17544: On Banning Advertising For Junk Food And Junk Perspectives.

 

MediaPost reported the 4As, ANA, and AAF sent a letter to lawmakers expressing concerns over a proposed bill that would ban advertising junk food to kids under 13, citing First Amendment rights as part of the opposing argument.

 

When industry revenue is at risk, the trade organizations prop up First Amendment rights.

 

Yet when DEIBA+ and Civil Rights come up, there is only political, patronizing, performative propaganda. Or crickets.

 

Ad Groups Raise Concerns Over Bill Banning Junk Food Ads To Children

 

By Wendy Davis

A bill that would ban junk food advertising to children under 13 raises “significant” First Amendment concerns, ad industry groups said in a letter sent to lawmakers Tuesday.

The Childhood Diabetes Reduction Act of 2026, introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), includes provisions that would prohibit companies from marketing or advertising junk food “in a manner that reasonably appears to be directed at children.”

The measure “would regulate truthful, non-misleading advertising concerning products that may lawfully be sold in commerce,” the Association of National Advertisers, American Association of Advertising Agencies and American Advertising Federation say in a letter sent to Sanders and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana).

The groups add that the bill “may have the practical effect of discouraging lawful advertising for ordinary food and beverage products, including, for example, restaurant advertising and advertising for products lawfully sold in commerce, even where the intended audience is not primarily children.”

The bill provides that ads will be considered child-directed if they use “themes or promotional strategies that appeal to children” — such as “fun or fantasy” themes, cartoon characters, social media influencers, free toys, interactive games or apps.

The ad groups write that those factors “are inherently subjective, making it difficult for regulated entities to determine in advance what advertising conduct is prohibited.”

The organizations add that many of those factors “are commonly used in mainstream advertising regardless of the intended audience.”

The bill also provides that ads are child-directed if placed in media where children make up at least 30% of the audience.

The ad groups say that threshold is low enough to “encompass a substantial portion of mainstream media.”

“While well-intentioned, this bill misses the mark by imposing broad restrictions on protected commercial speech that may extend well beyond advertising directed at children, while relying on vague standards that create substantial uncertainty regarding the scope of the prohibition,” the organizations write.

The bill would also require warning labels on junk food.

Some advocacy groups, including the nonprofit National Center for Health Research, support the bill. That organization said this week that the measure “would greatly improve children’s health by banning ads for junk food that are aimed at children.”

17453: How Banning Junk Food TV Advertising Might Junk Adland.

 

MediaPost reported U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would support banning junk food TV advertising.

 

The devastating impact such a move would deliver to Adland immediately elevates Kennedy to White Man Of The Year contender.

 

RFK Jr. Supports Potential Ban On Junk Food TV Ads

 

By Tanya Gazdik

 

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he would support a ban on junk food TV ads.

 

“Speaking at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing, ranking member Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, Casey Means, had recently told the panel she supports banning junk food ads on TV,” according to CNBC. “When asked whether he agrees with a ban, Kennedy said, ‘I would support that.’ But Kennedy also appeared to imply that he would want the effort to be voluntary for food companies.”

 

The food and restaurant industry spends about $14 billion annually for advertising in the U.S., according to an often-cited 2017 analysis of Nielsen data by the University of Connecticut's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. Of this, over 80% promoted fast food, sugary drinks, candy, and unhealthy snacks.

 

“The Trump administration is looking into possible limits on junk food ads for children, according to a strategy report released by the Make America Healthy Again Commission last year,” according to Seeking Alpha. 

 

The HHS and Federal Trade Commission, along with other relevant agencies, will explore the development of potential industry guidelines to limit the direct marketing of certain unhealthy foods to children, including by evaluating the use of misleading claims and imagery, according to the report.

 

Kennedy has been pushing food makers to remove petroleum-based dyes by the end of 2026. He also has actively pushed to restrict the types of foods allowed under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to exclude items considered unhealthy, such as soda and candy. 

 

Last month, Kennedy chose Florida to roll out a new health initiative aimed at overhauling hospital food.

 

“Having revamped the food pyramid and pushed state food assistance programs to restrict soda and other processed foods, Kennedy has turned his sights on U.S. hospitals, arguing that providing healthy food to patients can aid healing and reduce readmissions,” according to Politico. “And the announcement taking place in Florida is another signal of the state’s continued alignment with MAHA movement priorities being heralded by the Trump administration.”

 

The U.S. is not the only country aiming to legislate wellness. 

 

The U.K. Parliament just yesterday approved a law that bans the supply or sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2009 or after, permanently.

 

“The bill applies to people currently 17 years old or younger and aims to keep them from ever picking up the habit in their lifetime,” according to The New York Times. “The proposal is expected to soon go into law after the final formality of approval by King Charles III.”

16037: Junk Food Companies Use Garbage Tactics To Target Kids Of Color.

 

The Guardian reported that US companies—including Mickey D’s—disproportionately target junk food to children of color versus White kids. The tactics are like the skewed targeting of menthol cigarettes to Black adults. And it’s more evidence to fuel Byron Allen’s Mickey D’s lawsuit.

