Marketing has a profound affect on the foods we eat and the beverages we drink, yet most of that marketing is for products we should avoid. BMSG monitors the media to help keep advocates informed of the tactics food and beverage companies use to target children, communities of color, and other groups that are particularly susceptible to the health harms these products cause. Below are archives of our monitoring.
Source: Beverage Industry on August 15, 2012
Sixty-one percent of U.S. companies listen to consumer conversations on social media. This article tells how Tampico Beverages does just that.Source: MediaPost on August 15, 2012
Part of Pepsi's "Live for Now" campaign, "Anthems" is a partnership with the NFL and several mainstream music stars. It uses purchase incentives, point-of-sale promotions, downloadable songs and in-stadium activations to lure consumers.Source: Advertising Age on August 15, 2012
A variety of food advertisers play on the it's-tough-being-a-kid theme to target kids and their parents. For example, in a Ragu commercial, a mom uses spit to clean a mark from her son's face. Admittedly unappetizing, Ragu says, "Humor and lightheartedness really grabs [consumers] and brings them in."Source: Forbes.com on August 14, 2012
The campaign has been successful by industry standards. A YouTube video for it has 50,000 hits and, post-campaign, Sprite's popularity among 18-34 year-olds rose significantly relative to other brands in the soda sector.Source: FoodNavigator-usa.com on August 14, 2012
Writer Caroline Scott-Thomas cites a report by Merrill Lynch suggesting that companies selling healthy foods are "ripe for investment." She argues how and why the food industry can co-opt concerns about obesity while making a profit.Source: PR Newswire on August 13, 2012
The campaign creates a new digital ad every day based on pop culture news and other "latest happenings." (The OREO pride cookie was part of this campaign). As part of the effort, the company solicits consumer engagement through various online prompts to submit photos, stories and the like.Source: Food Politics on August 13, 2012
Following up on her earlier post about how "pizza chains want easier (or no) menu labeling," Marion Nestle gives information about a bill introduced under lobbying pressure by the supermarket and pizza industries to get around calorie listings. She gives a link for contacting congressional representatives.Source: American Beverage Association on August 13, 2012
The American Beverage Assn. linked Olympians' athleticism and the average Joe's physical fitness with proper hydration in the form of bottled water, juice and sports drinks. The ABA also focuses on individual behaviors -- like daily exercise and "healthful lifestyles" -- as a way of staying healthy.Source: Progressive Grocer on August 13, 2012
Mountain Dew is selling a limited-edition 16-oz. can (versus the regular 12-oz.) made with color-changing ink. The company calls the ink a "structural innovation" and hopes it will "elevate the consumer interaction potential."Source: Canada.com on August 13, 2012
Canadian researchers found that kids were likely to choose a more nutritious Happy Meal when a toy was offered with it and not the less healthy one. They suggested that McDonald's withhold toys from the less healthy meal. McDonald's said it "has no plans to change [Happy Meals]."
