SocialButterfly

Food Marketing and Kids - Always A Popular Topic

Monday, June 16th, 2008 | Case Studies and New Orgs/Campaigns, Experience This?, Interesting Articles, Social Marketing | 4 Comments

The mix of food marketing and ethics when it comes to advertising to children tends to always be a popular topic on the social marketing list serv. And, the topic pops up every once and a while in the news too.

If you have been following this issue, and honestly, I have been following it some, but I don’t claim to be an expert on it. So, I’m curious to get others’ thoughts.

Food. Children. Marketing. Advertising. Social Marketing. Ethics. –> Please share your thoughts in the comments. I am providing some questions as prompts, and will post again a summary of the responses and what I discover.

Cases

Last spring and summer, there was much ado about Shrek and his character endorsing various unhealthy food products.

Again, there was a response when McDonald’s advertised by sponsoring report cards and giving achieving students special McDonald offers.

Articles

Fundamental Shift in Making and Marketing Snacks to Kids, MarketingProfs June 11, 200

Sweet Surrender, Washington Post, May 22, 2008

Junk Food Marketing Linked to Child Obesity, Lancaster Farming, May 23, 2008

Shrek: He’s Big, Green and Promoting Junk Food, MSNBC, April 25, 2007

Feel free to leave links to more articles/cases in the comments =) I know there’s a ton of news and literature out there.

Questions

• Where has this issue been and where is it headed?
• Has progress been made? What does ‘progress’ mean?
• Is this an issue or is it over-reaction?
• Are there boundaries when marketing food to children and what are those boundaries?
• How is this sector of the industry changing?

Thanks ya’ll! Look forward to reading your insights!

Tags: advertising, boundaries, case studies, Case Studies and New Orgs/Campaigns, child marketing, children, ethics, food, food marketing, junk food, kids, Marketing, marketing ethics, obesity, Social Marketing, youth

See the Good this Week’s 11-year old Blogger Neighbor is accomplishing in every 25-Day Challenge

Thursday, June 12th, 2008 | Blogger Neighbors | 2 Comments

That’s right. 1-1. 11. Eleven young and beautiful years of age. This week’s newest addition to the Blogger Neighborhood reminds us that we can all do good - no matter what our age….even my 70+ grandparents sent me an invite to join Plaxo. Now, how hip are they? Enjoy! =)

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Blog Name: 25 Days to Make a Difference

Blog Topics: Online charity project, Service work, and Kids making a difference

About the Author: Laura Stockman is 11 years old. She likes to read, do arts and crafts, and write. She has earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and enjoys playing baseball, swimming, and running. When she is older, she would like to be a veterinarian, a chef, or an artist. She loves helping those in need and meeting other kids who like to do the same.

Curious about how Laura started blogging?

Click here to see how Laura’s grandpa gave her the lesson of giving, and how she’s continuing to share his message with others. What started as a 25-day challenge to make a daily difference, with a promise to donate money she earned through her allowance, recycling and odd jobs, to the participant who made the most difference, is now a monthly movement! Read about how Laura raises the money and how she and her readers choose where to donate the funds.

If you could live on any street, what would that street be named and why?

Family Road because my family means a lot to me.

Who would be your dream real-life neighbor?

Our friend Frank Milkowski, who is in his eighties. He has lots of stories and is very interesting. I love him.

If you were planning the neighborhood’s block party, what entertainment would you plan?

Dancing, carnival games, relay races, and kick ball.

What first prompted you to blog?

The New York State PTA Reflections Contest. This year’s prompt was “I can make a difference by…” So I started a blog to make a difference.

If you customized your own license plate, what would it say and why?

CatzPajamaz like my aunt and uncle’s because I think it is cute.

What would you gift to a new neighbor as the perfect welcoming gift?

I would bake something like cookies to give them.

What type of communication channel do you most and least prefer since the burst of social media?

I like Artsnacks, which is a NING and I like using Skype. I dislike AIM instant messaging. It’s kind of boring.

*Parental consent was obtained to publish this post with Laura’s name and age provided.

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Past Blogger Neighbors Include:

• Osocio @ Osocio, nominated by SocialButterfly
• Beth Kanter @ Beth’s Blog, nominated by SocialButterfly
• Beth Dunn @ Small Dots, nominated by Beth Kanter
• Len Edgerly @ LenEdgerly.com, nominated by Beth Dunn
• Stacey Monk @ Epic Change, nominated by the Twitter-verse
• Jason Dick @ A Small Change, nominated by Stacey Monk
• Roger Carr @ Everyday Giving, nominated by Jason Dick
• Andre Blackman @ Pulse & Signal, nominated by SocialButterfly
• …and now Laura Stockman @ 25 Days to Make a Difference, nominated by Roger Carr

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This continuous weekly series highlights different blogs and their respective bloggers in the blogosphere neighborhood. Following the great Mr. Rogers, who tells us to ‘Get to know your neighbor,’ this series introduces us to our blogger neighbors, making for a more unified, collaborative voice for the social sector. Like to nominate someone or be featured yourself? Contact me @ socialbutterfly4change@gmail.com.

Tags: 25 days to make a difference, blog, Blogger, blogging, Blogs, change, change agent, charity, children, community, giving, grandpa, inspiration, kid blogging, kids, make a difference, Mr. Rogers, neighbor, purpose, service, serving