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: Australian Food News on July 22, 2013
An Australian study conducted by consumer group CHOICE shows that when the food industry uses health labels such as "lean" and "healthy" to market diet foods to health-conscious (and primarily female) consumers, the products are often highly processed and unhealthy. Some may even contain more calories than their regular counterparts.Source: The Seattle Times on July 21, 2013
The energy drink industry is targeting a different audience with its newest product launches, which are being advertised as ÛÏorganicÛ and ÛÏnatural.Û One such brand is marketing itself as the ÛÏenergy drink of the health club, not the night club.Û The ÛÏnaturalÛ products, however, contain similar amounts of caffeine as conventional energy drinks, which are under scrutiny by the FDA and the AMA for their negative health consequences.Source: PHAI Online on July 18, 2013
In an effort to market ÛÏLunchables Uploaded,Û the same junk food lunches containing bigger portions, Kraft launched a campaign asking for and promoting kid-created stunt videos. Though Kraft states that it doesn't want kids hurting themselves in the process of creating an ÛÏUploadÛ video, its website features videos of kids performing risky skateboard tricks without helmets or other protective gear.Source: Huliq on July 17, 2013
After previously expressing concern about diabetes and saying that he avoided soda for health reasons, Shaquille O'Neal will be promoting ÛÏSoda ShaqÛ: a product with 270 calories and 17 teaspoons of sugar per package. Dr. Anthony Iton of the California Endowment points out that soda companies use sports figures like Shaq to minimize concern about health problems linked to soda consumption, ÛÏproblems that African-Americans happen to suffer from disproportionately.ÛSource: Food Navigator USA on July 17, 2013
Though the idea is still in the early stages of development, the brand hopes to broaden its consumer base to health-conscious consumers as part of its ÛÏSweetest Comeback in the History of EverÛ marketing campaign. The company sees a big opportunity in the gluten-free market because of ÛÏthe perception that a gluten-free diet is healthier.ÛSource: Ad Age on July 16, 2013
In spite of solid sales, the Nestle brand is hoping to improve its image with better ingredients, more transparency about what's inside the product, and an endorsement from Food Network's celebrity chef Jeff Mauro.Source: PR Newswire on July 16, 2013
Skinny Cow, a brand that advertises itself as a healthier alternative to ice cream, uses summer and National Ice Cream month to market its new sugary products. The Nestle-owned brand's product launch is another example in a growing list of recent products (e.g. Ruffles Crispy Fries, Sonic Pretzel Dog) that combine two snacks to eliminate the "days of having to make a choice" between them.Source: Ad Age on July 16, 2013
After the company introduced its first kid-targeted menu earlier this year (featuring smoothies in smaller sizes with no added sugar), Jamba Juice now plans to use characters from Disney's new cartoon movie "Planes" to promote the items. The campaign includes a Facebook sweepstakes, in-store and online marketing, and radio commercials.Source: PR Newswire on July 16, 2013
Pegged to National Ice Cream Month, the campaign is based on a study that allows consumers to find out what their favorite flavor of ice cream says about them. Other Baskin-Robbins marketing efforts inspired by National Ice Cream Month include a Twitter sweepstakes, with BR gift cards as prizes.Source: PR Newswire on July 15, 2013
Pepsi is sponsoring the 20th annual "Black Enterprise/Pepsi Golf & Tennis Challenge," an event designed to bring together African-American entrepreneurs and business executives. Sponsoring events of this kind is a form of corporate social responsibility-a marketing tactic that companies use to build goodwill and connections with a target market (in Pepsi's case, the African-American business community).
