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: CNW on June 23, 2014
Coca-Cola Canada is sponsoring rising Canadian tennis star, Genie Bouchard to demonstrate their commitment to "encouraging active, healthy living." Bouchard signed a three-year agreement that will put her at the center of a national promotion campaign.Source: PR Newswire on June 20, 2014
Large food and beverage companies such as Pepsi are known to sponsor large entertainment events that demonstrate and deepen their ties with communities of color while promoting products. For example, this past weekend was the annual African American Festival in Baltimore, which was sponsored by Pepsi. The event included music performances from prominent African American musicians such as, Brandy, and empowerment seminars.
Source: PRNewswire on June 19, 2014
Food and beverage marketers are constantly looking for new ways to appeal to their consumers, and one tactic is teaming up with the entertainment industry. The new film 22 Jump Street targets young adults and MiO is creating a sweepstakes in conjunction with the movie to market their product. A representative for the company states, "MiO is all about giving our fans the freedom to make it original by customizing the perfect beverage, so naturally we're giving them the same power to customize their very own sweepstakes."Source: Adweek on June 17, 2014
Amid health concerns about their products, companies such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's are using marketing efforts that focus on branding and are no longer simply limited to the product. For example, McDonald's boasts that its Happy Meal promotes an "active play lifestyle." However, public health advocates and others view these tactics as deceiving to consumers, particularly children.Source: Black PR Wire on June 13, 2014
As the 2014 World Cup starts up, Coca-Cola has announced that it will be partnering with African-American soccer star DeMarcus Beasley "to promote the passion and benefits of soccer to African-American youth." However, what the blog post does not mention is that Coca-Cola will also be using this partnership to promote sugary drinks to African-American youth. As part of the campaign, the soda company will donate soccer balls to schools (with Coke's logo prominently displayed, presumably) when consumers enter product codes on a special website.
Source: AdWeek on June 12, 2014
Corona Extra is implementing its "most ambitious marketing program to date" by using bilingual ads to target Latino consumers and support the image of a "multicultural brand." The brand hopes that a multi-lingual, multi-channel strategy will "[allow it] to speak to consumers through multiple spots [since] most multicultural millenials are bilingual."
Source: Mobile Marketer on June 12, 2014
The campaign is specifically targeted to young people ÛÓ the article notes that Coca-Cola selected 250 names popular with teens and Millenials to place on its bottles. "Share a Coke" also features digital marketing and social media components ÛÓ consumers are encouraged to share their labels on social media, and enter their friends' emails to send them coupons.
Source: BevNet on June 11, 2014
This framing of the issue paints industry ÛÓ rather than the kids and adults struggling with diabetes, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease due to the industry's profoundly unhealthy products ÛÓ as the victim. This blog post features commentary from the industry perspective on food stamp restrictions, soda taxes, and taking sugary chocolate milk out of schools.
Source: Reach Hispanic on June 11, 2014
This piece highlights the diversity of the Latino population in the United States and urges marketers to conduct in-depth research in order to insert themselves more effectively in each local community. While the basic goal of correcting misconceptions about Latino communities is positive, conducting that research in order to market unhealthy products is problematic.
Source: AdWeek on June 11, 2014
The app features a racing game ÛÓ likely to attract kids ÛÓ and scanning Oscar Mayer packages allows users to earn "Weiner Bucks" and unlock new features in the game. The Weinermobile app will also feature a social media component: the "Park in My Driveway" feature encourages users to paste the Weinermobile into one of their photos and share it with their social media contacts.
