CSPI Integrated Marketing Plan

August 2014 May 2015

American University
MKTG 412
April 30, 2013










We at the OMW Group live at the cross-section of innovation and creativity. With a finger
perpetually on the pulse of all things new and exciting in media and technology, we strive
to bring a fresh and dynamic approach to every clients specific needs. The heart of our
organization, however, is rooted in the human element that unites us all. We know people
and we make it our work to connect them to the causes, organizations and products most
relevant to them. We believe that clear and effective communication can bring people
together and can ultimately change the world.








Ian Nyanin President
Meghan Hayden VP Operations
Anjuli Johnson PR Director
Ryan Mascolo VP Strategy
Jonathan Harris Chief Technical Officer

Tabl e of Cont ent s:



Executive Summary...............................pg. 1

Situation Analysis......................................pg. 2

Industry Background ...............................pg. 2

Organization Snapshot .............................pg. 4

SWOT pg. 4

Competitive Review .................................pg. 5

Review of Existing/Past Promotional Programs ....................pg. 5

Consumer Analysis ..............................pg. 8

Creative Testing pg. 12

IMC Strategy / Marketing Goals ................................pg. 13

IMC Objectives................................pg. 14

IMC Tactics / Creative Recommendations ..............................pg. 15

Media Recommendations ................................pg. 21

Budget Summary Breakdown ................................pg. 21

Campaign Flowchart ................................pg. 22
Measurement and Evaluation ................................pg. 22
Conclusion ................................pg. 23
Appendices ................................pg. 24


"
Executive Summary:

More than just the name of our IMC plan, Get Real is a battle cry meant to incite a social
movement among Americas families, which will ultimately shift the national paradigm on
food health. Through this campaign we have created a multidimensional solution to aid the
Center for Science in the Public Interest in addressing this pressing issue.

Launching in August 2014 and running through May 2015 to coincide with a traditional K-
12 school year, the Get Real campaign will exist primarily on the web. The core of this
grassroots plan is a website and social platform called GetReal.org. We envision this
website to be a hub where families, educators and other concerned parties can engage in
open dialogue about childhood health and receive pertinent information from CSPI.
GetReal.org will be an offshoot from the official CSPI site much like FoodDay.org, and will
be tailored to fit the needs of the campaign's target audience.

In our research we discovered that the issue of childhood health is a multi-pronged one
with various contributing factors and players. We determined our primary demographic,
however, to be Power Moms, aged 26-44. These women are tech savvy, socially
conscious, have a strong sense of voice and most importantly are unafraid to speak up for
causes they deem important. They are mommy bloggers, career women and social
influencers.

Yet the struggle does not fall on parents alone. We aim to directly reach the children being
targeted by junk food advertisers as well. Most of the mothers interviewed in our primary
research felt that their children were most susceptible to the effects of TV advertising when
they were under the age of 10. Studies have shown, however, that advertisers have
innovated new techniques to reach youth of all ages online through applications and
games. Through a specialized kids section of GetReal.org we will speak frankly to children
about the practices used to reach them and the unhealthy side affects of junk food, while
offering them healthy alternatives and interactive games.

Lastly, we will target educators who play a large role in the formal education of children by
offering them lessons plans, interactive learning tools and other resources to incorporate
into their curriculums. We believe that when these groups are brought together and
activated around this issue, real change will occur.




#
Campaign objectives:
! Inform families about the influence junk food advertising has on the ways
their daily choices and general views on health
! Empower parents to make better purchasing decisions and to take an active
stand against junk food marketing
! Empower children to make informed decisions about their health and to
make them aware of common practices used to target them
! Start an honest and open dialog within families and in schools
! Create an activated network of families and educators ready to be mobilized
for specific causes (ie. e-mail campaign to Congress)
! Show junk food advertisers and media outlets there is a true concern about
the health of the nations families and organized coalition of supporters ready
to act

Campaign theme:
The cornerstone of this campaign is the theme of empowerment. Considering the ubiquity
of junk food advertising and the strength of the industry behind it, our primary research
found that most parents feel varying degrees powerless in the fight for their families health.

With Get Real, we aim to give parents and their children back a sense of autonomy. This
campaign will highlight the challenges of modern families and celebrate their victories,
creating a sense of solidarity in this cause, which affects millions personally.

Slogan: Get Real - Real Talk, Real Food, Real Life
Motto: Happy, Healthy, Whole
Overall budget total:
$40,000

Evaluation program:
We will measure our success based on the number of members registered on GetReal.org,
the number of unique page views the site obtains obtain and surveys which will provide
direct feedback from users.

Situation Analysis

Industry Background:
CSPI is a famed, not-for-profit advocacy group and watchdog agency dedicated to
protecting and educating American consumers about food health and safety. Their fight for
a healthier food culture is generally waged with legislators who create policy, food
$
companies that produce and promote unhealthy products and the media outlets who
display these advertisements.

CSPI is one of several organizations dedicated to this essential cause. Similar groups
include:
" International Food Policy
" Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
" Michelle Obamas Lets Move campaign

The fight that CSPI and other organizations are waging against the junk food industry,
however, is a highly uneven one.
" The food and beverage industry spends approximately $2 billion a year just on
marketing to children
" 98% of the $2 billion is for unhealthy products
1
.

CSPI generally focuses their energies on upstream targets, legislators and large business
companies. Effecting change through this avenue, however, is incredibly difficult. Other
organizations like Lets Move, however, have focused on downstream targets audiences of
parents and children. After years of using the same tactics to varying effect, CSPI would
be smart to shift their tactics and to take advance of the increasingly popular health trend
sweeping the nation.

At this moment CSPI has a great opportunity to capitalize on this increased national
interest in health and activate families around their cause. The rise in popularity of healthy,
local, organic foods in recent years is a positive indicator of this fact
2
. Yet as individual
families make strides towards better nutrition junk food companies continue to advertise
their unhealthy products. They commonly use bright colors, illustrations and popular
characters to make their foods more appealing to their children
3
.

