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: Ad Age on May 01, 2014
Following in Walmart's footsteps, McDonald's was named the second annual "Marketer of the Year" at The Voice of Hispanic Marketing conference. The article describes the progression of McDonald's targeting, including becoming "deeply involved in music," publicizing scholarship programs and sponsoring sports events. Their "multicultural" approach to marketing includes having three separate marketing directors for targeting Latinos, African Americans, and Asian Americans.Source: Hispanic PR Blog on April 26, 2014
New York City McDonald's restaurants are hosting "a series of Meet and Greet events" with the Latino child actor Jorge Vega who is starring in the upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man 2 movie. The campaign also includes a movie-themed Happy Meal which comes with the ability to unlock a game in the "McPlay" app by scanning the Happy Meal package.
Source: Ad Age on April 23, 2014
Official sponsors Budweiser and Coca-Cola along with unofficial sponsors MillerCoors and PepsiCo are capitalizing off the event to use both traditional television advertising and social media ads to target young, Latino soccer fans. While PepsiCo lost out to Coca-Cola for the official event sponsorship, they are launching a campaign for soccer that is supposed to be the "largest global effort for both the brand and the company" and will be implemented in 100 different markets.
Source: Mobile Marketer on April 23, 2014
By using the photo-sharing social platform, Post Foods' campaign seeks to "enlist user-generated content to hopefully build long-term engagement." The campaign incentivizes teens to upload videos of themselves dancing with a chance to win a prize. The article also notes the success of a previous Honey Bunches of Oats campaign targeting Latinos that used a similar strategy.Source: LA Times on April 23, 2014
In an effort to stay up-to-date in this digital age, McDonald's gave their clown mascot Ronald McDonald a new "designer" outfit as well as his own social media presence with the hashtag #RonaldMcDonald. According to the fast food giant's Senior Vice President Dean Barrett, "Customers today want to engage with brands in different ways, and Ronald will continue to be modern and relevant."Source: Kidscreen on April 21, 2014
In an effort to promote its unhealthy products, Kellogg's is releasing a new Spider Man-themed mobile app, as well as announcing a new partnership with Sony for a sweepstakes giveaway. The mobile app allows users to unlock new parts of the game by scanning codes found on the brand's products including Pringles, Frosted Flakes, and Pop-Tarts. The sweepstakes features prizes including a trip to New York City.Source: Media Post on April 16, 2014
As their sales drop, Coca Cola is investing more in its Freestyle dispenser machine which allows consumers to mix their own sugary drinks. The machine is being heralded as "an admission by Big Soda that they have to endorse a young drinker's consciousness" and is a blatant effort to stay relevant among youth and young adults. Upcoming promotion for the Freestyle machine will be digitized including a mobile app which will allow consumers to pre-mix their drinks on their cellphones and scan the app to the machine itself.Source: Ad Age on April 16, 2014
Jay Z's "Made in America" music festival, sponsored by Budweiser, is adding the city of Los Angeles to its tour this summer and capitalizing off the opportunity to draw "a younger and more multicultural crowd to Budweiser." Pointing out Budweiser's competing beer brands imported from Mexico and the diverse Latino population in California, one marketing executive emphasizes, "we need to make this festival relevant to Hispanic culture."Source: Color Lines on April 15, 2014
In a self-promoting video clip, Budweiser showcases their special screening of the film about CÌ©sar ChÌÁvez for Latino farm workers in Delano, California. Budweiser proudly announces their long-time sponsorship of the United Farm Workers (UFW) in the clip, a classic example of targeting Latinos by invoking important cultural figures, events, and language.Source: Ad Age on April 13, 2014
To promote their new Spicy Chicken Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos, Taco Bell is partnering with the popular mobile app SnapChat. The app will feature a short film featuring the new product and will be launched in conjunction with television, radio, and other social media promotion. The marketing tactic is another example of Big Food turning to the latest in technology to push unhealthy products on young, tech savvy consumers.
