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: Food Navigator USA on June 27, 2013
Coca-Cola launches "Coca-Cola Life": a new product that contains 50% less sugar than regular Coke and is sweetened with Stevia. The product will hit shelves in Argentina first. According to Coke, the launch is contingent with the corporation's effort to "expand (its) portfolio to meet consumers' evolving needs and preferences around the world," but is emerging coincidentally close to similar efforts by competitors.Source: Food Politics on June 27, 2013
The World Health Organization's Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan analyzes and exposes some of the tactics that "Big Tobacco Big Food, Big Soda, and Big Alcohol" use to protect themselves from regulation. These tactics include corporate social responsibility campaigns, self-regulation, and framing food issues solely as a matter of personal responsibility, while ignoring any impact of the environment.Source: The Huffington Post on June 26, 2013
Responding to a recent article that contends all food marketing aimed at children is inherently deceptive and should be avoided, Bettina Elias Siegel offers what she calls a "realist" perspective. According to Siegel, with the prevalence and presence of today's advertising, "teaching kids media literacy" is a more realistic plan of action to promote healthy habits.Source: MediaPost on June 26, 2013
Nesquik sponsored an art-based promotion for two weekends in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood, seeking to connect with consumers by tapping into emotions associated with childhood. The installation offers an interactive experience featuring bubbles and chocolate scents and aims to sell the product to consumers of all ages through an elaborate, immersive marketing experience.Source: The Wall Street Journal on June 25, 2013
Through new product launches this summer, Chobani "is casting a wider net for consumers" and attempting to appeal to a more mainstream group. With the introduction of new "blended" flavors, Chobani hopes to target the same consumers that choose competitors' products, such as Yoplait.Source: QSR on June 25, 2013
Sonic's new product attempts to solve the "age-old summertime dilemma of hot dog versus pretzel" by eliminating the choice. The new "pretzel-dog," will be marketed just in time for the Fourth of July. This campaign is similar to efforts like Ruffles' recent product launch, combining the taste of potato chips and French fries.Source: ConvenienceStoreNews on June 24, 2013
Twinkies, Donettes and other Hostess sugary snacks that appeal to children will be back on the market this July, just in time for summer break. Though the product lacks nutritional value just like its predecessors, each box will feature a new marketing catchphrase: "The Sweetest Comeback In The History of Ever."Source: MediaPost on June 21, 2013
The cereal brand's new promotion features the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star John Cena in two new television commercials, an interactive mobile app, and a giveaway sweepstakes. The commercial shows the wrestling star using Fruity Pebbles to "amp up" his morning. This is another industry example of athlete endorsement of products to boost sales.Source: Warc on June 21, 2013
The 2013 Effie Effectiveness Index, a ranking that reveals which companies have been most successful in developing creative ideas, revealed Coca-Cola's marketing as most effective at connecting with consumers. It surpassed McDonald's, which was ranked second, and Pepsi, which came in third. The Coke brand had the biggest "impact" in Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa, including many poverty-stricken areas.Source: Food Navigator USA on June 20, 2013
A class action lawsuit was filed in federal court last week against Kellogg's for advertising its Super Mario fruit snacks as being made with real fruit. The plaintiff is accusing the food corporation of misleading consumers into buying the unhealthy, artificially flavored snack.