It is proven that while most children like delicious healthy snacks the effects of advertising
cause them to see them as lesser options when compared to junk foods
4
. Marketers do
not spend billions advertising fruits and vegetables as they do with cookies and chips. This

1
Kovacic, W. e. (2008). Marketing food to children and adolescents: A review of industry expenditures, activities,
and self-regulation: A Federal Trade Commission report to Congress. Federal Trade Commission.
2
Satran, Joe. "Local Produce Increasingly Preferred To Organic, Consumer Survey Shows." TheHuffingtonPost.com.
N.p., 26 Sept. 2012. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
3
Klein, Sarah. "Study: Cartoon Characters Attract Kids to Junk Food." CNN. Health.com, 21 June 2010. Web. 12
Mar. 2013.
4
Parker, Ellen. "New Study Proves Kids Like Eating Healthy Food." PR Newswire. Project Bread - The Walk for
Hunger, 18 Nov. 2012. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
%
fact combined with the higher prices of healthy, local and organic products, and the
demand for junk foods in children created by advertising causes parents to often purchase
the products marketers want them to.

Through our campaign we aim to break this vicious cycle. By making parents and children
more aware of commonly used advertising practices they will hopefully be less susceptible
to them. Beyond this we plan to provide them with the types of beneficial materials like
shopping guides and recipes that CSPI has historically produced via the Nutrition Action
Healthletter.

Organization Snapshot
Place in the Industry:
CSPI has a well-solidified reputation as an influential force in the world of food policy. The
organization has always represented the citizen's interests on issues of nutrition. As a
result the major players in the industry including legislators, food and beverage
manufacturers, advertisers and media outlets have all come to know and fear CSPIs often
aggressive tactics. Yet when dealing with upstream target audiences, change is slow to
happen and the power rests with the largest and most powerful organizations. To put it
simply CSPI is David matched against a number of Goliaths.

Brand Image:
CSPIs brand equity lies with those in the know regarding the politics and big business of
the food industry. With the general public, however, brand awareness is sorely lacking. In
our survey of mothers during the primary research phase recognition of CSPI was virtually
non-existent. The readership of the Action Healthletter and their current primary
demographic both heavily skew toward the geriatric set.

With this campaign we aim to bring the spirit of CSPI to the masses. By repurposing their
many resources and creating new ones we will cater directly to new demographics of
power moms, and their children. Rather than re-branding CSPI and erasing their great
legacy we are proposing a brand-extension. This strategy allows CSPI to continue their
valiant efforts with upstream target audiences while reaching the general public.

SWOT:
" Strengths: Strong organizational structure, great deal of experience with politicians
and food companies, existing network of supporters, storied track record of
successes
" Weaknesses: Poor branding, weak online presence, lack of funding and power
relative to food companies, lack of consumer interest
&
" Opportunities: Growing rates of consumer concern over food and health (Michelle
Obama, Jamie Oliver), a large number of target audience members who have yet to
be reached by message
" Threats: Strength of the food industry, ambivalence by government, difficulty of
process to change laws, dependence of TV networks on advertising.

Competitive Review
The main source of CSPIs funding is their Nutrition Action Healthletter, which reaches over
900,000 subscribers.
5
It is currently the largest circulated health and nutrition newsletter in
North America and targets an audience of nutrition minded readers aged 50 and up.

Although organizations with similar purposes are essential to the cause they can detract
from CSPI's share of voice in the field. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which is
trademarked as the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals,
publishes the popular Food and Nutrition Magazine. In this case their competition
threatens CSPIs bottom line as the revenue from the Action Healthletter funds the majority
of their efforts.

The First Ladys Lets Move Campaign which is dedicated to the nutrition and wellbeing
of children nationwide, however, has already established great brand equity through its
likeable and incredibly influential spokeswoman. This campaign is a strong example of the
direction in which we aim to take CSPI and as a result another direct competitor. The
difference between our campaign and theirs, however, is the superior amount of funds and
access to celebrities at their disposal.

Indirect competitors of CSPI include legislators and anti-health reform advocates that
oppose the organizations efforts to transform the American diet and limit food advertising
targeted to children. The supermarkets chains that sell unhealthy products and promote
them in-store with bright display and childrens eye-level placement are also a main foe of
CSPIs in the battle for better nutrition.

Review of Past/Existing Campaigns
CSPIs main tools for spreading their message have primarily been advocacy and public
education. They focus on informing the public through a mixture of traditional and digital
media including newsletters, books, pamphlets, interviews, websites, and online petitions.
While they originally focused strictly on public relations tactics to get out their message,
CSPI has just now begun to employ integrated marketing tactics. The 2011 yearly budget

5
"About CSPI ~ Center for Science in the Public Interest." CSPInet.org. Center for Science in the Public Interest,
n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2013.
'
for public education was about 3.2 million dollars and their budget for advocacy was
hidden somewhere in the 4.2 million dollar budget for projects and programs
6
.

One such example is CSPIs 1% Or Less campaign, which launched in 1998 and utilized
an IMC rather than PR plan to get consumers to buy milk that is lower in fat.
7
Knowing that
their public service announcements would not be aired during the free space allotted by
broadcasters, they bought broadcast air time for two 30 second television and two 60
second radio PSAs they developed. To supplement these announcements they used
public relation tactics to garner more media attention. Normally they would employ local
personnel and set up educational programs, however the cost of this strategy was higher
than the advertising costs, and the plan displayed success as the market share of 1%
and fat-free milk sold in supermarkets, doubled, from 18 to 41%
8


CSPI once again used similar tactics in creating a campaign around a PSA entitled The
Real Bears which satirized the soda industry. This time, however, they relied on the viral
nature of the Internet to reach millions of viewers at no cost. In promotion of the campaign
they created a website which housed the video and provided additional information about
the unhealthy effects of soft drinks. The site also feature a section which easily allowed
viewers to share the video over social media.

The PSA satirized advertisements by Coca-Cola and soft drink companies while informing
audience of the link between sugary drinks and diabetes. The PSAs score was produced
by the popular musician, Jason Mraz, and was shared on several food and nutrition
advocacy blogs. This campaign was created by Alex Bogusky, formerly of Crispin Porter &
Bogusky, who worked for Burger King, Dominos, and Coca-Cola, but also the anti-
tobacco campaign, The Truth
9
. His prior experience advertising for companies that CSPI
commonly battles along with his success fighting big tobacco gave CSPI a major asset in
combatting unhealthy food marketers. This campaign gave CSPI an unusually large share
of voice, although still relatively small when compared to Coca-Cola or Pepsi.

