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: The Huffington Post on September 18, 2013
Public health lawyer Michele Simon interviews the Public Health Advocacy Institute's Cara Wilking, whose new study on fast food TV marketing to kids found that such marketing relies not on food, but on toys, games and other giveaways to entice children. Wilking discusses legal approaches to limiting junk food marketing and offers tips for aspiring food and public health lawyers.Source: Fox News Latino on September 18, 2013
At a White House convening on food marketing to children, Michelle Obama called on the food industry not only to step up its pace in reducing junk food marketing to children, but also to follow the lead of companies like Birds Eye and encourage kids to eat healthy foods.Source: Reach Hispanic on September 18, 2013
Pepsi's newest campaign, "Familia de Campeones" (Family of Champions), "showed once more that Hispanic families also live and breathe NFL football," according to the company's promotional materials. Dallas families involved in the campaign had the opportunity to compete for a chance to be crowned Pepsi Familia de Campeones and win tickets to the next Super Bowl. The heavily branded, corporate-sponsored events were an important strategy to help Pepsi build goodwill among Latino families: Participants reported that the events show Pepsi cares about their community, saying the company "understands me and the things I'm into."Source: Wired on September 17, 2013
Perhaps as part of a backlash against trends toward healthy eating, fast food chains are developing and using digital marketing campaigns to promote over-the-top, indulgent products that encourage consumers to give in to cravings for junk food. Though not all of the innovations are high-tech, many involve costly research and lab testing.Source: MediaPost on September 13, 2013
Bottled water brands are among the strongest supporters of the First Lady's announcement of a new initiative to urge Americans to drink more water. The American Beverage Association has already issued a statement of support, while water filter brands like Brita are rolling out new products and sponsorships to coincide with the Drink Up initiative.Source: PR Newswire on September 13, 2013
Yoplait has relaunched Go-Gurt, its child-targeted yogurt in a tube, with packaging emphasizing that the product has been reformulated to address parent concerns about nutrition. The company touts that the new product has one less gram of sugar and 10 fewer calories per serving, than the earlier formulation.Source: QSR Magazine on September 13, 2013
Chipotle's new adventure game, "The Scarecrow," educates users on the difference between processed and real food. The company says it hopes that by educating consumers about where their food comes from, the game will encourage them to "seek out high-quality, classically prepared food like [Chipotle] serves."Source: Advertising Age on September 12, 2013
PepsiCo has announced that this year's Doritos' "Crash the Super Bowl" campaign will be open to 46 companies in which the chips are sold. The competition, which PepsiCo hopes will produce higher-rated ads than last year, will be tied to digital marketing as well as outreach at sporting events, film festivals and universities.Source: PR Newswire on September 12, 2013
The Latin Grammys' 'Acoustic Sessions' are held in key U.S. and Latin American cities and feature performances from a range of Latin American musicians. CIROC Ultra Premium Vodka sponsored this year's sessions and provided attendees to the exclusive, invitation-only events with "stylish CIROC cocktails."Source: MediaPost on September 12, 2013
Mondelez International, the snack food maker behind brands like Oreo and Cadbury, has announced a partnership with Twitter to "deliver real-time marketing solutions," which the company hopes will "drive business growth" in countries around the world.
