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: The New York Times on Feburary 25, 2013
In this example of how Internet memes can drive major advertising campaigns, Dr Pepper is quipping that gymnast McKayla Maroney, well known for the "not impressed" facial expression she gave after winning a silver (instead of gold) medal for her 2012 Olympic vault routine, is finally "impressed" -- by the company's newest lineup of low-cal sodas. Ms. Maroney will appear at a promotional event in NYC's Penn Station this week.Source: ConfectionaryNews.com on Feburary 25, 2013
The confections company executive called on industry to "step up," saying: "If we don't [act], I worry someone else will do it for us." The fear is that regulators may put meaningful consumer protections in place (unlike industry voluntary pledges). Ideas for "stepping up" include product reformulation.Source: FoodNavigator-usa.com on Feburary 25, 2013
In this interview with Food Navigator, the Center for Science in the Public Interest's Margo Wootan rebuts classic food industry's classic arguments, explaining that there are, in fact, bad foods and that our environment, filled to the brim with these foods, thwarts our best efforts to eat well and be healthy.Source: The Sydney Morning Herald on Feburary 22, 2013
A report from the Cancer Council of Australia says kids' fast food meals pack in more than an entire day's worth of salt and saturated fat. It recommends that targets be set for reform of all fast food products and that there be a national approach to nutrition labeling on menu boards.Source: Hispanic PR Blog on Feburary 22, 2013
The "St. Jude Thanks and Giving Combo" includes pizzas, cheesy bread bites, a two-liter bottle of Coke and a $1 donation to St. Jude for $19.99. Will the funds raised by this corporate social responsibility campaign be used to treat the pediatric obesity fueled by such foods?Source: ABC Rural on Feburary 21, 2013
Lobbyist Gary Dawson makes the Orwellian comment: "The original intent here was to enable companies to make a broader range of health claims on their packaging that would in fact drive innovation." The kind of innovation that sells Lunchables?Source: MediaPost on Feburary 20, 2013
Marketers are struggling to address the nuances of "Latino marketing" vs. marketing that is directed to the general market. A new study suggests that the distinctions are not clear-cut, since many Latinos identify as bicultural, or part of both markets.Source: MediaPost on Feburary 20, 2013
Post Foods is increasing its support for Univision's popular music award show, "Premio Lo Nuestro." Among other efforts, Post's Honey Bunches of Oats will be the major sponsor for a multi-city Latin music tour, and Univision's telenovelas and youth music shows will be featured on boxes of the cereal.Source: The New York Times on Feburary 20, 2013
Like Big Tobacco, the junk food industry is adept at anticipating oncoming health crises and mobilizing to protect their profits. The article offers candid insights into the industry's need to hook consumers: "If you lost one of those heavy [soda] users, if somebody just decided to stop drinking Coke, how many drinkers would you have to get, at low velocity, to make up for that heavy user? The answer is a lot. It's more efficient to get my existing users to drink more."Source: Berkeley Media Studies Group on Feburary 20, 2013
A study from BMSG and the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity reveals the digital techniques that cereal companies use to get children to engage with brands in ways not possible through television advertising.
