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: Warc on March 18, 2014
Pepsi and Coca-Cola are capitalizing off the growing popularity of football in India through youth-targeted sponsorships. While Coca-Cola sponsors a football tournament for Indian youth under age 16, Pepsi has launched a football-themed social media campaign featuring football stunts and publicizing brand-sponsored events.Source: Media Post on March 18, 2014
Dole Fruit Squish'ems is partnering with the American Youth Soccer Organization, and Women's World Cup winner Brandi Chastain, to build brand awareness among parents. As the face of the partnership, Chastain will use social media to connect with parents and promote the product as part of a "healthy, active lifestyle" for children. The squeezable fruit snack will also be featured at local and national youth soccer events.Source: Media Post on March 13, 2014
Google and digital analytics company comScore are teaming up in an effort to better understand how to target online consumers and to "optimize their online messages to specific audiences." One of the goals of the partnership is to better target young Latinos who they have identified as an "elusive, but desirable (marketing) segment."Source: USA Today on March 10, 2014
Following in the footsteps of Cheerios and Coca-Cola, Mondelez's Honey Maid commercial features interracial families enjoying their products. According to one brutally honest ad exec from Muse Communications, companies are turning to same-sex, multi-racial, and other representations in their ads because, "As a brand, you don't really care who buys your product. You just want them happy - and you want them to know that you see them."Source: Media Post on March 07, 2014
Popular electronic dance music DJ Tiesto is at the center of the latest campaign from beverage giant Dr. Pepper Snapple Group that "tries to reach Hispanics through the music they love." Because beverage industry research shows that Latinos drink more sugary drinks than non-Latino Americans, the demographic is becoming more heavily targeted by marketing that ad execs argue "isn't just about language, it's about culture."Source: FoodBev.com on March 07, 2014
General Mills partnered with DC Entertainment and Warner Brothers Consumer Products to launch a limited edition of their cereals, citing "a certain shared fanaticism among cereal lovers and comic book fans." The "collectible" cereal boxes prominently feature DC Comics' Justice League characters, which are very popular with kids and teens.Source: Ad Age on March 06, 2014
Taco Bell & Kraft joined forces to launch an integrated digital marketing campaign which targets kids and parents with their "Bottled Awesome" game. They are also partnering to launch four new packaged Taco Bell products for the grocery store, part of Taco Bell's effort to "bring the brand outside of the quick-service category and into retail."Source: Media Post on March 06, 2014
According to the article, Oreo is using momentum from its viral tweet during the 2013 Superbowl blackout to "connect trending moments to the cookie itself in real time and in real life." The company's use of social media to "bridge real-world events with online conversations" is evidence of their ongoing efforts to target both youth and Millennials.Source: Gamespot on March 06, 2014
5-Hour Energy is targeting gamers with the release of energy shots that feature branding for the highly anticipated first-person shooter Titanfall. Despite the health concerns associated with energy drinks and shots, gaming bloggers seem optimistic about the partnership - noting, for example, that "since success in Titanfall comes down to how quick your reflexes are . . . a partnership with 5-Hour Energy certainly makes sense."Source: Digiday on March 06, 2014
McDonald's decision to air a commercial publicizing their targeted marketing site 365 Black during the Oscar's ignited controversy and raised awareness about the fast food giant's efforts to exploit Black culture for marketing purposes. Negative reactions on Twitter included, "McDonald's is marketing using some good old-fashioned racial profiling!" and "McDonald's 365Black campaign is the most racist thing I have ever heard."