 

A constant barrage: US companies target junk food ads to people of color

 

Advertising for fatty, salty and sugary food and drink is disproportionately aimed at Black and Hispanic children, teens and adults, a new study finds

 

By Dakota Kim

 

Johane Filemon is tired of beating back the ads for burgers, french fries, high-sodium chips, candy and soda – aimed not at her, but at her five young children.

 

“You’ll see these ads pop up for sugary expensive cereals, to entice the kids to pressure their parents to purchase these foods, and then you as the parent look like the bad guy because you’re not buying them,” Filemon says.

 

The nutritionist, whose children range from nine months to 11 years old, steadfastly blocks mobile game and internet ads so they aren’t exposed to junk food messaging at home. Still, the barrage is constant, says Filemon, who posts about parenting and nutrition on Instagram. They are on TV, YouTube, social media platforms, game-streaming apps and even mobile educational games.

 

“Some parents may not even know that blocking the ads is a possibility, and their kids are watching those ads all the time,” she says. Filemon, who is Black, specifically worries about families of color, who she says are being systematically targeted with ads for unhealthy foods.

 

Her concerns are supported by a slew of research.

 

A new study published in November by the Rudd Center for Food and Policy Health at the University of Connecticut found that US food companies disproportionately market unhealthy food and drink – including candy, sodas, snacks and fast food – to Black and Hispanic children, teens and adults.

 

In 2021, Black youth and adults viewed up to 21% more food and beverage commercials than their white peers, according to the report, which also found food companies increased their advertising spend on Spanish language TV as a total proportion of their TV ad budget.

 

The study’s findings build on research that goes back more than a decade. In 2010, Rudd Center researchers found an increase in fast-food adverts geared towards children and they found Black children were exposed to 50% more fast-food ads than their white peers. A 2014 Arizona State University report revealed fast-food restaurants in predominantly Black neighborhoods were more likely to target advertising to children – including displaying kids meal toys and using cartoon characters.

 

As the advertising landscape changes, companies are finding creative ways to market their products. Many fast-food brands employ celebrities from Black and Hispanic communities, which can encourage young people of color to purchase their products, according to the Rudd Center report. McDonald’s, for example, has partnered with rappers Saweetie and Travis Scott.

 

“When I looked into the McDonald’s meals that are sponsored and endorsed by celebrities, you almost always see a person of color with that meal,” said Rahanna Bisseret Martinez, 18, a Top Chef Junior finalist who grew up in a Haitian-American and Mexican-American household. “Instead, I’d love to see celebrities really being in their community and supporting people that way … If someone tells me a pop star is giving out organic fruit rolls on a corner in the city, I would be there, especially as a kid.”

 

A spokesperson for McDonald’s said that the company “believes in marketing responsibly and ensuring our advertising reflects the diverse customers and communities we serve”. The fast-food giant is “helping lead the industry on self-regulation around advertising to children” the spokesperson added, including “balanced menu offerings and responsible marketing to kids under age 12”.

 

The success of targeted advertising exacerbates existing inequalities around diet and diet-related diseases in Black and Hispanic communities, the recent Rudd Center report concludes.

 

While nearly one in five children in the US is categorized as obese, rates are higher among children of color: 26.2% of Hispanic children and 24.8% of Black children are classified as obese, compared to 16.6% of white children.

 

Children of color are more likely to live in areas lacking affordable, nutritious food. Predominantly white neighborhoods have a higher percentage of supermarkets than predominantly Black neighborhoods, while grocery stores in some low-income communities of color are less likely to stock healthy foods than stores in higher-income, predominantly white areas.

 

“For many in the Black and brown communities, it’s hard to get out of this systemic food depression,” Filemon says. “Not everyone has the financial means to do all the steps required to eat healthy.” Yet despite significant socioeconomic challenges to healthier eating, parents are often blamed for their children’s obesity.

 

Campaigners are calling for structural changes to dilute the power of big food companies but so far federal action has been limited.

 

In the late 1970s, an attempt by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to crack down on advertising to children ended in disaster. A proposed ban on TV ads for junk food aimed at children caused an uproar, not only among the food industry but also politicians. Congress allowed the commission’s funding to lapse and the agency was closed for a short time.

 

Since then, powerful food industry lobbying has worked to prevent the FTC from enacting even voluntary guidelines. In 2011, the organization dropped plans for guidelines banning junk food ads to children 17 and under, instead lowering the age limit to 11, after being pressured by food industry and media giants, who spent tens of millions lobbying against the voluntary standards.

 

In a 2012 report, the FTC said that while there was “legitimate cause for public concern” around ads targeted at children, a ban would be “neither a workable nor an efficacious solution to the health problem of childhood obesity”.

 

Mitchell J Katz, senior public affairs specialist at the FTC, told the Guardian: “The commission does not regulate advertising. We enforce the FTC Act, which prohibits deceptive or misleading advertising.”

