A consortium of health organizations in Australia is funding a series of advertisements aimed at mocking junk food ads that are being run during the Olympics.

"'When obesity, and particularly childhood obesity, is one of the biggest health issues facing our country, sporting champions should be promoting positive messages about diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle, not exploited to promote fast foods,' [hockey gold medalist Jenn] Morris said."

The ads will feature Morris and basketball legend Luc Longley. Source: PerthNow

Labels: advertising, influences, marketing

Over the past 12 months, consumer and children's advocacy groups have successfully lobbied for tighter restrictions on junk food advertising during kids' television shows. Now, many of those same groups are targeting Web advertising.

"A new report, commissioned by the Berkley Media Studies Group, part of the Public Health Institute in Berkeley, Calif., focuses on methods of advertising foods to kids that have become particularly popular during the past two years, such as spreading messages through social networks, and urges lawmakers to restrict junk food advertising to kids online."

The report will be presented to members of Congress, along with recommendations that ads for unhealthy snacks on kids' websites be restricted. Source: BusinessWeek

Labels: advertising, influences, marketing

The International Association for the Study of Obesity (IASO) is asking food and soft drink manufacturers to adopt global standards on marketing their products to children and adolescents. A draft of the standard was developed by the International Obesity Task Force, the policy arm of the IASO.

"The proposed code would require a ban on all advertising of junk food and caloric soft drinks to children under 16 years old on television up to a 9 pm watershed and complete restrictions on internet promotions of junk food to children, where children's online games are often used as selling techniques. The use of celebrities and cartoons, already forbidden in Ireland, would also be prohibited."

Members of the IASO acknowledge that the global ban would not immediately bring an end to the problem of childhood obesity. It would, however, raise awareness that this is a serious problem worldwide. Read more at Scoop.co.nz.

Labels: advertising, marketing, soft_drinks

About 2,000 outraged parents joined forces with the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and persuaded the McDonald's corporation to end a Florida school district promotion. The promotion involved using Happy Meals to reward children who had good grades and attendance.

"Susan Pagan, a Winter Springs mother, raised a ruckus after her fourth-grade daughter brought home a report card from Red Bug Elementary that was emblazoned with Ronald McDonald and a plug for a free Happy Meal in exchange for good grades or attendance."

Pagan was joined in her efforts by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which rallied nearly 2,000 other parents from across the country. News media around the world picked up the story, and McDonald's withdrew its Made the Grade program shortly thereafter.

Labels: fast_food, influences, marketing

In an extension of its current ban on junk food ads for kids under the age of 10, Britain rang in the New Year with a ban on junk food ads to kids under the age of sixteen.

"Specifically, the new measures, agreed last year, will ban adverts for junk food and drink around programmes of particular appeal to children under 16 years... Some campaigners say the ban which came into force Monday does not go far enough, calling for a total ban on junk food ads after 9:00 pm."

This is the latest in a string of measures the British government has made to try and fight growing childhood obesity.

Labels: advertising, marketing, media influences

Last year, the Council of Better Business Bureau's Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative was created as a means of self-regulation for the Food and Beverage Industry and its advertising to children. Today, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Edward Markey submitted letters to five leading food companies which are not currently part of the Initiative.

"'I am writing to you to ascertain whether your company will join the CBBB initiative and commit to implementing marketing restrictions that meet or exceed those of the other companies that have made pledges, and if so, your timeline for doing so,' wrote Chairman Markey on Wednesday."

Participants in the initiative adopted certain nutrition standards that determine which foods and beverages will and will not be marketed to young children. There are currently 12 companies involved, include Coca-Cola, Hershey, and Kellogg. Among those not involved are Nestle, Dannon, and ConAgra.

Copper Canyon Academy, struggling girls boarding schools, offer programs to help teenage girls deal with their emotions and behaviors while getting caught up academically.

Labels: advertising, food_companies, marketing

A government task force that has focused on food marketing to children is releasing a report on September 19th in which it's expected to acknowledge the advertising self-regulation that's taking place at the nation's largest food companies.

"The actions they've already announced are expected to be a big part of the report: Set nutritional guidelines for the foods they will market to kids under 12 in shows targeted to children. Some have also agreed to limit or end host selling of snack or fatty foods by familiar TV characters, and encourage exercise and healthy diet both through programs in the community and storylines in shows."

The Food and Beverage Industry, by imposing its own regulations, is hoping to avoid government imposed regulations like the ones in Britain that ban all snack ads in and around children's television shows.

