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: MediaPost on January 15, 2013
Red Lobster is aggressively targeting Latinos with its new Spanish-language campaign that will include TV spots starring a Latina server. The chain has also partnered with Univision, which will feature custom segments promoting Red Lobster during popular programs.Source: Warc on January 15, 2013
The Ministry of Health is also expected to force food manufacturers to add more nutritional information to product packaging. Consumer advocates are calling for an immediate ban on advertisements, such as billboards near schools and ads on children's television, that are directed at a younger audience.Source: MediaPost on January 15, 2013
Media writer Thom Forbes takes on the controversy. Although he comes down pretty pro-industry, Forbes highlights the voices of advocates and others who take on the more problematic aspects of this campaign. Michael F. Jacobsen, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, calls Coke's new campaign "a damage control exercise and not a meaningful contribution toward addressing obesity." And USA TodayÛªs Nanci Hellmich suggests that Coca-Cola's attempt to be part of the solution is merely pretend.Source: PR Newswire on January 15, 2013
Jose Cuervo tequila is sponsoring the Traditional Mural Project, a program the brand claims is "inspired by the influence of Latino heritage." The contest and affiliated Facebook promotion showcase murals by emerging artists that "(explore) Latino themes around music, education, and family."Source: Advertising Age on January 14, 2013
This article captures the relationship between climate change, supply chains, and marketing. A marketer mentions that food companies "are more shifting than cutting," moving to digital marketing from traditional print advertising.Source: The New York Times on January 14, 2013
The company's new commercial touts its self-regulatory efforts and, borrowing a line from the alcohol industry, encourages consumers to drink responsibly. Yet, as Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, points out, the marketing is nothing more than a "PR campaign that will do nothing to combat obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay."Source: Advertising Age on January 14, 2013
Characterizing the acts as "crazy," the ad captures real people doing acts of kindness and generosity from planting trees around the city to paying for the tolls of the cars in line behind them.Source: PR Newswire on January 14, 2013
Hennessey's ongoing "Wild Rabbit" campaign, which in the past has featured stars like Manny Pacquiao and Martin Scorcese, is now targeting young men of color with the addition of "Hennessey ambassador" Nas. The multiplatinum rap star will appear in a private concert sponsored by the brand.Source: Mashable.com on January 12, 2013
The company is the latest to get in on the crowdsourcing wave of consumer participation marketing. Campell's is inviting developers to create apps that help consumers with finding recipes and cooking.Source: Advertising Age on January 11, 2013
This is an example of earned media -- free promotional work for marketers by the industry press, or mainstream outlets. It's one of multiple ways in which marketers attempt to maximize the influence of their marketing dollars.