 

Policies are being proposed at more local levels. In New York state, the Predatory Marketing Prevention Act (PMPA), a bill that would categorize unhealthy food marketed to children as misleading or deceptive and allow regulators to restrict this kind of advertising, is in review with the New York senate’s health committee.

 

There are also efforts at corporate self-regulation. The Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative was set up to create guidelines around advertising and has 19 food and drinks companies as members. They have pledged to restrict advertising of unhealthy products to children under 12, although the guidelines are littered with loopholes, according to a Rudd Center analysis.

 

Some media companies have implemented their own guidelines. Disney restricts food advertisements across its television channels, radio station and website to food products that meet its nutrition criteria for limiting calories and reducing saturated fat, sodium and sugar.

 

YouTube Kids has a policy prohibiting paid food and beverage advertising but YouTube creators are able to use paid product placement or incentivized endorsements, as long as they disclose them. When it comes to food, these products tend to be unhealthy. An 2020 analysis of 179 videos from five of the most-watched child YouTube influencers found more than 90% of the food and beverage mentions were unhealthy branded items.

 

A spokesperson for Google, which owns YouTube, said: “On YouTube Kids, Made for Kids content and Supervised Experiences on YouTube we do not allow ads for foods and beverages products nor are creators allowed to make money promoting these products. Creators that include paid promotions in their videos are responsible for complying with ads policies and declaring whether they are receiving money for promoting products generally.”

 

If you care about these communities or about increasing equity in racial justice, then look at what you’re marketing

 

Social media advertising can be particularly hard to manage because parents don’t see these platforms as a way for children to receive marketing, said Frances Fleming-Millici, director of marketing initiatives for the Rudd Center. “It’s not advertising in a way that we are programmed to think of. Branded products in child influencer videos are hard for parents to do anything about.”

 

The FTC held an event in October to review these types of advertising, sometimes called “stealth marketing” or “blurred advertising”. Panelists suggested potential solutions including disclosures, parental controls and even a ban on stealth marketing aimed at children.

 

There is much more companies can be doing, Fleming-Millici said, including making deeper investments in marginalized communities. “If you are saying you care about these communities or about increasing equity in racial justice, then look at what you’re marketing and making for communities of color, because it’s actually hurting these communities,” she said.

 

In July, the Council on Black Health (CBH), a research and action network, launched an initiative calling for the availability and promotion of healthier food choices in Black communities.

 

Shiriki K Kumanyika, chair of the CBH, said change will come by keeping the pressure on fast food and packaged food corporations, rather than pointing fingers at individuals. “I don’t believe [junk food] is all consumers want, and this is not an isolated problem that you can fix at the consumer interface.”

 

Filemon says fast-food companies must increase their advertising of healthier items, making them more attractive to kids. “They can still make money by advertising their more nutrient-dense foods,” she said. “The constant marketing of unhealthy food is setting these kids of color and their bodies – the future of their health – up for failure.”

12837: Mickey D’s Deserves F.

Mickey D’s thinks it’s cool for school kids to obsess over McMenu items?

12176: McScary Halloween Concept.

Handing out sugary, processed candy during Halloween isn’t bad enough? Mickey D’s suggests salt-loaded fries too? Now, that’s fucking scary.

From Ads of the World.

11599: Unhappy Meals.

Mickey D’s is offering to be a wrangler for unruly kids, sorta denying the fact that their super salty, sugary and fatty food-like menu items will probably turn little ones into psycho monsters.

From Ads of the World.

11540: Toying With Latinas.

From The New York Times…

Spanish Message With One Word That Needs No Translation

By Tanzina Vega

To get ready for the holiday season, Mattel is adding some informal Spanish language to a marketing campaign meant to reach Latina mothers. The campaign, called “ ’Toy Feliz,” or “Toy Happy” in English, is a play on the Spanish phrase “Estoy feliz,” or “I’m happy.”

It is the first time that Mattel is reaching out to Latinas with a message in Spanish for brands including Barbie, Fisher-Price and Hot Wheels. Previous campaigns were translations of English-language advertising for specific products. Other attempts to reach Latina mothers have included publications that Mattel distributes in doctor’s offices that are meant for pregnant women.

Attracting Latino customers represents a major opportunity for revenue growth.

“When we look across the toy industry, it’s been fairly sluggish for the past couple of years,” said Lisa McKnight, the senior vice president for marketing in North America at Mattel. “When we look at the Hispanic market, they represent about 15 percent of toy sales. If we spoke more directly, more deliberately and more authentically to Latina moms, we could really elevate the business and drive growth.”

The growing economic and social clout of Latinas was highlighted this summer in a report by Nielsen. According to the report, called “Latina Power Shift,” 21 percent of Latin women earned more than $75,000 a year in 2013, compared with 16 percent in 2003. Eighty-six percent of Latinas say they are the primary or joint decision maker for household purchases. In 2011, 23 percent of all births in the United States were to a Latina.

In order to reach its target audience with an authentic voice, Mattel hired the Axis Agency, a multicultural company that is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies. The campaign is estimated to cost $1.5 million to $2 million.