Food Day, a nationwide public relations initiative, was formed 37 years ago as an
educational, grassroots-oriented campaign to celebrate the sustainable food movement
and improve our nations food policies. It has grown increasingly in popularity over the
years, with thousands of people taking part in over 3,200 events for Food Day 2012. CSPI

6
Matthews, Carter, and Boyce. CENTER FOR SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.
Rep. Cspinet.org, 24 Oct. 2012. Web. 2 Apr. 2013.
7
"The 1% Or Less School Kit." Health, Nutrition and Diet. N.p., Oct. 1998. Web. 11 Apr. 2013
8
Spark, Arlene J. "1% or Less." Nutrition in Public Health: Principles, Policies, and Practice. Boca Raton: CRC,
2007. 449-50. Print.
9
Horovitz, Bruce. "Video Satire Skewers Coke's Polar Bears." USA Today. N.p., 9 Oct. 2012. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.
(
promotes Food Day on a separate webpage in order to directly manage public relations
and strategically engage with participants. The event is heavily promoted and updated
often through various social media platforms such as Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook where
it has garnered almost 16,000 likes. This event has a strong share of voice in comparison
with CSPIs other events and has potential to grow even more in upcoming years.

In regards to print advertisements CSPI recently took out a full page out in the Hollywood
Reporter of Nickelodeons Spongebob Squarepants in a mugshot. This was an attack on
Nickelodeon for "impersonating a responsible media company while aggressively
marketing obesity to kids"
10
. The Hollywood Reporter, which maintains a readership of
71,000 people at the cost of advertising being $27,000 therefore
11
, which means CSPI
paid about $380 to reach 1000 people (27,000/71,000 x 1000). This is a rather expensive
method of print advertising, however it did reach the target market of Hollywood Insiders.

Overall CSPIs past programs have been met with a decent amount of success as far as
marketing goes, even if their major focus has been and still is to lobby governments and
attack companies. In our creative testing, though, we found that the campaigns with
aggressive overtones were greatly polarizing among mothers. As a result CSPIs Facebook
page features a small but highly dedicated group of vocal supporters. However, with our
Get Real campaign we are looking for mass appeal, positivity and pro-activity.

Although CSPI is not necessarily executing direct selling of a product it offers a "Take
Action" tab on the website's homepage encouraging the audience to sign up for Action
Alerts on public health policy issues. In regards to direct marketing, the Nutrition Action
Healthletter mentioned above is subscription-based periodical providing current
information on nutrition, food safety, and health issues. Circulation is approximately
733,000 in the US and 91,000 in Canada. This Newsletter and subscriptions provide
trackable and memorable responses from the CSPI subscription database.








10
Williams, Matt. "Spongebob Scapegoat: Nonprofit Group Targets Nickelodeon in New Campaign." The
Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/mar/15/spongebob-nickelodeon-healthy-eating-campaign>
11
"The Hollywood Reporter." Kantar Media. Guggenheim Digital Media, n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013
)
Consumer Analysis

Demographics:
Our primary target audience in this plan are American parents with children below the age
of fourteen, with a narrow focus on the section of power moms. This demographic is key
as mothers are still the dominant decision makers, shoppers and food preparers in the
family despite the fact they are now busier and more prominent in the workforce than
ever
12
.

Power Moms
" Women ranging in age from 28-44 years old with children under 15 years old.
" Reside in metropolitan and suburban areas and have a combined household
income of $70,000+
" Tech savvy, social media users with strong social consciences
" Control 80% of all household spending.

While parents make the purchasing decisions marketers spend billions of dollars to
influence children. These children live on the Internet and consume hours of digital media,
more so than parents. Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America
have tripled. To combat these startling statistics we aim to speak to children directly where
they live--online and in school. One in three American children are overweight or obese.

Kids in America
" Boys and girls aged 4-15
" Digital natives who are generally more tech savvy than parents
" Highly connected to digital content via tablets, smartphones, games and
applications
" Often loyal to the major brands that spend the most to reach them via
advertisements
" Strong affinity to popular media properties (ie superheroes & cartoon characters)

Psychographic:
Parents want their children to eat healthy foods.
" 69% of parents worry more about the healthfulness of the foods and beverages
they buy for their children more than those they buy for themselves.
13

" 55% of Americans are trying to lose weight.
14


12
"Employment Characteristics of Families Summary." U.S. Department of Labor. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics..
13
2012 Food & Health Survey. International Food Information Council Foundation, 17.
14
Ibid., p. 18.
*

Parents recognize the impact of food marketing on childhood obesity, but still think
personal responsibility is more important.
" Parents attributed 60% of the rise in childhood obesity to personal responsibility
and 40% to an unhealthy food environment.
15

" They see time constraints, high expense of food, easy access to unhealthy foods,
unhealthy food advertising, and childrens media usage as obstacles to sustain
healthy diets, but it is a parents personal responsibility to maneuver through them.
" Parents are aware of the nag factor that is encouraged by food marketers, but are
less likely to say that food marketers have an influence on their childs diet.
Parents do think that junk food marketing to children is an issue and that the media, food
industry and government have negative impacts on their children.
" Parents rate food marketing to children as a concern at the same degree as alcohol
and tobacco.
" 69% of parents rate media as negative influence on their children, food industry
61%, government 55%.
16

" Federal Trade Commission spent $1.79 billion on food marketing to youth aged 2 to 17
Parents are not aware of how many junk food advertisements their kids watch on a daily
basis.
" One third of parents do not think their children sees junk food advertisements
daily.
17

" Children between the ages of 2-11 view 12.8 food ads per day.
18

" Fast food restaurants, sugary cereals, other restaurants, and candy make up 60%
of TV food ads seen by children and adolescents.
19

Parents have shown that they support some policy measures against junk food marketing.
" Two-thirds or more parents supported setting nutrition standards for foods sold in
school, requiring childrens media and TV advertising to promote healthy foods, and
not allowing advertising on school buses.
20

" 60% or more parents supported limiting advertising/ sponsorships in schools,
mobile marketing, TV commercials, viral marketing, and internet advertising.
21

Parents are not aware of the extent digital marketing is used to target their children.
" Parents view childrens marketing as being the same as when they were children.

15
Harris, Jennifer, Frances Milici, and Marlene Schwartz. Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. Yale, 22.
16
Yale Rudd Center, 5.
17
Ibid., p. 7.
18
Ibid.
19
Ibid.
20
Ibid. p. 23
21
Ibid.
"+
" Parents rate advergames, food company websites, banner ads, social media, viral
marketing, and mobile marketing with the lowest impact rates.
22

Children ages two to seventeen consume anywhere from 12 to 21 food ads a day.
" 50% of all ad time on childrens shows is for food
" 33% of ads aimed at children are for candy, 29% are other, 28% are cereal
23


Insights From Primary Research: (See Appendix A)
" Parents are not aware of CSPI, Food Day, Harvard School of Public Healths
Nutrition Source, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, International Food Policy
Research Institute and Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity.
" Parents most aware of food marketing tactic of using childrens cartoon
characters to promote foods.
" Parents are more likely to state that food marketing had more impact of
other peoples kids.

