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 August 24, 2014
Fanta, the notoriously sugary orange soda, has launched a new media campaign using short six-second Vine videos to engage teens. A Fanta executive sums up the motives behind the campaign: "The campaign unites teens around their shared desire for fame and their shared passion for humor, while allowing them to be themselves and to connect their way."
Source: MediaPost on August 22, 2014
Council member Ben Kallos of New York has introduced a bill that would prohibit children's toys from being offered with unhealthy kids meals. To meet the standards of a healthy meal, the meal must be "fewer than 500 calories, fewer than 600 milligrams of sodium, less than 35% of total calories from fat, less than 10% of total calories from added sugars and/or caloric sweeteners."
Source: PR Newswire on August 22, 2014
The Essence Festival, sponsored by McDonald's and Coca-Cola, announced an extended agreement with the State of Louisiana to host the Essence Festival through 2019. The Big Food sponsorship and pivotal location of the festival in New Orleans reflect marketing tactics to strengthen ties with the African American community.
Source: Ad Week on August 18, 2014
Gatorade continues its tradition of partnering with athletes to market its products. The latest effort features NFL stars Peyton Manning and Cam Newton in a television ad set in a convenience store where customers are denied Gatorade if they aren't sweating. Advertisers describe the Millennial-targeted ad as intended to "create something that might cause someone who reaches for a Gatorade to think, 'Hold up Û_ have I earned this?'"
Source: Media Post on August 15, 2014
Mars Chocolate is using 90s nostalgia and popular social media phenomena to promote Twix Bites, launched earlier this year. The campaign will feature humorous videos that evoke 90s pop culture to explain why Twix Bites weren't introduced in that decade. The videos are tied to a social media campaign that urges young fans to upload their own photos and videos, tagged with the already-popular social media hashtag "#TBT" ("throwback Thursday").
Source: Media Post on August 14, 2014
Companies are looking for new ways to target to teens through eye-catching multi-media marketing tactics, or through campaigns that encourage them to co-create products. This blog post highlights Coca-Cola's "Ahh Effect" campaign as a prime example -- the promotion uses games, music, and user-generated content to attract teens.
Source: Media Post on August 14, 2014
Facing a "less than spectacular response," Burger King will phase Satisfries, touted as the chain's "healthier fries option," out of most of its North American restaurants. At the same time, Wendy's has announced that its popular Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger, the subject of a high-profile ad campaign earlier in the summer, will become part of its regular menu.
Source: PR Newswire on August 14, 2014
MilkSplash, a zero-calorie milk flavoring, recently introduced a variant with flavoring (Horchata) and packaging (featuring a donkey piata) that are clearly intended to target Latinos.
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek on August 11, 2014
The annual McDonald's 365Black Awards helps the company build connections and goodwill within the African American community by recognizing community leaders. This year, recipients included civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton and motivational speaker Iyanla Vanzant, who stars in a popular reality show and describes herself as a "longtime McDonald's customer."
Source: Ad Age on August 11, 2014
Burger King brings back unhealthy chicken fries in response to an online consumer campaign that demanded the return of the menu item. The company is marketing the chicken fries with the same TV spot and online with the addition of a "Throwback Thursday hashtag" to appeal to Millennials.