“The idea was to communicate to moms and to communicate at the same time to kids and to have an emotional campaign,” said Peter Sanchez, the executive creative director at Axis. “Understanding the culture is key, even more than language. It’s about the cultural insights that make you feel you can relate to them.”

The centerpiece of the campaign, which will debut on Friday, is a television commercial that features a Latino family gearing up for the holidays. The young son, bursting with anticipation, lets his family know that he is waiting for his gifts to arrive.

The ad plays on the word estoy by having the son say “ ’Toy esperando,” or “I’m waiting,” and “ ’Toy portandome bien,” or “I’m behaving myself.” The commercial then directs parents to toyfeliz.com, where they can download coupons for brands featured in the campaign that can be used at Walmart.

In addition to the 15- and 30-second television spots on Univision networks in Los Angeles, Houston and Miami, 60-second radio ads will air in those markets on Univision-owned stations. Select Walmarts will also carry in-store marketing in Spanish.

The campaign is expected to run through early January in order to capture sales from Three Kings Day on Jan. 6, which is celebrated by many Latino families.

Ms. McKnight of Mattel said the company was testing the campaign in cities with large Latino populations to see how well it did and to conduct quantitative research on Latino consumers. Latina mothers, Ms. McKnight said, spend on average about $20 more than other consumers on each toy shopping trip and are loyal to toy brands. A successful holiday campaign could have lasting implications for Mattel, she said.

“We are marketing our mainline general market items, but the potential for this target audience and the implications for product, marketing and packaging are tremendous,” Ms. McKnight said, alluding to Latino-themed toys or characters and more specific marketing in Spanish or even bilingual campaigns.

The campaign also has the potential to go beyond the Christmas season, Ms. McKnight said.

“We want to make sure we are talking to Latina moms on a regular basis and not just during the holiday period,” she said.

11294: No Más Kid’s Meals At Taco Bell.

Advertising Age reported Taco Bell has decided to dump its kid’s meals. Um, Taco Bell’s adult food is made from Doritos and Fritos—what the hell was in the kiddie cuisine?

Taco Bell Axes Kids Meals

Kids’ Fare Represents Only Sliver of Sales; Chain Says It’s Focused on Millennials

By Maureen Morrison

Say goodbye to kids meals at Taco Bell.

Taco Bell said Monday that it’s eliminating kids’ meals—often a target of nutrition activists—from its menu. Taco Bell is touting itself as the first national fast-food chain to do so, noting that the move will be completed by January.

The chain said it’s ditching kids’ meals because they aren’t relevant to its core customer—millennials, generally in their late teens and early-to-mid ‘20s. “As we continue our journey of being a better, more relevant Taco Bell, kid’s meals and toys simply no longer make sense for us to put resources behind,” said Greg Creed, CEO of Taco Bell, in a statement. “What does make sense is concentrating on expanding choices that meet and exceed the diverse needs of consumers of all ages, without losing focus on what makes us great today.”

While consumer-advocacy groups may applaud the chain for cutting kids’ menus, Taco Bell’s kids’ meals accounted for only a small sliver a sliver of overall sales. Kids’ meals represent 0.5% of its sales, according to the company. Taco Bell posted an estimated $7.5 billion in U.S. system-wide sales in 2012, according to Technomic. Kantar Media does not show any media spending on kids’-meal marketing at Taco Bell in 2012.

Compare that to McDonald’s, where Happy Meals account for about 10% of U.S. sales. Considering McDonald’s had $35.6 billion in U.S. system-wide sales in 2012, according to Ad Age’s DataCenter, that’s more than $3.5 billion in Happy Meal sales last year alone.

And though Taco Bell may be the first national chain, Jack in the Box two years ago announced it would eliminate its kids meals. At the time, consumer-advocacy groups used the news as leverage to convince other chains to consider ditching kids’ meals. Center for Science in the Public Interest even called on Taco Bell in it’s press release: “We hope that McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Taco Bell are paying attention to Jack in the Box, which has decided to stop using toys to market fast-food meals to children.”

CSPI did not offer comment on Taco Bell’s move by press time.

Though the kids’ meals will be gone, some of the items, such as the Crunchy Taco, Soft Taco, Bean Burrito and Cheese Roll-up, will still be available on the regular menu.

11153: Mickey D’s CEO Grilled.

From Advertising Age…

McDonald’s CEO: ‘The Way You Describe Us Is Not Who We Are’

Thompson Answers Critics Charging Chain with Contributing to Obesity, ‘Predatory’ Marketing

By Maureen Morrison

McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson delivered a pointed retort to critics at the chain’s annual shareholders meeting Thursday morning: “The way you describe us is not who we are.”

Mr. Thompson was responding to critics who say the chain markets unfairly to kids and exploits children of color in its marketing. Corporate Accountability International, a consumer advocacy group that routinely criticizes McDonald’s for marketing to kids, was on hand at the meeting to confront the company about its marketing and issue a proposal. Like last year, CAI brought a proposal up for vote that would call on the company to issue a report assessing the chain’s impact on public health. And like last year, it was struck down, this time with 6.3% of shareholders voting for the proposal.