Behavioral:
Mothers actively provide and seek out parenting tips and information regarding their
children.
" 14% of American mothers blog about parenting or turn to blogs for advice.
24

Mommy bloggers are more likely to actively get involved with social issues and are more
educated than the average mother.
" 20% of moms in Washington, DC have contributed or read blogs in the past 30
days.
25

" 85% more likely to have supported a politician based on an environmental issue.
26

" 38% more likely to volunteer.
27

" 52% more likely to have received a college degree.
28

Mothers are very active on social media sites and are more educated than average
mothers.
" 73% of women between the ages 30-49 are on Facebook
29

" 80% of Pinterest users are women while 50% of all Pinterest users have children.
(See Appendix C)


22
Ibid. p. 38.
23
"Targeting Children With Treats." Teach.com. N.p., 9 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
24
Laird, Sam. "The Rise of the Mommy Blogger." Mashable. H&R Block, 8 May 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.
25
Ibid.
26
Ibid.
27
Ibid.
28
Ibid.
29
Ibid.
""
" 19% of the women between the ages of 30-49 are on Pinterest
30

! The same percentage of participation women between the ages of 18-29 on
Pinterest.
! Women on Pinterest are highly educated.
Adolescents aged eight to 18 consume an average of the following media daily:
" 4 hours and 29 minutes of television per day, 25 minutes on movies
" 2 hours and 31 minutes of music and an hour and a half on the Computer
" Averaged 1 hour and 13 minutes on video games per day
" Spend 38 minutes on print consumption
31

" 50% of overweight children remain overweight as adults
" Youngsters who are already overweight are even more susceptible to junk food ads
and will increase consumption by 134%
32


Purchasing Decision:
When looking for food in the grocery store, parents look for items that their children
will eat, but are convenient, healthy, and well priced. The issue is that many times these
needs are contradictory. Healthy foods are priced higher than processed foods, and due
to budgetary restraints parents are not able to afford them. Convenient foods are rarely
healthy whether convenience means fast food or a microwavable entree found in the
grocery store.

Who influences the decision:
Children are a direct influence on a parents purchase decision. Parents want to
make sure that their kids are going to eat the food they buy for them. If they feel their child
will not eat the food, they will not buy the product. Children are highly advertised to by junk
food marketers and it influences the foods that they want and will eat. Also the childs
peers will influences the foods they eat along with peers of the parent.

Who makes the decision:
Mothers control 80 percent of all household spending, so mothers make the
majority of the decisions. In the recent years though, fathers have been increasingly
become more active in the household by handling domestic chores.



30
Ibid.
31
Hachman, Marc. "Teen Media Consumption Soars to Almost 8 Hours/Day." PCMAG. N.p., 20 Jan. 2010. Web.
14 Apr. 2013.
32
"Targeting Children With Treats." Teach.com. N.p., 9 Feb. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2013.
"#
Consumer Funnel Status:
Awareness
" Parents first to become informed about the problems with children junk food
marketing,
Attitude Formation
" Realizing personal responsibility is not the only factor is maintaining a balance diet.
Partially Engaged and Active
" Occasional read articles related to or visit websites related to junk food marketing
" Begin analyzing food purchasing and media habits
" Give their contact information for news e-alerts
" Lowest barrier engagement on social media to display support for the cause.
! like statuses, change profile picture, post picture
Fully Engaged and Active
" Become involved as volunteers
" Take a part in events
" Interact heavily on social media to spread awareness
" Sign petitions

Creative Testing: (See Appendix B)

In our creative testing two campaigns were clearly favored above their others. They shared
the common theme of empowerment but spoke to different demographics. We ultimately
decided to combine both of these approaches into one multi-pronged campaign that
attacks the issue of childhood health on all levels. Below are the original approaches.

Empowering Mothers
Overview: This campaign empathizes with modern mothers looking to provide healthy
lifestyles for their families. It would highlight their challenges and celebrate their victories,
creating a sense of solidarity.
Objective: To make mothers feel like they are not alone in their war against junk food and
negative influences in the lives of their children. Rather than making them feel guilty or
attacked, this campaign will make them feel understood, well-represented and
empowered to make a difference.
Potential Method/Tactic: An app, e-publication or video series providing healthy options for
Moms to provide for their children outside and inside the home. Would use direct address
from other moms (celebrities, bloggers, everyday mothers).



"$
Empowering Children
Overview: A campaign that speaks to children in an age appropriate tone but addresses
the issue of food advertising practices.
Objective: To empower children to be thoughtful consumers earlier on in life. Our primary
research shows that children under the age of ten are highly susceptible to advertising, a
fact their parents generally accept.
Potential Method/Tactics: An interactive game created to show kids how food advertisers
try to reach them. A humorous video featuring an 8 year old child who is precocious but
relatable declaring themselves too smart to fall for various advertising tricks.


IMC Strategy

With this planned brand extension we are looking to leverage the wealth of
knowledge CSPI currently holds to develop new relationships with a younger target
audience. The most effective way to do this, we found, is to create a new site for the Get
Real campaign which is fueled and supported by CSPI.
The name Get Real, is a call to action for families nationwide and embodies the
theme of empowerment which tested the highest with the mothers we surveyed. We feel
that it is fresh, bold and simple which should make it relatable to families nationwide. With
this campaign we are looking to cut through all of the noise surrounding food policy and
speak directly to mothers and children. The dynamic and frank tone of the campaigns
name will allow us to do this. The Real part also has strong connotations with natural and
organic products which is a positive for a site dedicated to healthy living.
The new Get Real brand will take a similar approach as CSPIs The Real Bears
by creating a website that focuses solely on the issue at hand. But unlike the single serving
function of the Real Bears website, the Get Real page will generate content including
blog posts, discussions and social media campaigns focused on interactivity and drawing
users back for multiple visits. The site will also provide an outlet for mothers to become
empowered through discussion and interaction with their peers across the nation.

