Cartoon Network's Stop Bullying: Speak Up Campaign
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As smartphones, social media and digital content become more interwoven into our daily lives, companies have the opportunity to harness these powerful channels to communicate and inspire engagement around social in a whole new way. While television is still the primary format for food advertising to children and teens, today the food industry also markets aggressively via the Internet, through cell phones and text messages, in video and computer games, in movies and subsequent tie-ins with food products, and even in schools. Cartoon Network's "Stop Bullying: Speak Up" campaign, in its fourth year, again seeks to reduce bullying in schools, asking participants to vow to say something if they witness bullying. Cartoon Network has a goal of getting…show more content… When it comes to CSR, purpose begins the journey but return is the destination. Companies like Cartoon Network, who are targeting a wired audience, are embracing these opportunities and giving their existing programs a facelift to reach kids by harnessing the technology in the palms of their hands. They use popular cartoon characters or celebrities to market the unhealthy, sugary food as, "a great source of fiber," "a great source of vitamins," "a great source of whole grains." Food marketing to children and youth has been shown to increase: preference for advertised foods; consumption of advertised foods; overall calorie consumption; and requests to parents to purchase advertised foods (known as "pester power")116. Foods most heavily targeted at children include energy-dense fast foods, carbonated soft drinks, sugary breakfast cereals, salty snacks and baked goods, which…show more content… Issues become more visual, emotional and shareable. Food marketing has been connected to unhealthy diets and obesity.
What is Food Marketing? Marketing is a process widely used by companies throughout the world to encourage consumption of their products172.
Given the rising rates of obesity, some experts have suggested that the marketing of such foods contributes to an "obesogenic" environment that makes healthy food choices more difficult, especially for children173. The campaign compliments the network's year-round anti-bullying efforts, including a microsite with resources for kids, parents and teachers such as comics, posters, parent tip sheets and expert