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: PR Newswire on July 02, 2012
Incentives for participation include a free Oreo sundae and Applebee's kid's meal. The restaurant chain also recruited public schools and libraries to distribute its "Applebee's Bookworm Club Card."Source: PR Newswire on June 29, 2012
Through its non-profit arm, the dairy company plays the part of the responsible corporate citizen, even though its scholarships award students for research that ultimately enhances profits.Source: PR Newswire on June 29, 2012
The company is adding to its national Latino education and college-readiness program by launching a webinar series in partnership with Latinos in College and LULAC National Educational Service Centers.Source: BrandChannel on June 28, 2012
Stonyfield is using Facebook, real-life character appearances, avatars, and microsites to attract consumers. The campaign centers on anti-obesity and organic-is-better-for-you messaging.Source: Advertising Age on June 27, 2012
To attract child and parent customers, McDonald's is running an offline-to-digital campaign called "Champions of Play," encouraging kids to be active. In this way, McDonald's is trying to brand itself as health conscious, despite the nutritional shortcomings of its food.Source: Advertising Age on June 27, 2012
McDonald's gave transparency a try, revealing in a video the hours-long treatment it gives a burger to make it ad-ready. Actual burgers are still cranked out in assembly-line fashion.Source: The Riverdale Press on June 27, 2012
The writer argues that a tax, not a ban, will incentivize making healthy choices. Another economic incentive could be forcing large-soda sellers to offer free cups and water.Source: Food Politics on June 26, 2012
PBS News Hour did a segment on the work of a UCSF pediatrician whose research focuses on the devastating effects of sugary drinks and snacks on children's dental health in El Salvador. The soda companies focus on parental choice and basic dental hygiene as solutions.Source: Advertising Age on June 26, 2012
As if Oreo cookies don't have enough frosting, the Pride Week cookie has six rainbow-colored layers of the stuff. The creation is part of a larger campaign marking Oreo's 100th anniversary.Source: Boston Globe on June 26, 2012
In response to "nanny state" hysteria, this letter succinctly points out that consumers' choices have "already been abrogated [by the beverage industry]."