Marketing Goals:
" Promote honest and open dialog among families about the food industry in order to
reshape their views on nutrition and health
" Create a new generation of health concerned youth who are skeptical of food
advertising
" Form a network of proactive parents ready to take on the issues concerning the
health of their families
"%
" Spark a national grassroots movement to challenge big business and stagnant
government


IMC Objectives

" Increase knowledge of tactics used by junk food advertisers among parents by 5%
" Increase knowledge of negative advertising practices among children by 5%
" Build brand awareness for the new Get Real campaign by 8%
" Drive average unique pageviews per month of GetReal.org to 50,000 in last 3
months of campaign
" Drive 200,000+ users to register on GetReal.org for newsletter updates and ability
to join discussions - create databse with prodivded contact information
" Facilitate dialogue between 10% of registered parents about struggles and victories
in the fight for their families health
" Garner 100,000 signatures on a petition against junk food marketing.
! Create a White House Petition against junk food marketing
# 25,000 signatures is the threshold to receive a response from the
White House
" Garner 700,000+ total views of viral PSAs over 9 month period
" Garner 900+ media hits for campaign and website over 9 month period
" (amount of people involved in the child spotlight campaign)
" (amount of people involved in the eating real being real social media campaign)
! amount of followers on social media sites
" (amount of people coming out to our event? If we create an event?)
" Create online petitions aiming against different policy measures against junk food
marketing to children. (regulations against sponsorships in schools, putting cartoon




"&




IMC Tactics

Get Real Website

Objectives:
" Increase awareness on the impact of junk food marketing on children
" Create an interactive platform where users can share common experiences and
receive resources for making positive changes in their lives
" Root a number of social media campaigns that will exist through different platforms
including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
" Inspire parents to take action against food marketers through the outlets provided
on the website
" Address the issue of family food health from all angles

Motto: Happy, Healthy, Whole
Slogan: Real talk, Real food, Real health
Content on new website:
! Real Talk blogging platform
"'
# Featured posts from knowledgeable mommy bloggers
# Editorials about issues regarding food policy
# Letters from real parents across the nation
# Information about new campaigns and activity at Get Real
! Real Food section dedicated to nutrition
# Provides shopping guides, recipes and other practical resources
about food
# Restaurant and farmers market reviews for local areas from real
moms
# List of the worst products for children and families
# Information primarily mined from Nutrition Action Healthletter
! Visually appealing informational section about food marketing to children
! Real Action page empowering mothers to take a stand
# Encourages users to sign recent petitions against food companies
and legislators
# Provides details about upcoming GetReal.org sponsored events
# Volunteer options
# Guides to forming local parent groups and coalitions
# Sign up sheet for Get Real email alerts
! Kid Zone - section of website dedicated to kids
# PSAs which speak directly to children informing them about food
marketing tactics
# Healthy eating guides and kid-safe recipes
# Interactive video game with health focus
" Ie: Big Mouth Billy -Different types of food will fall from the sky,
some healthy, some not. Gamers will control a child with a
giant open mouth open and aim to get him to eat the healthy
options and dodge the unhealthy ones.
! Educators section for teachers and school officials
# Adaptable lesson plan created through collaboration between CSPI,
Get Real and industry insiders like AU professor Kathryn Montgomery
# Plan can be altered depending on grade level of students and length
of time desired (1 day or 1 week) and will be easily incorporated into
existing curriculums
# Readings and other relevant resources for teachers and
administrators



"(
Rationale for website and brand:
Our target demographic for this campaign is not in sync with CSPIs current demographic.
CSPIs current demographic are an older demographic and not the young parents we are
targeting. Without the awareness of CSPI by our target audience, the CSPI brand name
does not have strong value, so we decided to create a new brand, Get Real, that will
immediately resonate with our target audience. Through our research, we tested multiple
messages and empowering mothers and families was received best by parents, and the
brand Get Real reflect this theme.
The website will be used as a hub to promote our campaigns by educating and
informing our users about the issue and enabling them to take action. The Real Talk
blogging platform enables mothers to engage with the brand and become more involved in
food marketing policies. The blog is interactive and promotes users to return to view the
new content posted and discussed. The Real Food section provides viewers with
information on eating healthy and leading a healthy lifestyle empowering them to make
healthy decisions. This informative information will keep users coming back to the site.
With food marketers targeting kids through digital media by sponsoring video games and
creating branded virtual worlds, the Kid Zone will create an alternative digital space that
promotes eating healthy. In the kid section, we will inform children about food marketing
tactics to make them more aware to try to counteract its effects. The Educators section
aims to get food marketing awareness into the school curriculum. This tactic aims to
influence children at a place they are most, school.

Tactics to Direct Target Audience to Website:

1. Coming Clean: Mommy Blogger and Social Media Campaign
Objectives:
" Increase awareness of Get Real.
" Cause parents to realize that the solution to junk food marketing is not just personal
responsibility.
" Cause mommy bloggers to post content correlated with the campaign.
Promotion:
This campaign is going to be promoted through our social media sites, the Real Talk blog,
the PSAs and the mommy blogs that participate in the campaign.
Message Strategy:
Creates public discussion about how children food marketing creates conflict between
parents and their children. Mommy bloggers will post about personal experiences their
children misbehaved in public when they did not get the food or snack they wanted or
instances when parents caved in to their childrens nagging. Mommy bloggers will post on
their own blogs and we will also promote their posts on Real Talk. On our site, users can
")
post their own personal experiences along with commenting on the experience of others.
Additionally we will highlight portions of the best responses on our social media outlets.
Rationale:
In order for mothers to become empowered against food marketing they need to be aware
that food marketing is a problem. Looking through mommy blogging sites, bloggers often
note that they are surviving motherhood and will post honest and funny stories about
their children. We are simply giving them the idea for their next blog post.

2. Infographic
Objectives:
" Inform parents about how food marketers have impacted childhood obesity
" Receive earned media by releasing infographic to reporters
" Add infographic on Pinterest and link to GetReal.org
Message Strategy:
Create an infographic that visually displays the extent of childhood obesity, the differences
between the categories of food being marketed to children and a healthy balanced diet,
and percentages of mothers that believe in regulating junk food marketing. This infographic
will be sent to different news outlets, mommy bloggers, members on the email list, pinned
on Pinterest, and it will be featured on GetReal.org.
Rationale:
Empowering mothers by informing them on the issue and showing them how many other
mothers also believe in the cause. The infographic is sent out through channels that can
reach and inform target groups, pinterest users and mommy bloggers.

