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: AlterNet on August 21, 2013
Author Jill Richardson argues that the message behind food and beverage companies' campaigns to promote exercise as a solution to obesity is, "Don't blame us for America's public health crisis." She points out that exercise is beneficial, but it alone is not enough to maintain health. Messaging that suggests otherwise is simply an industry tactic to maintain profits and avoid regulation.Source: FoodBev.com on August 21, 2013
Pepsi is using packaging-based marketing to increase sales of the sugary drink among Beyonc̩'s loyal fan base. A marketing executive says that the bottle "is so much more than Pepsi packaging -- it communicates our brand vision to the end consumer."Source: PR Newswire on August 20, 2013
The campaign will include a "tweet-to-unlock" and social voting program. Fans who tweet with a special hashtag will get clues about the new album and then will vote on which song from the album will be released early on iTunes. Fans will also receive free song downloads for joining Pepsi's rewards program.Source: Food Dive on August 20, 2013
The article profiles six new breakfast food products, including Mountain Dew's Kickstart, a caffeinated sugary drink with 5% juice that is marketed as a breakfast beverage. The article also features the "Waffle Taco" from Taco Bell's new breakfast menu.Source: Progressive Grocer on August 19, 2013
A conference session at Hispanic Retail 360, a Latino marketing conference, offered marketers a chance to learn how best to "create an emotion connection" with English-speaking Latinos through a variety of digital media venues, in part by customizing messages in English and Spanish that focus on different aspects of the brand.Source: Progressive Grocer on August 16, 2013
Participants at the Birds Eye Vegetables event, part of the company's summer-long national campaign to get kids to eat more veggies, have the chance to win a trip to Nickelodeon's 10th annual Worldwide Day of Play. This is the second year of the Birds Eye-Nickelodeon partnership, which has contributed to a 20 percent increase in volume for Birds Eye products.Source: MediaPost on August 15, 2013
BuzzFeed and PepsiCo have partnered to create the "ListiClock": a clock that, for every hour and minute of the day, displays lists of pop culture trivia that correspond to the numbers on the clock. Examples of the "ListiClock powered by PepsiNext" include "50 of the Most Unbelievable Adorable Dogs in the Big City" and "20 GIFs That'll Make You Question Reality." The ListiClock is a component of the Pepsi Next "Drink it to Believe it" campaign.Source: Food Politics on August 14, 2013
General Mills has asked the FDA to define "whole grain" based on parameters that are misleading and allow companies to provide the claim for products that are only 27% "whole grain." A distorted definition would help General Mills better market its products, including the company's child-targeted cereals.Source: Ad Age on August 14, 2013
Campbell Soup and the American Heart Association were sued by a consumer for including "heart healthy" logo claims on products containing sodium levels six times higher than what is recommended by the Association. The "soups display the Association's 'Heart-Check Mark' logo", deceptively indicating that the products offer cardiovascular benefits.Source: Businessweek on August 13, 2013
In its latest print ad featured in USA Today, Coca-Cola defends its diet drinks and the artificial sweeteners they contain. The ad represents the second phase of Coke's campaign to defend its products against accusations of contributing to obesity rates.
