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 04, 2014
The fast-food company used sophisticated market research to gain popularity among young consumers. According to Taco Bell's chief marketing officer, "We want to be cool. And we want to be part of culture" that young people create. Social media was key to this transformation so that the brand was "distributing shareable - and share-worthy - information."Source: TIME on March 03, 2014
In an effort to appeal to health-conscious families, Burger King is replacing their regular fries in kids' meals with their 'Satisfries'. According to the fast food giant, 'Satisfries' have less calories than the typically greasy fast food fries, though they have yet to share their mechanism for producing the fries.Source: Emag.co.uk on Feburary 27, 2014
A McDonald's spokesperson describes the annual event as a way for the company to connect with young people: "As a genre of music that resonates deeply among our millennial consumers, McDonald's celebrates this vital and growing art form." This year marked the fifth year of the competition which uses cash prizes and celebrity DJ's to encourage youth participation and brand loyalty.Source: PR Newswire on Feburary 26, 2014
The fast casual chain's Golden Szechuan Fish entree features fried cod and vegetables and was developed specifically to appeal to Latino customers who are observing the traditional dietary guidelines required during Lent.Source: Progressive Grocer on Feburary 26, 2014
The national advertising initiative entitled "The World Needs More Airheads" is the brand's first mass marketing campaign. The campaign will feature crossover from social media to traditional TV advertising - fan-produced videos from social media will be shown in Airheads TV commercials later this year.Source: TIME on Feburary 25, 2014
Michelle Obama led the White House and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to announce that a new measure would forbid the marketing of unhealthy foods to kids on school campuses. The "Let's Move" campaign measure follows a 2013 USDA initiative to nutritionally improve school lunches; the policy is notable in its acknowledgement that despite industry self-regulation, kids are still seeing too many junk food advertisements.Source: Progressive Grocer on Feburary 24, 2014
The race car painted in M&M's advertisements is the latest tactic in the brand's "Year of Peanut" marketing campaign. The "Number 18 Peanut Toyota design" will be driven celebrity race car driver Kyle Busch. Although it's not mentioned in the article, the M&M race car is sure to be seen by lots of children, especially boys, watching NASCAR.Source: Media Post on Feburary 24, 2014
The yogurt company is hoping to capitalize off of the movie's popularity with children to sell its new Danimals Greek Yogurt Superstars line of yogurt to Latino kids and their parents. The campaign is being promoted with select signage in Southern California stores. The advertising campaign features a "text-to-win" mobile campaign with a chance to win a tour of the Warner Brothers studio, movie tickets, or autographed movie posters.Source: Portada Online on Feburary 18, 2014
According to Tecate's Brand Manager, Tecate beer aims to "ensure the brand is celebrating the character of all Hispanic bicultural men 21 and older." In an effort to target young, Latino men, Tecate sponsors boxing matches and aligns their product with Latino boxing celebrities through promotions on social media and through mail-in rebate offers with beer purchases.Source: Media Post on Feburary 17, 2014
General Mills is using a wide variety of media channels to promote their Lucky Charms product using an anniversary hook. The campaign includes social media promotions, an online giveaway featuring chances to win high-top sneakers and skateboards, and 50th anniversary-themed cereal boxes. Notably, Lucky Charms is consciously targeting adults in addition to kids in an effort to push sales.