3. Viral Public Service Announcement:
Objectives:
" Raise awareness of the Get Real Campaign among parents and children
" Create buzz among online media
Message Strategy:
Each PSA will have a different theme while ultimately falling under the umbrella of overall
empowerment. They will also be strategically released over the span of the campaign to
continue the viral buzz.

Example PSAs
" Join the Movement - An apple rolls down from the stand at a grocery store. An
prototypical power mom type follows it out into the street, through the
neighborhood, through her childs school and ultimately out into a big field where
other rogue fruit have brought other moms into a circle. This PSA would coincide
with the launch of the site to get moms intrigue by the concept Get Real.
"*
" Im No Fool - A precocious child monologues directly into the camera about how
he is too smart to fall for practices used by advertisers. He encourages other kids to
wake up and take a stand against junk food marketing.

4. Child Spotlight
Objectives:
" Place a photo and story on a special section of the site about a different users
child every other week
" Get parents engaged with brand by posting content on our social media sites.
" Get viewers to visit our website to learn more.
Message: How does your kid get real?
Message Strategy:
Biweekly, we will choose a child to feature in on the child spotlight section of the website
and the news of the new child spotlight will be put on on our social media sites. Through,
Facebook parents will engage with the brand by posting text, photographs, and videos
about their children making healthy choices or giving healthy incites.
Rationale:
Mothers love their children and think that their children are the best. This child spotlight
will take advantage of this aspect by giving parents an outlet to boast about their children.
Parents already upload videos and pictures to social media sites, so it would easy for them
to post content boasting about their children on our Facebook page.

5. Being Real, Eating Real
Objective:
" Get users engaged with brand and spread awareness by posting on social media
" Spread awareness of brand and increase traffic to website
Message Strategy:
Social media campaign where target audience is encouraged to post pictures of the
healthy meals they are preparing for their families. This campaign is going to solely focus
on Pinterest for parents to pin pictures of the meals they make. The campaign will be
promoted on other social media platforms by posting and tweeting about the best looking
meals and changing the Facebook cover photo to a photograph collage of healthy meals.
For this campaign to spread, influential mothers (celebrity mothers, influential bloggers,
food activist) need to post pictures in order to encourage others. User generated content
will be marked with #EatingReal and submitted to the Get Real Twitter handle
@GetReal.org.
Rationale:
This campaign will cater to our target demographic who are active on Pinterest and social
media. With todays technology, it is easy for followers to take a picture of their meals and
#+
post it on social media. This small barrier enables our target audience to get involved with
the brand, and will help motivate parents to cook their own healthy dishes. With people
participating in the campaign, their friends and followers will see their post and will increase
the awareness of Get Real.

6. Educators
Objective:
" Work with educators to write nutrition based curriculum to incorporate into lesson
plans
" Develop interactive platform for children to self-educate themselves
Message Strategy:
Website and social media based campaign, where educators are encouraged to post
educational ideas on facebook and parents are encouraged to direct kids towards
getreal.org for the interactive platform that will be created. The campaign will be promoted
via email, facebook and the website so as to get the educators and parents involved.
Another component is a scoreboard for the game section of our interactive platform, which
will drive competition and thus lead to elongated participation.
Rationale:
This campaign will cater to both children and community leaders. Educators are a
necessary part of our campaign as for 6 hours a day, 5 days a week they are the childrens
chief source of influence. Also children are a necessary group to involve as they do hold
some influence over their parents purchasing decisions and educating them can reduce
the instances of children nagging parents.

7. Celebrity Endorsements
Objective:
" Empower moms with the support of famous power moms
Message Strategy:
Potential celebrity endorsements: Jessica Alba (The Honest Company), Julie Bowen (Claire,
Modern Family), Matt Damon + Mom, Tina Fey, Nicole Kidman, Jane Leeves, Gwyneth
Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Brooke Shields, Gwen Stefani, etc. A celebrity endorser could
promote the campaign in any way he/she wanted, for example, a youtube video
distributed via Facebook and Twitter.
Rationale:
When moms see these celebrity power moms taking a stand against junk food
marketers, they will feel empowered to do so as well.



#"
Media Recommendations

IMC Strategy and Synergy
Due to our limited budget, we are focusing primarily on internet advertising, social media
outreach, developing of CSPIs website, and word of mouth buzz marketing. CSPI should
release viral videos on Youtube.


Budget Summary Breakdown

CSPI has offered us a budget of $40,000. This budget is restrictive and thus advertising on
traditional media is unrealistic. The best way to use the $40,000 dollars is to raise
awareness, the best medium for this is the internet. It allows us to reach the largest
amount of people for the lowest cost. For our efforts we will dedicate $10,000 to
developing and maintaining a new website. $2,000 will be set aside for developing the
website and the remaining $8,000 goes towards IT costs and bandwidth hosting. $5,000
will be set aside for producing internet videos and if necessary a PSA. This is for the cost
of studios, and actors as due to the low budget hiring a full directing staff is not feasible.
The videos will hopefully draw positive attention to our website. $10,000 for internet
advertising, so as to draw people to the site or blog on it. Internet advertising includes
banner ads and paid search results, the cost of this varies for both factors, with banner
ads costs vary from site to site and also vary based on the type of banner ad desired and
google paid search results cost about $1.25 per click as of 2012. However if the website
has relevant keywords in the sight paid search results may not be as necessary to reach
the target markets. $5,000 will be dedicated to initial funding on events, with the hope that
corporate or community partners will assist financially in event planning. Another $5,000
will be set aside for expenses related to celebrity endorsements (flights, hotels, etc.) and
sponsorships (pay a mommy blogger of all costs of the campaign (e.g., media, production,
sales promotion, direct marketing, public relations, sponsorship, endorsements,
measurement and evaluation expenditures, and more). Finally $5,000 will be set aside for
surveys and alterations to our campaign based on survey data. This $40,000 campaign
will take place during the typical school year months of September to August to promote
and execute our campaign. Of course if the campaign is successful we will need additional
funding.





##
Campaign Flowchart

The campaign flowchart shows at a glance what will happen throughout the entire
campaign.

