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: Mobile Commerce Daily on January 28, 2013
The move reflects a larger trend in the food and beverage industry to capitalize on mobile technology to sell product. As a Starbucks executive articulated it: "[T]his will provide an incentive for customers not only to buy [our] coffee, but integrate them even further in the Starbucks ecosystem."Source: Chicago Tribune on January 28, 2013
This piece frames the issue in terms of personal responsibility and argues that consumers just need "more information." The writer also mocks the notion that it is a function of city government to promote residents' health.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.Source: Business Wire on January 28, 2013
"Mentors" will include Magic Johnson, Common, and the CEO of BET. Coca-Cola is asking for online nominations of an "aspiring young person" for the apprenticeship program. Participants are entered for a $5,000 sweepstakes for each person they nominate. Coke is also partnering with United Negro College Fund with a text-to-donate program. The campaign is part of Coke's "Pay it Forward" program.Source: Advertising Age on January 24, 2013
Doritos' is unique among Super Bowl advertisers because it has consistently used fan-generated content to drive engagement. The company's "Crash the Super Bowl" promotion is now 7 years old and remains a successful campaign for PepsiCo.Source: PR Newswire on January 24, 2013
Pepsi will serve as a presenter of the "Best New Artist" category at the Grammys, and will unveil exclusive content (such as an online video series) as part of a partnership with VEVO and Pandora.Source: MediaPost on January 24, 2013
Jolly Time Popcorn has launched a social media and PR campaign to urge Hasbro to replace a classic Monopoly piece with one representing the snack. The campaign is earning the company kudos for helping it stay relevant in the age of social media.Source: Advertising Age on January 24, 2013
Brian Steinberg argues that Coca-Cola may "do more to damage its image than burnish it" with its anti-obesity campaign ads, since they "out -and-out [link the] brand with being overweight."Source: Reuters on January 23, 2013
FDA researchers found that food labels that show the total number of calories in the package (rather than part of it) might help alleviate "information overload" and encourage consumers to make healthier choices.Source: Progressive Grocer on January 23, 2013
The Food Marketing Institute, a food industry trade group, has launched a program to urge its members to create and promote "family meal solutions for their customers" -- a campaign that casts the industry as proponents of family values and family mealtime.
