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 Dive on June 19, 2013
Oreo's new limited edition watermelon-flavored cookies are artificially flavored and contain no real fruit. The strategy of marketing new food products as "limited time offers" is one that the fast food industry has been using successfully for years.Source: Reuters on June 18, 2013
A WHO Europe report highlights the importance for governments to utilize comprehensive approaches to regulate targeted marketing of foods to children, who are vulnerable to more than just television ads but also social media and smart phone advertising. The leading categories of advertised foods were reported to be soft drinks, sweetened breakfast cereals, biscuits, sweets, snacks, ready meals and fast food meals.Source: Food Dive on June 18, 2013
Tuned in to customers' desire for less processed food products, food companies are purposefully making their products look less perfect and more "natural." Some examples include Kraft Foods' Carving Board lunchmeat, which is the same product as other Kraft lunchmeat but is cut unevenly rather than in their typical oval shape, Domino's imperfectly shaped "Artisan Pizzas" and McDonald's uneven egg whites in their Egg White McMuffin.Source: The New York Times on June 18, 2013
Despite pressure put on Nickelodeon to restrict its advertising of junk foods to kids, the network hasn't budged. Food remains Nickelodeon's third biggest advertising category. Advocacy groups including the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Berkeley Media Studies Group, and four Democratic senators have been pushing for the network to start implementing stricter advertising standards.Source: FoodBev.com on June 18, 2013
Heinz's new line of products in the UK is an attempt to tap into the breakfast on-the-go trend, and will feature the first "ready-to-eat breakfast format specifically designed for babies." These products include cereals and a breakfast biscotti for infants.Source: ColorLines on June 18, 2013
Jay-Z partnered with Samsung to promote his new album to millions of young people of color who are starting to use smartphones, while Samsung has the chance to associate with "one of the coolest cats in pop culture." The Android-specific partnership is strategic: African-Americans are more likely than whites or Latinos to own an Android. The music mogul's new music will be available for free for the first one million Android users who download a special app for the album.Source: Eat Drink Politics on June 17, 2013
Susan Linn, Director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and Michele Simon, public health attorney and author, discuss why marketing "healthy" food to children is not a solution to the ethical problems of child-targeted marketing. Because kids cannot understand advertising's persuasive intent, they explain, all marketing to them "is inherently deceptive." Linn and Simon offer ideas for change and pitfalls for advocates to avoid in their efforts to improve kids' health.Source: PR Newswire on June 17, 2013
The nation's largest African American festival is an "opportunity to engage with the world's most esteemed brands" as well as an opportunity for those brands to utilize targeted marketing. This July, the event in New Orleans will feature promotional booths by Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Coors Light; Walmart will even have a booth where you can learn about African American history and "celebrate Black love."Source: Adweek on June 17, 2013
Kraft's new ad campaign for its Zesty Italian salad dressing is creating controversy among the advocacy group One Million Moms. The group has protested that the ad, featuring a nearly nude male model, is "the most disgusting ad" they had ever seen and is demanding that Kraft stop using sex to sell their products.Source: ColorLines on June 14, 2013
After stepping out at the World Series parade in a shirt that said, "I just look illegal", San Francisco Giants pitcher Sergio Romo partnered with Bay Area ice cream company Three Twins to create a Mexican chocolate flavor with the tagline, "It only tastes illegal." The controversial product aims to get people talking about immigration policy in the U.S., and some of the profits from the new ice cream will raise money for immigration reform.
