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: The New York Times on July 30, 2012
Companies are using social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare to gain information about consumer characteristics and preferences. Social media attracts younger customers, a demographic not typically well represented in focus groups or consumer panels.Source: Food Politics on July 30, 2012
Pizza companies have been campaigning to fight the new menu nutrition labeling requirements. Marion Nestle argues that pizza is a big source of calories, and that consumers should know that information.Source: Advertising Age on July 27, 2012
Sprite's marketing director says, "Sprite has a very specific teen target." The new ads associate Sprite with "unique, intense excitement."Source: The Guardian on July 27, 2012
The mayor of London called criticism of the chain "bourgeois snobbery" and said McDonalds' food was "absolutely bursting with nutrients." His comments sparked significant negative responses on Twitter. Advocates are using the opportunity to keep their message -- that it's hypocritical for purveyors of junk food to sponsor the Olympics -- in the news.Source: MediaPost on July 26, 2012
The campaign will offer customers a mobile deal to be redeemed at checkout. The companies will be able to measure and track each consumer purchase associated with the deals.Source: The Sacramento Bee on July 26, 2012
Soda companies are looking for products with no calories, no artificial sweeteners (which are seen as processed and fake), and no aftertaste. The soda industry is facing growing recognition that their products contribute to obesity, and competition from a wide variety of sports drinks and flavored waters.Source: The Sacramento Bee on July 26, 2012
Retailers have little room to expand in the suburbs, and many cities are growing faster than suburban areas. Walmart initially encountered resistance to opening stores in urban areas, and is now using "diplomacy": agreeing that stores be built with union labor, donating to cities and community groups.Source: New York Post on July 26, 2012
The store owners decided to create the aisle after reading a study that found that almost a third of men are shopping for their families, up from 14 percent in the 1980s. "Man aisle" items include alcohol, toiletries, and packaged foods: "beer, barbecue sauce, chips."Source: Advertising Age on July 25, 2012
The company is trying to increase sales overseas; only a fifth of its sales currently come from outside the U.S. Vitaminwater used a similar strategy at the Vancouver games in 2010, and now Canada is its 2nd most successful market, after the U.S.Source: Advertising Age on July 24, 2012
Pepsi is rolling out ads featuring Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi, and limited-time offerings of its Pepsi Next product (a mid-calorie drink). A Pepsi marketing director says, "In the carbonated category, exponentially, growth is going to come from Latinos."
