Greenwashing

Many consumers — and investors — are attracted to companies and products that prioritize products that minimize ecological harms. Corporate marketing that makes empty eco-promises is so common that there’s a name for it: Greenwashing. A Wall Street Journal video.

Update:

“‘A sea of misinformation’: FTC to address industry greenwashing complaints,” Tom Perkins, The Guardian

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Food Commercials Are Expensive. Here’s Why.

It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to make TV commericials for fast food mouth-watering and eye-opening. It’s not just the special cameras and food stylists. It takes engineering, robots, and catapults. Abby Narishkin explains.

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Prescription Drugs On TV: Mostly Worthless

73 percent of those new prescription drugs advertised on U.S. television had low therapeutic value, offering only slight benefit over other drugs already on the market, says a recent study. Those drugs accounted for $15.9 billion worth of advertising spending. Of the advertised drugs that had a value rating from Canada, France or Germany, 53 of them were classified as low-benefit, at best.

Back in 2015, the American Medical Association called for an all-out ban on DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) ads for prescription drugs and medical devices, saying they drive demand for expensive treatments despite the clinical effectiveness of less costly alternatives.

More:

“70% of drugs advertised on TV are of “low therapeutic value,” study finds,” Beth Mole, Ars Technica

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The McRib Is Going Extinct

McRib, McDonald’s mechanically restructured pork “rib,” is seasonal, just like the flu. It’s back, but McD’s says this will be a farewell tour.

Maybe there are supply chain problems with the sandwich’s many non-pork components, like: ammonium sulfate, polysorbate 80, sodium benzoate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oils, calcium sulfate, ammonium sulfate, soy flour, sodium stearoyl lactylate, ascorbic acid, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, calcium peroxide, calcium propionate,high fructose corn syrup, xanthan gum, and sodium benzoate. And let’s not forget azodicarbonamide, used to make yoga mats.

Nota Bene: The farewell tour kicks off on Halloween, so it may be more “trick” than “treat.” The McRib may rise from the dead like the zombie meat it is in years to come.

More:

“McDonald’s McRib coming back for a ‘farewell tour,'” Kelly Tyko, Axios

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Image (“How McRibs Are Made”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Lawsuit: False, Fattened Burger Advertising

A new federal class action lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of New York alleges that Wendy’s and McDonald’s advertising exaggerates the size of their beef patties. The claims: McDonald’s ads use undercooked patties to make them look bigger, and Wendy’s ads pile toppings on their burgers so they look 15 percent to 20 percent larger than they really are.

Is it “food styling” or falsehood? Let the court decide. Don’t expect a fast fast-food decision, though.

More:

“McDonald’s, Wendy’s accused of beefing up burgers in ads,” María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post

“This is the photographic evidence presented in a lawsuit over fast-food burger sizes,” Michelle Cheng and Amanda Shendruk, Quartz

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Image (“Pharaoh Seti I Offering a Burger to the Gods”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

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Cinco de Mayo, fiesta grande en los Estados Unidos

Cinco de Mayo, the 5th of May, is the biggest Mexican holiday in the entire United States. Oh sure, the holiday commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla, so kids in that Mexican city get the day off to watch a parade, and gringo-infested beach resorts may get a little loco, but the rest of Mexico carries on as usual.

North of the border, it’s a different story. The community-based Mexican-American celebrations of the Sixties were co-opted by marketers for big brewers, tequila importers, and mega-food purveyors. In other words, it’s St. Patrick’s Day with mariachis. Is this a great country, or what?

More:

“Cinco de Mayo: A History Obscured by Beers and Burritos,” Jason Ruiz, Long Beach Post

“U.S. Marketers Turn Cinco de Mayo Into Pan-Ethnic National Celebration, Joel Millman, Wall Street Journal

“How Corona Made Cinco de Mayo an American Holiday,” Adam Teeter, VinePair 

“Does Mexico Celebrate Cinco De Mayo? Find Out How Holiday Became Mainstream,” Susmita Baral, Latin Times

“Mexicans don’t understand why you are celebrating Cinco de Mayo,” Allison Jackson, GlobalPost

“Why is Cinco de Mayo More Popular in America Than in Mexico?” Brian Greene, U.S. News & World Report

“Gringo de Mayo,” Gustavo Arellano, OC Weekly

“Cinco de Mayo: A New American Holiday,” Cesar M. Melgoza,Huffington Post

“Cinco De Mayo: Whose Holiday Is It, Anyway?” NPR

“How Not to Be Awful This Cinco de Mayo,” Kelly Williams Brown,Daily Beast

 

Note: ¿Chilaquiles? Mira aquí.

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Why You Won’t See a Tesla Commercial

You won’t See a Tesla commercial on TV. Celebrities and influencers (including Elon Musk) do the work of ads for free. The company puts money into research and development instead of PR. A Newsthink video by Cindy Pom.

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Green Chri$tma$

“Green Chri$tma$,” a 1958 send-up of holiday commercialism by humorist Stan Freberg, who was also an award-winning advertising executive. Music Director Billy May led the Columbia Records house orchestra and Jud Colon Chorale. At first the record was denounced as sacrilegious and many radio stations refused to play it, but the reality of this satire’s target became all too evident.

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Green Chri$tma$

“Green Chri$tma$,” a 1958 send-up of holiday commercialism by humorist Stan Freberg, who was also an award-winning advertising executive. Music Director Billy May led the Columbia Records house orchestra and Jud Colon Chorale. At first the record was denounced as sacrilegious and many radio stations refused to play it, but the reality of this satire’s target became all too evident.

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It’s Beginning ….

On the shelves of Retail America, it began to look like Christmas the day after Halloween. The perfume and electric shaver ads began appearing a few weeks later. Try to dig yourself out of the blizzard of consumerist frenzy.