Youth Care's programs for troubled teens are set in a therapeutic boarding school environment that offers structure, therapy, and academics.

Labels: adolescence, food_companies, marketing

Following in the footsteps of Discovery Communications and Nickelodeon - who made similar announcements this week - Time Warner's Cartoon Network has announced that it will only allow use of its licensed characters for the marketing of nutritious products. House Energy & Commerce's telecom committee chairman, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., called the move a "positive step forward."

"The moves come as some critics question whether advertising and promotion of poor food choices is a part of the reason for increasing childhood obesity and demand marketers and media companies act to limit the ads kids see to better food choices."

The Cartoon Network said that its new licensing agreements will be effective January 1. Read more at TVWeek.com.

Labels: advertising, marketing, media influences

At a Federal Trade Commission Forum on Wednesday, eleven of the nation's biggest food and beverage companies signed contracts agreeing to limit the kinds of products they'll market to children. The pledges came from companies like Coca-Cola, McDonald's USA, Kraft Foods Inc. and General Mills who are promising to restrict advertising to kids 12 and younger.

"If the task force determines that these pledges do not go far enough, legislation may follow, said Gary Knell, the task force's volunteer chairman and the chief executive of Sesame Workshop, an educational organization."

The task force on media and childhood obesity led by Senators Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) is working on a report on media and childhood obesity.

Read more at LATimes.com.

Labels: advertising, junk_food, marketing

Representative Ed Markey, D-Mass, said if food marketers don't restrict ads marketing unhealthy foods to kids he's going to ask the FCC to do it for them. Stating that the Federal Communications Commission has a responsibility to protect children, Rep. Markey has threatened to push the agency into developing a rule that will restrict the kinds of products that can be marketed to children.

"Kids food ads have been attracting more attention in Washington, with TV ads for 'junk foods' cited by critics as one cause of rising childhood obesity, a charge food and advertising groups deny."

Rep. Markey wrote several letters urging food and beverage companies to follow the lead of Kellogg Co. who has promise to re-engineer their less healthy food or stop marketing it to kids.

Read more at TVWeek.com.

Labels: legislation, marketing, nutrition

Amid pressure to provide healthier products, and the country's growing problem with childhood obesity, Kellogg announced that week that it will be modifying products like Pop Tarts and Fruit Loops to make them healthier. If the products can't be re-made while maintaining their flavor, the company has vowed to stop marketing them to children under 12-years-old.

"The company already has a policy under which it does not advertise to children under the age of 6. As part of its new commitments, Kellogg won't market to children any food that has more than 200 calories, 2 grams of saturated fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, 12 grams of sugar, or any trans fat, per single serving. This means that Kellogg products that don't meet these criteria can't be advertised on television, radio, print and third-party Web sites whose main audience is young children."

Kellogg hasn't said how much the modification process will cost, but has said that all of its products that don't meet these new standards will either be reformulated or remarketed by the end of 2008.

Read more at Money.cnn.com.

Labels: healthy_eating, marketing, nutrition

A new 98-page report is being presented to the Federal Trade Commission this week. In it, several well-known companies are cited as using digital marketing techniques to advertise junk food to children. Many of these techniques, which involve social networking sites, Instant Messaging and text messaging, go undetected by parents.

"'As our research shows, major food and beverage brands are utilizing a variety of new venues - including cell phones, instant messaging, video games, user-generated video and three-dimensional virtual worlds - in their efforts to target children and adolescents and to foster ongoing personal relationships with them, often under the radar of parents...'"

The report calls for the FTC to carefully scrutinize the link between these new marketing methods and childhood obesity. It cites a 23.2% increase in spending on Internet-based advertising in 2006.

Read more online.

Labels: marketing, media influences, social_networks

The Kaiser Family Foundation has released a report which shows that children and teenagers are subjected to dozen of hours of food commercials every year; nearly 41 hours for teens between the ages of 13 and 17.

"That might not be a problem if the ads promoted healthy fare. But the report, the largest over conducted on food marketing to children and teens, highlights how TV commercials mostly tout junk food."

One-third of the commercials promoted candy and snacks, 28 percent were for cereals, and 10 percent were for fast food. Though many countries regulate food advertising, the United States isn't one of the. Which means the regulating is up to the parents. Dr. David Ludwig, director of the Obesity Program at Children's Hospital in Boston, recommends that parents limit their children's television watching to as little as a half-hour a day. Read more at DallasNews.com.

Labels: junk food, marketing, media influences