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: Ad Age on May 30, 2013
In this editorial, marketing executive Bill Imada argues that the advertising industry has taken the lead in positively portraying Asian-Americans in a variety of mainstream roles. However, in his assessment, Imada doesn't discuss the fact that by featuring Asian-Americans in their commercials, companies like McDonald's and Coca-Cola target those communities for the purchase of unhealthy and harmful products.Source: NPR on May 29, 2013
Coca-Cola's new "Share a Coke" campaign, launched in Europe, aims at connecting personally with consumers by allowing them to buy a Coke with their name on it. There has been backlash, however, as the campaign excludes some uncommon names and Arabic names, in spite of their popularity in the region.Source: FoodBev.com on May 29, 2013
Consumers filed a class-action lawsuit based on Kellogg's claims that their Mini-Wheats increased kids' attentiveness and memory. Although Kellogg stands by its advertising and denies doing anything wrong, the company will pay out $4 million to consumers who bought Mini-Wheats between January 2008 and October 2009.Source: ReachHispanic on May 29, 2013
Marketers have identified Latino communities as early adopters of new technologies. The tablet is one example, with eMarketer projecting that nearly a quarter of Latinos in the U.S. will be using one by 2015. This may be the latest example of data that marketers rely on to target Latinos digitally.Source: Food Dive on May 28, 2013
Several big names in the food industry reveal new products that will be hitting retail in time for summer. These launches illustrate the importance of product-based marketing -- launching novel products to boost sales.Source: USA Today on May 24, 2013
New research from Harvard Medical School shows that consumers, including teenagers and children, badly underestimate the number of calories in their fast food meals. The study's author concludes that menu labeling in fast food restaurants will help guide consumer choices and rectify these discrepancies.Source: Portada on May 24, 2013
McDonald's launched an online sweepstakes offering the chance for Latino soccer fans to win a VIP trip to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The sweepstakes is an effort for the company to secure its sponsorship for the soccer tournament next year by promoting their brand to Latino soccer fans. Marketing for the sweepstakes includes a bilingual website which uses Twitter, as well as marketing by a Latino-focused advertising team that involves several agencies that work with McDonalds on a global scale.Source: USA Today on May 23, 2013
Nine-year-old Hannah Robertson made headlines this week when she lectured McDonald's CEO Don Thompson on the chain's marketing practices and unhealthy products. "I don't think it's fair when big companies try to trick kids into eating food," she said. "It isn't fair that so many kids my age are getting sick."Source: Financial Times on May 23, 2013
Protesters rallied outside the company's annual shareholders' meeting. At the meeting, 6 of 13 shareholder questions had to do with McDonald's role in the obesity epidemic. Don Thompson, the company's chief executive, claimed that McDonald's does not specifically target communities of color or children.Source: Food Manufacturing on May 22, 2013
Rutgers Business School professor Jerome Williams is co-editor of a new book that explores the role of media communications on the childhood obesity epidemic. He concludes that multiple stakeholders, including researchers and policy makers, have a role in driving the conversation around changing the media landscape and its impact on children's health.