" May 14th - Announcing the creation of the new site to media outlets and bloggers
" August 1st 2014 exclusive invite-only beta-launch of the GetReal.org to influencial
mommy bloggers and members of other non-profits and partner sites
" Third week of August 2014 -- Launch fully to the public, throw launch party in DC,
release Join the Movement PSA
" Fourth week of August 2014 - launch viral video targeted kids as well as the
interactive game
" Week of October 24th -- Launch Real Food Week to build anticipation to National
Food Day -- extra nutrition focused posts, special events ie Google + hangouts,
new infographics (ex. food pyramid redistributed based on advertising dollars spent)
" Ted Youth Conference-- November 2013 -- put together event to hold at
conference geared towards kids
" January 1st 2015--- New Year, New You campaign designed to capitalize on new
years resolution trend
" May 2015 -- Summer Fun/Health Guide
" March 2015 -- Launch Get Real Ted Talk
" May 2015 -- Family Food Health Conference in DC sponsored by CSPI and Get
Real and backed by corporate sponsor

Measurement and Evaluation

Petitions: Multiple petitions should be started over the course of the campaign and the
way to measure the effectiveness of the campaign is twofold. The first method is to track
signatures, the second is to track original page hits. Tracking signatures is effective in
seeing if your overall campaign is working, tracking page hits allows one to come up with a
rudimentary conversion rate. When these two measuring methods are combined, a system
that sees both the amount of active participants and the people who are knowledgeable
about the program.

Website: The main facet of our plan is getreal.org, for this sight to flourish there needs to
be benchmarks in place. For instance are planning to get 40,000 unique visitors a month,
if the site is not receiving this amount by 4 months then the website is either not
functioning well or the efforts to market it are not going well, in either case changes should
and will be made. The second factor is the conversion rate, according to the MECLABS
#$
founded Marketing Sherpa the average conversion rate (visitor that becomes subscriber) is
2% for Non-Profits and 8% for Education or Healthcare websites
33
. As getreal.org is more
of an educational website we hope to convert 8% of our monthly new visitors, this means
a monthly increase of 3200 new members per month. Finally we want active users, this
means 85% of the users visiting weekly and 10% posting, any less and there is a chance
that people will stop using the website due to a lack of new content.

PSAs/Videos: Throughout the campaign we will unveil multiple YouTube videos designed
to raise awareness both about marketing to children and getreal.org. We want to measure
the success of our videos by both views and likes. We want the PSAs to average 700,000
views and to also pick up 3500 likes per video. Anything less and our videos are not
reaching enough people or are not being well received.

Conclusion

In this campaign, we focus on targeting parents through digital media in order stay
within the budget provided. The campaign focuses on informing parents about the
problem food marketing is inflicting on the unhealthy diets, while encouraging already
informed parents engaged with the cause by targeting educated mothers to take action.
Through our research, we have found that many parents have negative attitudes toward
the media, food companies, and government about its handling of junk food marketing.
Our campaign focuses taking these negative attitudes to spur parents to empower
themselves to make a change about the negative influences of junk food marketing.
Through our research, we have found that mommy bloggers and Pinterest users
consist of mothers that are more likely to become involved with social issues and are
generally more educated than the average mom, and made for a prime target to make
them more engaged and active in our cause due to their current state of awareness and
record for taking stands in activist campaigns. So they will be used as a base support that
is engaged in the cause. To reach and informs new mothers, we are going to put out
different campaigns that show mothers how junk food marketing is affecting their
relationships with their kids and the statistics behind the excessiveness targeting of their
children by junk food marketers.
The campaign is going to open up multiple channels to reach out to mothers in
order to inform them on the cause and is going to provide outlets for mothers to display
support for the cause like signing petitions and engaging in events.



33
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/average-website-conversion-rates-industry#
#%
Appendices

Appendix A: Primary Research

Courtney Mazza, married, mid-30s, Silver Spring MD, one daughter: 8 years old.
Kathy Riesterer, married, mid-40s, Columbus OH, 3 daughters aged 6, 10, and 13
Ken Potter, mid-40s, Divorced West Hartford CT, one daughter: 4 years old.
Heather Harris- domestic partnership, age 38-43, San Francisco, CA, 2 boys 4 years old
Darcy Zacher- married, age 38-43, from Buffalo, NY, five children ages 19,17,10,9,9
Katherine Snider- married, age 30-37, from Manhattan, NY, two boys, ages 7 and 8
Angela Smith- married, age 43, from Washington, DC, three children 13, 12, 10


What activities do you engage in with your family around the community?
Museums, parks, girl scout outings, school events
After work and participating in soccer and basketball, there isnt much time for a whole lot
else.
Museums, swimming, walks, movies, play dates, ballet
No, except for possibly daycare
I am involved in the community at large and in my children's lives. I'm a room parent for 5th
grade and on the nominating committee for next year's slate. I work on two fund raisers at
school.
I am the class mom for one of my sons classes. Most of my time outside of the boys
school and home is devoted to the non-profit that I work for , Baby Buggy.
Involved in the church

How would you explain your parenting style?
Protective, supportive, involved
I am very casual, yet old school perhaps. I dont think kids need all the entertainment and
constant on the go social calendars. I like to stay home together on a Friday night. I like to
eat meals together whenever possible. I want my kids to be kind and appreciate what they
have, and I want them to develop a good work ethic.
Participative, engaged, spend time
Hopefully loving and giving good values and feelings of safety.
Our parenting style is to show love and respect to our children. Our house is fun and
usually a time out is the discipline used effectively. Going to one's room and missing out on
being together is "the worst!" Lots of sports and board games, chess and travel are how
we spend time together. My boys play hockey and my husband is the coach. He spends a
lot of time in practice planning, traveling and event planning for the team. I also volunteer
on a fund that raises money for health care needs for those in the city.
We try to keep to a fairly regular schedule as I find the boys find comfort in routines, as do
I. I also find that routines like regular bedtimes and regularity of expectations means that
we dont worry about our childrens behaviors. They know what we expect of them and
they generally meet our expectations on behavor
I try to be a good mom and be there for my kids by being involved. Around to provide and
advise them. Personal philosophy is to take good care of children and be available at all
#&
times

Do you work outside of the home? If so, how does this affect your parenting practices?
Yes, I work 9-5 five days a week. That means that I delegate a lot to our babysitter during
the week. We trust her to prepare the boys dinner, take them to any after school lessons
and make sure that they do their homework. She does a great job with them and they like
and respect her. She reinforces our routine and schedule, which makes it easier for the
boys to fall into their routines at night. The fact that I work during the week also means that
I like to spend us much time with the boys as possible on the weekends. I rarely do things
without them on Saturdays and Sundays.
Yes real estate agent. Tricky to budget time management between career and kids.