After Mr. Thompson was asked by a CAI representative when the company will stop targeting kids and undermining childrens’ health, he said: “The way you describe us is not who we are.”

McDonald’s—and many other fast-food chains—for years has been under fire for marketing directly to kids, particularly with its Happy Meal, TV ads and, in recent years, online games. But the chain has said it’s made strides through a modified Happy Meal announced in 2011 that includes apple slices and low-fat milk. It also last year launched Happy Meal ads that focused on nutrition and highlighted the apples and milk.

Though it’s a common occurrence for critics to call on the company to reform its marketing tactics, Mr. Thompson said the issue of kids of color hit close to home for him when he was asked: “CEO Thompson, when is McDonald’s going to stop its aggressive marketing to communities of color?”

The question was posed by Michelle Dyre, a young African-American woman and self-described millennial who recently completed an internship at Corporate Accountability International.

“Especially outrageous is McDonald’s targeting children of color,” she said during the Q&A session. “Children of color are already more likely to live in environments where healthy food is less available. That they are more likely to develop diet-related diseases than their white counterparts should be no surprise considering how McDonald’s overwhelmingly targets them with predatory marketing.”

Mr. Thompson, an African-American, said that McDonald’s has not and will not try to “target people of color with subversive tactics.” He began his response by saying that the issue hits close to home, followed by, “I wonder why.”

“I grew up in the neighborhood,” said Mr. Thompson, a native Chicagoan who is from Cabrini Green, a low-income public housing project. He said that his family often couldn’t even afford McDonald’s. He added that though there needs to be more fresh foods available to people who grew up in circumstances like his, “the epidemic of obesity is not about McDonald’s.”

Ms. Dyre also brought up athletes that appear in McDonald’s marketing such as LeBron James, Gabby Douglas and Venus Williams. “Not only does McDonald’s use athletes of color in advertising such as Gabrielle Douglas, Venus Williams and LeBron James, it also invokes culturally inappropriate stereotypes and borrows liberally from hip-hop culture, to aggressively target children of color.” Mr. Thompson said that the athletes “don’t view us as the brand you view us as…. We’re not the brand that you describe.”

Other critics asked Mr.Thompson when the chain would leave children alone and let parents decide what’s best for them. Mr. Thompson noted that McDonald’s is part of the Children’s Food and Beverage Initiative—a marketing-industry self-regulation group—also noting that the average McDonald’s customer visits the chain three to four times per month, and thus McDonald’s cannot shoulder all the blame for the obesity epidemic. “We’re not the cause of obesity,” he said, adding that the chain doesn’t market unjustly to kids. He said that in recent years the chain hasn’t included Ronald McDonald in ads and noted that it offers apple slices and low-fat milk in its Happy Meals. He added that the chain offers a $1 side salad and also recently unveiled its Egg White Delight McMuffin, which has egg whites and fewer calories than the standard McMuffin.

Other adversaries included a group of protesters outside the meeting that called for $15 per hour wages and the right to form unions without interference—a move that’s part of a campaign called Fast Food Forward. A similar group protested outside of Wendy’s annual meeting Thursday.

McDonald’s wasn’t just barraged with accusations, though. The Humane Society appeared at the annual meeting, not to criticize, but to applaud the company for being a pioneer among fast-food chains to end the widely criticized practice of using gestation crates, which give confined pigs little to no movement for extended periods of time. Since McDonald’s announced the policy to phase out the practice, more than 50 other major pork buyers in the country followed the chain’s footsteps, said a representative of the Humane Society.

The accolades didn’t go unnoticed by McDonald’s. Mr Thompson said the company appreciates the recognition and Chief Operating Officer Tim Fenton said, “We are an industry leader and we take that seriously.”

11071: Stinking Outside Of The Box.

This Happy Meals campaign from Leo Burnett in the U.K. is pathetic and misses a major point—that is, food for children was never supposed to come out of a box, fools.

From Ads of the World.

10856: Report From FTC Is BS.

Adweek spotlighted the FTC report showing food marketing to kids dropped 19.5% from 2006 to 2009. Um, it’s a few days shy of 2013. Where’s the latest big data? Regardless, there are at least three points to consider about the findings:

First, the advertising reduction did not ignite an equal result for childhood obesity—i.e., fewer ads did not lead to more healthy kids.

Second, it appears that the sly marketers simply shifted tactics from national TV commercials to digital and promotions. Let’s be honest. A regulated TV spot will not outperform tie-ins with video games, recording artists and movies.

Third, the food marketers are executing the same maneuvers as Big Tobacco. Specifically, they know that getting kids hooked on cigarettes/Big Macs starts by getting parents hooked. So rather than aim messages directly at youngsters, the food companies increase advertising with adults. Just survey the growing number of grown-up campaigns for fast food, slow food, soft drinks, etc. Ronald McDonald is the new Marlboro Man.

