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: MediaPost on April 05, 2012
Pepsi Next has launched a Facebook-based "Internet Taste Test" as part of its "Drink It To Believe It" promotion. The Taste Test is linked to comedy videos on the popular website Funny Or Die.Source: QSR Magazine on April 05, 2012
Playing off of "DÌ_a del Ni̱o" (Children's Day), a celebration recognized widely throughout Latin America, restaurant chain Pizza Patron is promoting "El Mes Del Nino" (Children's Month) with coloring sheets that contain coupons for discounted pizza.Source: Advertising Age on April 05, 2012
Wendy's has unveiled its new tagline, "Now that's better," which will replace the tagline the chain has used since 2009, "You know when it's real." The move is intended to position Wendy's as "premium fast-food."Source: Associated Press on April 05, 2012
Coca-Cola has ended its relationship with the American Legislative Exchange Council, which has marketed discriminatory laws and taxes, in response to a campaign by ColorofChange. Rashad Robinson, the executive director of ColorofChange, commended Coca-Cola for withdrawing its support of ALEC, saying: "Our message has been clear, these corporations can't come to black folks for our money by day and support laws that try to take our vote, or potentially our lives, by night."Source: Advertising Age on April 04, 2012
A California state court has dismissed a lawsuit against McDonald's. The suit was filed by a Sacramento mother who alleged the chain was "getting into [her] kids' heads without [her] permission, and actually changing what [they] want to eat" by using Happy Meal toys to market directly to children.Source: MediaPost on April 03, 2012
As part of a limited-time promotion that coincides with the release of the 3D version of Star Wars: Episode I, bottles of Brisk Iced Tea enable consumers to unlock content in the new "Kinect" Star Wars game for Xbox.Source: Food Politics on April 03, 2012
Marion Nestle takes the FDA to task for the many troubling omissions in their draft of Federal Menu Labeling guidelines, such as the lack of rulemaking on alcoholic beverages and foods sold at venues like movie theatres. She urges the FDA to "take a good hard look" at these and other issues, and act quickly to release solid, evidence-based rules.Source: Hispanic PR Blog on April 03, 2012
Dunkin' Donuts has launched a large-scale marketing campaign that targets Latino consumers and parallels its well known English-language campaign. The promotion, which will feature TV, radio, online, and in-store advertising, is intended to "deepen [Dunkin' Donuts'] relationship and brand loyalty among customers in multicultural communities," according to the company.Source: Hispanic PR Blog on April 03, 2012
Frito-Lay recently introduced the "Dinamita" line of chips, which joins a growing range of snacks high in salt, fat and calorites that are meant to resonate with Latino consumers.Source: QSR Magazine on April 02, 2012
Burger King is significantly expanding its menu to include more salads, snack wraps, smoothies and other items. The chain is using celebrity promotions, featuring stars like Mary J Blige and David Beckham, to launch the menu expansion.
