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: PR Newswire on November 09, 2012
Heineken will publish "behind-the-scenes" digital content from the event. The campaign will include a Heineken-sponsored website, social media, and an in-person "Heineken House of Music" at the event in Las Vegas.Source: PR Newswire on November 08, 2012
The app is designed for primarily Spanish-speaking customers who have their smartphone set to Spanish. The Spanish language app has the same capabilities as the original app in English. Thirty percent of Domino's orders are now made through mobile devices and online.Source: MarketWire on November 08, 2012
Pepsi has partnered with the nation's "premier Latino pizza brand" for a promotion that builds on the popularity of soccer among Latinos. The "Ponte La Diez" ("Wear the 10") campaign offers customers discounted pizza and Pepsi, as well as free t-shirts branded with the face of well known Argentinian soccer player Lionel Messi.Source: Hispanic PR Blog on November 08, 2012
As part of an ongoing effort to "increase [the chain's] relevance among Hispanic consumers," Wendy's has launched a "Secret Sandwich Contest" that targets Latinos. The winner will receive tickets to see raggaeton superstar Tito El Bambino.Source: Warc on November 08, 2012
New and planned corporate social responsibility projects include shifting to plant-based plastics and partnering with the World Wildlife Fund for Coke's biggest-ever cause marketing campaign to protect polar bears. Too bad the Real Bears will continue to suffer so long as Coke keeps pushing Coke.Source: PR Newswire on November 07, 2012
The company will be the exclusive coffee provider of "Noche de Estrellas," an after party for the Latin Grammys. A spokesperson says: "Dunkin' Donuts is always looking to identify meaningful opportunities to build brand loyalty and deepen our relationships with our multicultural guests and this partnership allows us to engage in the excitement of the big night with both new and existing consumers."Source: The Stir on November 07, 2012
To deflect attention from the health harms of soda, Pepsi created "Pepsi Special," which contains dextrin. Some studies say dextrin may reduce body fat. The new formulation is for sale in Japan. Meanwhile, Coke UK has a website tool that advises how to burn the calories you just drank.Source: MediaPost on November 07, 2012
Pepsi is using a "live for the now" theme, music and real-time social media to sell soda. One campaign strategy included mining Twitter data to find out how music is consumed and then using that information to advertise on Twitter. An exec said: "[T]he more we associate with music, the more we sell."Source: PR Newswire on November 02, 2012
The National Consumers League (NCL) sent a letter to the USDA commending them for blocking efforts by NuVal LLC to place its rating system on the labels of meat packages. NuVal rates food products on a 1 to 100 scale using a proprietary algorithm, which has been criticized for producing inconsistent and illogical scores. NCL learned of the USDA's decision through a freedom of information request.Source: Progressive Grocer on October 31, 2012
"Pepsicorps" is a month-long, overseas skills-based service program that allows Pepsi employees to participate in community projects. While the projects (which focus on water access) provide a valuable service to the community, it's no coincidence that Pepsi is launching this program in a country where soda companies are hoping to grow their market and get more people to drink lots of soda, in spite of its health consequences.
