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: MediaPost
Monday, May 13, 2013

Fans can use Facebook or Twitter to solicit "Burger Daddies" to buy them Red Robin gift cards or burgers, or they can become Burger Daddies for others. The "sugar daddy" theme is troubling from a feminist perspective, as are campaign taglines like this one: "Diamonds are expensive and mean nothing at lunch."

Source: Advertising Age
Monday, May 13, 2013

Wendy's newest campaign targets Latino customers with a series of commercials featuring the fictional Rojos family. According to the company, the commercials are intended to demonstrate that the chain "shares the same values as the Hispanic community." Wendy's hopes the campaign will boost the company's popularity among Latinos. To that end, the commercials will appear in English and Spanish through the end of the year and will be supported by digital media, social media, in-store promotions, and local events.

Source: MediaPost
Friday, May 10, 2013

McDonald's increased sales by beefing up its Value Menu, while Wendy's launched a new "Right Price, Right Size" value menu with items priced between $1 and $2. It looks like price-based marketing will be the marketing tactic to watch, at least among fast food companies, going forward.

Source: Advertising Age
Friday, May 10, 2013

The new machines, which are called "Touch Towers," feature digital touch screens and are designed to fit on countertops. The devices are smaller than Coca-Cola's "Freestyle" dispensers, which are "floor units." Coke first released the freestyle dispensers in 2009.

Source: Asbury Park Press
Friday, May 10, 2013

For 30 years, McDonald's has hosted Gospelfest, an event designed to build relationships in African-American communities and align the brand with cultural and musical touchstones. In addition to the corporate branding that is typical of any corporate-sponsored event, participants can audition for the show at local McDonald's franchises.

Source: Futurity
Thursday, May 9, 2013

Researchers found that teens' brains registered more activity when watching food commercials. They also recalled and liked food commercials more than commercials for other products. The release of this study might represent an opportunity for advocates to talk more about the connection between marketing, media exposure, and children's health.

Source: Common Dreams
Thursday, May 9, 2013

During National Teacher Appreciation Week, CAI helped draw attention to McDonald's exploitation of teachers, parents, and students through "McTeacher's Nights," a promotional event during which teachers provide free labor to the fast food giant. McDonald's uses the event to draw in families for dinner and then donates money to the teachers' school.

Source: Hispanic PR Blog
Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Coors Lights has partnered with "urban Latino music duo" Wisin & Yandel for a summer campaign called "Coors Light Refreshes Your Summer." The campaign will feature free music downloads, a sweepstakes for tickets to the H2O Music Festival in Los Angeles, as well as branded point-of-sale materials and in-store appearances.

Source: Think Progress
Wednesday, May 8, 2013

A new study from researchers at the University of Arizona demonstrates that fast food companies are "packing children's TV programs with Spanish-language marketing." Among other troubling findings, researchers learned that children are substantially more likely to see commercials for unhealthy food featuring popular cartoon characters while watching Spanish-language programming than while watching English-language shows.

Source: Warc
Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Mondelez found that its marketing efforts were most effective when digital and television advertising were used together. According to the vice president of global media for the global snack foods company, "The layering of media is where we see the most interesting opportunities." Watch for more global brands to try and make their advertising dollars work harder using this strategy.

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