Three out of four Irish mothers favour limitations on the advertising of fast food and snacks to children, according to a new survey by Amárach Consulting.

The finding appears to support the BCI's plans to introduce wide-ranging restrictions on children's advertising. Some 1,651 mothers in various EU countries were surveyed, including 201 in the Republic.

The survey, conducted on behalf of the health division of Edelman, found obesity was becoming a major concern and firms in the food and beverage sector needed to respond.

While Irish mothers in the survey were less critical of advertising aimed at children, some 38 per cent still blamed advertising for obesity levels. This was, however, compared to 60 per cent in the UK.

Amárach director John Trainorsaid a ban on fast-food marketing ranked higher on the priority list of Irish mothers than one on soft drinks.

"The study is quite clear," said Karen O'Keeffe, director of health at Edelman. "There is a need for Irish food companies to listen to the opinions of mothers and to recognise the need for an improved health offering. This trend is reflected in the increasing awareness of the link between diet and health, with many consumers opting for preventative as opposed to curative medicines and treatments."

More controversially, Geraldine O'Neill, director of consumer brands, Edelman, claimed that the research indicated "the BCI's recently published draft children's advertising code is perfectly in tune with the wishes of Irish mothers and as such must be given due consideration'.'

She said the fast-food industry needed to tailor its products to recognise growing concerns about obesity in children. Amárach and Edelman said they got involved in the survey because "mothers are one of the largest and most dominant consumer segments in the world".

The study shows mothers rely on many sources for their information when deciding on product purchases. More than half of Irish mothers said they were "very influenced" by their concern about the problem of obesity when buying food. Concern about obesity was not limited to Ireland - 47 per cent of all mothers said their concern about obesity was "very influential" when making food purchasing decisions.

PR candidates

European election candidates are spurning press advertising because they believe public relations will give them the same result, according to one Dublin media agency. Mediaworks this week said European election press advertising was down on previous elections because candidates believed they could achieve the same objective via photo shoots and public relations stunts.

Mediaworks managing director Paul Moran said that while there was a €230,000 cap on election spending per candidate, candidates were finding more creative ways to get column inches. "They have concluded that the most effective way is to appear at election rallies and launches of manifestos and so on," he said. He did not believe the €230,000 cap, imposed by the Standards in Public Office Commission, was the reason for the change in tactics.

He said "tried and trusted" methods of getting recognition remained popular, especially posters on lampposts. "I think that remains the best way for a candidate to get his or her name and face across.

But the Green Party got it wrong originally by putting other images on their posters, like pictures of fruit etc. I would question how effective that was," said Mr Moran.

He said the low levels of press advertising were likely to pick up this weekend as the election entered a crucial phase.

Mr Moran said his company had been monitoring the media placement by candidates and most had been effective.

He singled out the decision by Sinn Féin candidate Mary Lou McDonald to take space on the inside of Dublin buses. "This was an effective way to reach young people and families at a relatively low cost," he said.

But he thought Fianna Fáil's Royston Brady had probably run the most effective public relations campaign. "Since he was Lord Mayor he has managed to put himself centre stage in media terms and it appears to be working based on the opinion polls".

'FT' revamp

Reports in the British press this week suggest the Financial Times may be revamped, just over a year after a major redesign and rebranding exercise.

The Guardian said this week that the Financial Times planned more changes to the paper as sales continue to fall. The paper's features editor, Andrew Davis, has been seconded to work full-time on a redesign.

But a spokeswoman dismissed industry speculation that the paper was to be reduced in size. The FT relaunched a new UK edition in April 2003 with a heightened emphasis on sports, reviews and features.

However the £3 million relaunch, backed by a major advertising campaign, has not succeeded in boosting sales. The paper has lost nearly 14,000 UK readers since April 2003.