FTC Reports Food Marketing to Children Down 19.5%

Commission urges holdout companies and media to self-regulate

By Katy Bachman

Nutrition watchdogs should be pleased. Food companies are spending less money marketing to children and youth, a new Federal Trade Commission report found. Compared to 2006, food marketing targeting 2- to 17-year-olds dropped 19.5 percent to $1.79 billion in 2009.

Most of the decrease came from fewer ads on TV. At the same time, food companies increased by 50 percent spending in new media, such as online, mobile and viral marketing, which are cheaper than TV. Companies have also stepped up integrated marketing and cross-promotion campaigns that combine traditional media with other platforms, from digital to movies to packaging to toy premiums.

For the first time, the report, released today, also analyzed the nutritional profile of foods marketed to youth, finding that self-regulation by the food industry has resulted in “modest nutritional improvements,” particularly in heavily-marketed categories such as cereals, drinks and fast-food kids’ meals.

The FTC’s follow-up report, “A Review of Food Marketing to Children and Adolescents,” was anticipated for the better part of a year, but the controversy over the federal government’s attempt to establish voluntary food guidelines for marketing to children may have sidelined the update. By the end of next year, the 16 member companies of the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative—which represents 90 percent of all food marketing to children—committed to stricter nutrition guidelines for children under 12.

“More companies have joined, hundreds of foods have been improved or newly created to meet science-based nutrition criteria, and the CFBAI itself has expanded and become even more rigorous,” said Elaine Kolish, director and vp of the CFBAI, which operates under the Better Business Bureau.

While FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz gave due recognition to the food industry’s efforts to help reduce the nation’s obesity epidemic, he noted that there were still a few food company holdouts and media companies that need to step up.

“The encouraging news is that we’re seeing promising signs that food companies are reformulating their products and marketing more nutritious foods to kids, especially among companies participating in industry self-regulatory efforts. But there is still room for improvement. We will look for continued progress by the food industry and greater participation by the entertainment industry,” Leibowitz said in a statement.

Some of the food companies that have not joined the CFBAI include Chuck E. Cheese’s, Topps Candy, and IHOP. Among media companies, Disney, for example, won accolades for its commitment to adopt strict in-house nutritional standards for children’s ads, but Viacom has yet to adopt a similar policy and has often faced criticism from nutrition watchdogs.

Nutrition advocates are still left with plenty to advocate, especially since self-regulation fails to cover the full range of marketing strategies, like packaging and toy giveaways.

“Self-regulation as its currently structured isn’t working yet. The CFBAI still doesn’t cover packaging and that’s the biggest spending category after TV or the toy,” said Margo Wootan, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The Center for Digital Democracy, alarmed at marketing shift towards new digital techniques, such as peer-to-peer viral campaigns and neuromarketing, suggested the FTC convene stakeholders to develop “fair digital marketing practices for children and teens.”

Even with a generally positive report, advertisers are bracing for a fight. “This will bring attention back onto the food advertising issue, adding new fuel to the fire for 2013,” said Dan Jaffe, evp of the Association of National Advertisers. “The advertising and media community have done more than any other sector to respond to the obesity issue. The question is, what is enough?”

At least one advertising attorney believes the FTC is on shaky ground as it tries to nudge the food and beverage industry to do more. “It’s policy-making masquerading as exercising enforcement authority…. Companies should not be led to believe that further compromise and cut back on spending and marketing will satisfy the FTC or the food industry critics,” said John Feldman, a partner with Reed Smith, in a statement. “They will not be satisfied until there is a ban on kids advertising altogether.”

The kids food fight heats up even as there is emerging evidence suggesting that the nation has begun to slowly turn the corner on the nation’s childhood obesity problem. A study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that a number of places, including Philadelphia, New York, Mississippi and California, are showing small declines in childhood obesity rates.

10850: Unisex Easy-Bake Ovens.

From The New York Daily News…

Hasbro Easy-Bake Oven to be marketed to girls AND boys in 2013 following petition for change by 13-year-old girl

Acting on behalf of her 4-year-old brother, New Jersey girl McKenna Pope, 13, petitioned the maker of the Easy-Bake Oven to make a version aimed at aspiring chefs of both sexes.

By Victoria Cavaliere / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The Easy-Bake Oven, a toy marketed only to girls over its 50-year history, will go gender neutral starting in 2013.

McKenna Pope, 13, had petitioned manufacturer Hasbro for an Easy-Bake suitable for both aspiring boy and girl cooks, saying her 4-year-old brother Gavyn Boscio loves to bake but balks at playing with the “girl” toy.

Pope, of Garfield, N.J., met with the toymaker Monday at their headquarters in Rhode Island and was told that her little brother will get his wish starting in the fall of 2013.

A silver and black Easy-Bake Oven featuring both boys and girls in the marketing and packaging will be sold alongside the current purple version of the toy. Since 1963, a dozen different Easy-Bake models have been introduced in colors like teal, yellow, green and pink. Packaging and advertisements for the working oven, which originally baked tiny treats under an incandescent lightbulb, has only ever featured girls.

