Eye On Marketers

The ubiquity of advertising affects young kids' food experiences. A new Dartmouth study finds kids watching food ads react similarly to when a meal is placed in front of them. This means, "people like the taste of Coke not just because of its formula, but because the Coke brand is imbued with a lifetime of positive commercial messages."

In a clear example of product-based target marketing to communities of color, PepsiCo has launched a new beverage "handcrafted and inspired by the preferences of Hispanic consumers." Pepsi developed the new product by working with Adelante, a Pepsico employee association that aims to build relationships with the Latino community.

The fast food company announced the ban after being encouraged by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and health advocates to make the change in order to combat childhood obesity and diabetes. There is a nice statement in this article about restaurants' responsibility to address childhood obesity: "Preventing childhood obesity is important, especially among fast food chains who have a responsibility to offer healthy options to Americans."

Chicago-area Subways are the news "presenting sponsor" for a local kids' science show called "Moochie Kalala Detectives Club." Subway will be providing catered lunches and science grants to teachers in the area, as well as distributing DVDs to schools and libraries.