Eye On Marketers

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.
Source: QSR Magazine
Monday, February 13, 2012

Survey results were released just in time for Valentine's Day. To capitalize on the findings, the chain has launched a "CupiDD's Choice" Twitter sweepstakes that offers consumers a chance to win Dunkin' Donuts gift cards.

Source: FastCasual.com
Monday, February 13, 2012

More than 20 restaurant brands recently joined "Kids LiveWell," a voluntary program developed by the National Restaurant Association to "[provide] parents with a growing selection of healthful children's menu choices when dining out." Forty different restaurants now participate in the program, offering menu items that comply with recommendations based on the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines.

Source: PR Newswire
Friday, February 10, 2012

The 2012 McDonald's Flavor Battle DJ competition crowned San Francisco-based DJ Risk One as the 2012 Flavor Battle Champion. The Flavor Battle began in 2009 as an extension of McDonald's 365Black campaign, tailored for marketing to African-Americans. During the finale, each of the three DJ finalists represented a McDonald's burger and competed in a "battle of burgers and beats" to win the grand prize of $10,000.

Source: Marketing Magazine
Thursday, February 9, 2012

As part of an effort to limit online marketing of junk food to children, the Children's Food Campaign, a British health advocacy group, has filed a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority.

Source: Fresh Plaza
Thursday, February 9, 2012

Former Coca-Cola executive Jeff Dunn is the force behind a marketing campaign for baby carrots that urges children to "eat 'em like junk food."

Source: Food Politics
Thursday, February 9, 2012

Marion Nestle counters the food industry's argument that the First Amendment gives them the right to market junk food to children. She presents several articles written by scholars and public interest lawyers who are examining current food marketing practices through the lens of First Amendment rights. Among them is research showing that marketing to kids is inherently misleading, and thus not a protected form of commercial speech.

Source: The Wall Street Journal
Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Coca-Cola plans to invest up to $650 million in promoting its brands in the coming year, putting pressure on other beverage companies.

Source: Progressive Grocer
Wednesday, February 8, 2012

To capitalize on the popularity of 80s nostalgia, General Mills has partnered with Atari to produce a series of limited-edition "Big G" cereals. The promotion is tied to the classic Atari game Centipede and a Target sweepstakes.

Source: The Connection
Wednesday, February 8, 2012

McDonald's has partnered with the Hispanic College Fund to offer scholarships to Latino students in the Greater Washington, D.C. area. The 3rd Annual McDonald's Hispanic College Fund Scholarship Program will offer a $1,500 scholarship to 14 students to the U.S. college or university of their choice.

Source: Los Angeles Times
Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Republican Representative Scott DesJarlais has introduced legislation that would restrict the use of federal money to fund campaigns against American-made, legal products, such as soda. The legislation has inspired debate between public health advocates and the American Beverage Association, among others.

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