Hasbro says the gender neutral prototype, which it showed to Pope, has been in development for 18 months and will debut at the New York Toy Fair in February.

Pope said she was thrilled Hasbro paid attention to her Change.org petition that garnered an impressive 44,000 signatures and the support of celebrity chefs, including Bobby Flay and “Top Chef” star Manuel Trevino.

“I’m very excited. It’s validation that what I’ve done has made a difference,” Pope told the Daily News on Tuesday.

Brother Gavyn was with her during the tour of Hasbro and gave the prototype a boy’s stamp of approval. “He was ecstatic,” she said. “It was amazing to him.”

Hasbro said it wanted McKenna and her family to get a look at the new design because of the reach of her Change.org campaign.

“Consumers can look forward to it becoming available in fall of 2013,” the company said in a statement.

10825: McScary Halloween Ad.

Positioning McDonald’s food as Halloween candy is another reason to seriously restrict children’s advertising.

From Ads of the World.

10631: Play That Funky TV, White Boy.

From ScienceDaily…

TV Viewing Can Decrease Self-Esteem in Children, Except White Boys

ScienceDaily — If you are a white girl, a black girl or a black boy, exposure to today’s electronic media in the long run tends to make you feel worse about yourself. If you’re a white boy, you’ll feel better, according to a new study led by an Indiana University professor.

Nicole Martins, an assistant professor of telecommunications in the IU College of Arts and Sciences, and Kristen Harrison, professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan, also found that black children in their study spent, on average, an extra 10 hours a week watching television.

“We can’t deny the fact that media has an influence when they’re spending most of their time—when they’re not in school—with the television,” Martins said.

Harrison added, “Children who are not doing other things besides watching television cannot help but compare themselves to what they see on the screen.”

Their paper has been published in Communication Research. Martins and Harrison surveyed a group of about 400 black and white preadolescent students in communities in the Midwest over a yearlong period. Rather than look at the impact of particular shows or genres, they focused on the correlation between the time in front of the TV and the impact on their self-esteem.

“Regardless of what show you’re watching, if you’re a white male, things in life are pretty good for you,” Martins said of characters on TV. “You tend to be in positions of power, you have prestigious occupations, high education, glamorous houses, a beautiful wife, with very little portrayals of how hard you worked to get there.

“If you are a girl or a woman, what you see is that women on television are not given a variety of roles,” she added. “The roles that they see are pretty simplistic; they’re almost always one-dimensional and focused on the success they have because of how they look, not what they do or what they think or how they got there.

“This sexualization of women presumably leads to this negative impact on girls.”

With regard to black boys, they are often criminalized in many programs, shown as hoodlums and buffoons, and without much variety in the kinds of roles they occupy.

“Young black boys are getting the opposite message: that there is not lots of good things that you can aspire to,” Martins said. “If we think about those kinds of messages, that’s what’s responsible for the impact.

“If we think just about the sheer amount of time they’re spending, and not the messages, these kids are spending so much time with the media that they’re not given a chance to explore other things they’re good at, that could boost their self-esteem.”

Martins said their study counters claims by producers that programs have been progressive in their depictions of under-represented populations. An earlier study co-authored by her and Harrison suggests that video games “are the worst offenders when it comes to representation of ethnicity and gender.”

Other research is starting to show the impacts of other kinds of entertainment sources, such as video games and hand-held devices. It indicates that young people are becoming creative at “media multitasking.”

“Even though these new technologies are becoming more available, kids still spend more time with TV than anything else,” Martins said.

Interestingly, the young people were asked about their consumption of print media, but the results were not statistically significant.

Martins conducted the research while she was completing her Ph.D. at the University of Illinois, as part of a larger longitudinal study done with her co-author, Harrison. They sought out certain school districts in Illinois because of their diversity, but African-Americans were the predominant minority group.

Funding for this research came from the William T. Grant Foundation.

10568: Fast Feeders Mess With Kids’ Brains.

From The Los Angeles Times…

Your brain on a Big Mac: Kids turned on by fast-food logos

By David Lazarus

Purveyors of fast food such as McDonald’s try to make impression on young consumers. And a new study of kids’ brains shows that it’s working.

Researchers at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and the University of Kansas Medical Center did MRI scans of kids’ noggins while showing them assorted corporate logos.

Turns out that when a logo for a fast-food chain comes up — the golden arches, say — the pleasure centers of kids’ brains light up, showing that a connection is being made to something considered a treat or a reward.

A similar effect is nowhere to be found when logos for non-food brands are flashed.

“Research has shown children are more likely to choose those foods with familiar logos,” says Dr. Amanda Bruce, who led the study. “That is concerning, because the majority of foods marketed to children are unhealthy, calorifically dense foods high in sugars, fat and sodium.”

The tests were conducted on children ages 10 to 14. They were exposed to 60 food and 60 non-food logos.

The food logos triggered increased activity in areas of the brain known to be involved in reward processing and in driving and controlling appetite.

