following families during food buying in stores, cooking dinner in the kitchen, and eating dinner in the everyday life.

Nørgaard, M.K., & Brunsø, K. (2011). Family conflicts and conflict resolution regarding food choices. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 10, 141-151. DOI: 10.1002/cb.361

Families are challenged in their healthy food choices when they use nutrition information on packaging in stores

Families with children and parents are challenged when looking at nutrition information on food pack labels for their healthy food choices, which indicates a need for targeting health communication on pack to both parties. This research is based on a mixed-methods approach combining a qualitative participant observation study following families during food buying in stores and a quantitative hall test in shopping centres looking into the impact of various alternatives of nutrition information on food pack labels.

Nørgaard, M.K., & Brunsø, K. (2009). Families’ use of nutritional information on food labels. Food Quality and Preference, 20, 597-606. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2009.07.005

Conference contributions as a speaker, e.g.

• 2022 DI Business Summit – Attendance with 3 children as speakers from Children’s General Assembly, Royal Arena, Copenhagen
• 2021 QUAL360 NA – Ethical co-creation with children, digital, NA
• 2020 QUAL360 EU – Applying behavioural economics in research with children, Berlin
• 2019 The Dairy Research Day – How can you involve children in research ethically, Billund
• 2017 The Dairy Research Day – A consumer-centric angle to health (with AU BSS MAPP), Billund
• 2017 QUAL360 EU – Beyond Logic: Understanding emotions, Amsterdam
• 2010 Child & Teen Consumption – Cool snacks targeted to adolescents, Oslo
• 2009 MAPP – Food Marketing: Family conflict resolution in food buying, Middelfart
• 2008 MAPP – Food Marketing: Family use of nutrition labels on food packaging, Middelfart
• 2007 EUC North-West/VIFU: Product development with consideration – Family cooking
• 2006 EUC North-West/VIFU: Product development – Mom, can I have an apple?, Thisted
• 2006 MAPP – What happens in the family kitchen, when fish is on the menu?, Middelfart
• 2006 Child & Teen Consumption – Children’s influence in family food decision making
• 2006 LMC – From vision to food, KU Life – Children’s influence with health as focus, Copenhagen
• 2005 The Danish Dairy Board: Cheese Producer Day – Trends in the cheese consumption, Odense
• 2005 MAPP – Measuring children’s influence in family decision processes, Middelfart
• 2004 MAPP – Children should not only be seen but also heard, Middelfart
• 2004 NJF, KU Life – Children’s influence in family decision making, Copenhagen

Award

• 2008: Emerald Outstanding Paper Award (for the article about children’s influence in family decision making)

Reviewer

• 2024-: Young Consumers – An academic journal about research with children