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: ClickZ on January 30, 2013
Formerly Kraft Foods, the company has hired mobile start-up talent to move forward with its Mobile Futures pilot program. One of its express goals is to target Millennials, spurring impulse buys and "mobile-at-retail experiences."Source: MediaPost on January 30, 2013
As part of its "UpgraDDe Your Sandwich" campaign to promote its Bakery Sandwich, Dunkin' is running a sweepstake in which people enter by posting photos of their "sad, homemade sandwiches" on Instagram or Twitter using a specified hashtag.Source: Associated Press on January 30, 2013
In a gross example of synergy, the Doritos-flavored tacos launched by Taco Bell last year have been a top seller. Now, Doritos wants to capitalize on the combination by introducing its Taco Bell flavored chips. The products are an example of the "unique bonds" between Yum Brands and PepsiCo.Source: Food Politics on January 30, 2013
Could this be a response to the backlash that ensued last year when they rolled out Girl Scout candy bars?Source: PR Newswire on January 30, 2013
Part of McDonald's 365Black initiative, the campaign targets youth of color. There will be a live webcast of the event, as well as live tweeting. There has also been a social media component, with more than 400,000 people voting for the DJ contestants online.Source: FoodNavigator-usa.com on January 29, 2013
After the release of Michele Simon's report highlighting close ties between Coke and the Assn. of Nutrition and Dietetics, the beverage company stressed its concern for health, while AND dismissed the report as "opinion." The report followed on the heels of the 2012 AND conference, which Coke sponsored.Source: The New York Times on January 29, 2013
New TV advertising for the brand's Steamfresh Chef's Favorites line depicts mothers (in the form of cute animals) completing family meals by adding the vegetables. Said one industry observer: Bird's Eye recognizes that "parents know they need to make healthier food choices for their children."Source: Drug Store News on January 29, 2013
As usual, Coke focuses narrowly on individual responsibility for health, framing the beverages as ones that will help people keep their New Year's resolutions and "meet their individual needs."Source: Candy & Snack Today on January 28, 2013
Nestle is taking pride in teaching parents about good nutrition in New Jersey's "Newark Now!" program, launched in 2012. Not surprisingly, it focuses on individual behavior (e.g. portion control and physical activity) rather than the junk-food saturated environment that Nestle itself perpetuates.Source: AlterNet on January 28, 2013
BSMG's own Pamela Mejia writes about the challenges of grappling with food companies' huge reach and insidious tactics in marketing to young children.