”The brains of children are ‘imprinted’ with food logos,” Bruce says. “Without the necessary inhibitory processes to aid in decision-making, youths are particularly susceptible to making poor choices about what to eat.”

And there’s your bottom line: The marketing of junk food plays a significant role in the obesity epidemic.

In other words, kids often crave bad-for-you food because they’ve been wired by ads and commercials to associate the related brands with pleasure.

Does that mean we should have curbs on junk-food ads, just as there are limits for cigarette and alcohol ads?

I say yes. But I’ll save the free-speech debate for another day.

10275: The Richards Group’s New Rat.

The Richards Group—those wonderful folks who brought you talking vaginas for Summer’s Eve—focused their remarkable rebranding resourcefulness on Chuck E. Cheese. The Dallas-based agency literally transformed the 35-year-old rodent into a rock star. At least they didn’t turn him into a rapper. However, the shop did replace the voiceover talent who handled the cartoon talking task for two decades—and without a formal dismissal notice. The guy discovered he lost the gig after hearing the latest Chuck E. Cheese song online. The Richards Group recruited the lead singer of a real pop-punk band to perform the renewed rat role. Sounds like grounds for a potential ageism lawsuit. Regardless, look forward to catching Chuck E. Cheese in concert with an opening act starring The Singing Vajayjays.

10233: Claritin Clear Bullshit.

From Adweek…

Health Groups to FTC: Claritin Ain’t Candy

Movie tie-in shouldn’t treat OTC treatment like a treat

By Katy Bachman

Public health advocates are charging that Merck’s entertainment product tie-in campaign for children’s Claritin with the movie Madagascar 3 is deceptive and dangerous because it could cause children to confuse medicine with candy.

In a letter to the Federal Trade Commission, the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law in Boston and 10 other organizations requested today that the agency investigate the campaign.

“Marketing medicine directly to children at all, much less through entertainment tie-ins, is well beyond the pale and is not only inherently unfair, it is downright dangerous,” said Mark Gottlieb, executive director for PHAI.

Coinciding with the release of the Dreamworks movie in June, the tie-in features the movie cartoon characters on packaging, in games, on stickers and in other giveaways for grape-flavored chewable children’s Claritin tablets and grape-flavored over-the-counter allergy syrup. There were also free movie tickets offered with Claritin purchases at many stores. Merck, manufacturer of the Claritin products, also used its “Children’s Claritin Mom Crew” to hold Madagascar 3 viewing parties, providing free product samples.

The 11 groups charge that the campaign violates a precedent set by the FTC in 1977 when it ruled that Spider-Man could not be used to market vitamins directly to children, finding the campaign “unfair and deceptive.”

“The same holds true, if not more so, with respect to OTC drugs,” wrote Cara Wilking, PHAI’s senior staff attorney.

A Merck spokeswoman said the company was currently reviewing the complaint. “We advertise in appropriate venues to reach parents and not directly to reach children themselves,” said Merck’s Kelley Dougherty.

Other groups who signed the letter were Berkeley Media Studies Group, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, Center for Digital Democracy, ChangeLab Solutions, Corporate Accountability International, Eat Drink Politics, Public Citizen, The Public Good Law Center, Public Health Institute and Prevention Institute.

10181: Mickey Mouse Maneuver.

Reuters reported Disney will stop some junk-food advertising on children’s TV shows and websites. “Some” is the critical word here. Disney, of course, will not stop using its characters in promotional and licensing tie-ins with junk-food manufacturers. Hell, the corporation would introduce Mickey Mouse Malt Liquor® if there were a possibility of profit.

Disney to stop some junk-food ads on kids’ TV, websites

Reuters

Walt Disney Co., owner of the ABC broadcast network and a suite of cable channels, will stop accepting some junk-food ads on TV programs, radio shows and websites aimed at children, according to sources with knowledge of the plan.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger and first lady Michelle Obama plan to make an announcement on Tuesday in Washington, the sources said.

The United States faces an obesity epidemic. Nearly one-third of U.S. children are overweight or obese, and a 2006 Institute of Medicine report said junk food marketing contributed to childhood obesity.

The Disney move follows New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s announcement last week of a plan to ban sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces (about half a liter) in most restaurants, theaters, delis and vending carts throughout the city.

The ban, also aimed at fighting obesity, would affect drinks equivalent to what McDonald’s Corp calls small and has incensed food and beverage makers, many of which have agreed to voluntary nutritional measures.

Disney plans to cut advertising during children’s programming on its networks such as ABC and Disney XD or its kid-focused websites for foods that fail to meet minimum nutrition requirements, the sources said.

A Disney spokeswoman declined to comment on Tuesday’s announcement.

The media and entertainment conglomerate introduced voluntary guidelines in 2006 that prohibited licensing of Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters for foods that fail to meet minimum nutrition the requirements.

The guidelines set limits on the amount of calories, fat and added sugar for main and side dishes and snacks.

Last year, top U.S. food and drink makers including Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola and Kellogg Co agreed to voluntary nutrition criteria for products advertised to children.