What factors dictates your shopping habits? (Do you shop based on coupons, sales,
brand loyalty, etc?)
I have a fairly regular shopping list on FreshDirect. It is based on brands that the boys and I
like (my husband will eat anything). I generally look for organic and unprocessed foods that
dont cost and arm and a leg. We cant use coupons on FreshDirect but I do check their
sale items with each purchase.
We dont buy a lot of sugary foods or over-processed foods. We also usually stick with
chicken or turkey when it comes to meats. We often buy organic, but not always. We
dont buy a lot of meat (I was a vegetarian for 15 years)
The boys eat organic lunches at school; their sitter prepares dinner for them. I usually cook
breakfasts for the family on the weekends but we often eat out for lunch or dinner as we
spend most of our time outside of the homesoccer classes, skating, visiting friendson
the weekends. We never go to fast-food restaurants, but the boys often have a treat of
pizza on Fridays.
Set shopping list goes to 3 different grocery stores: trader joes, whole foods and safeway
occasionally cosco. Spends majority of time at trader joes lots of easy to make to and
healthy options. Does not consider coupons but consideres brand loyalty on peanut butter,
cereal or something they eat often. Considers sales on yogurt or butter. Believes trader
joes does not have as many chemicals and more organic. Does not buy junk food but does
buys treats. Treats= cookies or ice cream. Mostly eat dinner on the go.

What do you believe influences your childrens food habits and preferences?
We do talk about nutrition at home, so they know that its good to eat a variety of fresh
vegetables, fruits (although they dont love them), and not too many processed foods or
sugars. Also, a benefit of living in NYC, they have been exposed to many different types of
cuisines and they have come to love Indian food, Greek food, etc.
What I personally buy for them and accessibility to the food items is key.

How much time do they spend on the internet a week? How do they reach the internet?
(Mobile phones, laptops, tablets, etc.)
They use a lot of downloaded game apps on their ipods (gifts from their Godmother), but
not the internet as such. Prob half an hour a day
They have smartphone with internet access and play a lot of internet games. Use the home
computer for homework assignments. Another daughter has a kindle.

#'
Tell me about some food or beverage brands/products that your child insists on having
around the house.
She doesn't have that much influence over what is brought into the house, but as long as
the fruit bowl's full she's happy. Her favorite lunch box snack is dried seaweed and she
gets excited when I buy goldfish.
They dont really insist on anything, because I make the choices and do the shopping. We
dont always have the same food each week. I usually get what is on sale. They do like
chipsany kind. I guess I insist on breyers ice cream, and we all eat it for nightly
snack. My older daughter does insist on kettle cornany brand.
Dora the Explorer cereal, popsicles generic
Liam- Mac and cheese (Kraft 50/50) Nathan Clam Chowder (New England)
My children like pizza, sushi and steak stir fry. They like Goldfish, pirate booty and
smartfood. They like Japanese sodas, coke and milk.
My older son will only eat Purdue brand chicken nuggets for some reason. We all like
Amys productstheir Mac n cheese, soups, pizzasall Amys products. I always buy
Land OLakes butter and cheese out of habit. We like Polar seltzers for healthy drinks
without additives and sugars. The boys like to make pancakes with Aunt Jemima mix on
the weekends. We tried other brandsincluding whole wheat mixesbut they didnt like
them. We try to eat a lot of vegetables, but the boys arent as accepting of fruits.
Not that loyal to brands but prefer the same types of cereal: ie chex. Except her son who is
loyal to coke and obsessed with soda. She does not buy soda often but during parties she
will purchase soda for guests and tries to limit his soda intake to one a day.

Tell me about your view on advertising to children.
Irresponsible and in most cases ineffective since they have no purchasing power.
I dont like promoting unhealthy choices to a young audience.
Does not have a view
Marketers should target older kids not toddlers.
As I said, I used to hear a lot about commercials during Disney shows. However, these
were nothing like the ads hawking sugary cereals like Cookie Crisp that I remember as a
kid
Kids were more influenced to advertising when they were younger (under 10).

What effect, if any, do you think marketing/advertising has on children?
Children, especially young children, are unable to process the distinction between
advertising and reality, therefore they are extremely susceptible to implied messages in
advertisements. This is why I severely limit her exposure to the mainstream media. Most
moms I know don't let their kids watch television unsupervised due to the amount of
advertising they are subjected to. The same applies to the internet- it is less about the
content of the site or program than about the commercials and advertising surrounding it.
I think it can be very persuasive to some kids, but it doesnt seem to affect my kids
much. Honestly, they usually talk through commercials and pay little attention.
Daughter always wants anything with Dora the Explorer on the cover. Anything related with
princesses. Noticed all of the children products are placed in eye level of children
Kids are unaware of marketing but still react to it
They don't watch much tv-maybe an hour a week? They watch movies and sports. They
don't ask for products from ads but the apple technology products seem to be what they
#(
would like when they have a birthday or Christmas.
Our boys used to watch Disney shows and ask for Danimals and other foods hawked by
Disney actors. We cut out a lot of those TV shows, but not necessarily for that reason. The
boys are unaware they are being advertised to. They take advertising at face value
Kids are heavily influenced at a young age. When her kids were young they would see an
advertisement and say oh I want that. Now they have an idea of food education and
make educational guesses on what is good and bad for her health.

How regulated do you think advertising practices geared towards children should be?
Highly. While I am not conservative when it comes to the choices and offerings for adults,
children are too impressionable to make informed choices about consumption.
Its a good idea to have them more regulated so they arent advertising directly to kids .
They should be advertising mostly to adults or those who have influence to purchase the
goods.

Do you think it is ethical for companies to market to children in schools?
Absolutely not
No
Kid has not gone to school yet. Does not know anything about it


What organizations do you think of in reference to advocacy for anti-junk food marketing to
children?
TRUCE, Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood
Im not sure I know any.
Does not know

How empowered or powerless do you feel in the fight against childhood obesity?
Our family is fine. But I work with families in need through my work and there have several
factors against them 1) lack of education about nutrition, 2) limited purchasing power which
makes them purchase high caloric items, 3) limited access to healthy foods in many
neighborhoods like Watts in LA or the South Bronx
I feel empowered that doesnt mean I couldnt do a better job. It is a huge struggle I have
had this conversation multiple times with my friends over the years on what to do as a busy
mother. How do you provide a healthy meal to a picky kid?

Do you think junk food and beverage advertising undermines a parents responsibility to
educate and influence what their kids eat?
Absolutely
Somewhat, but I also believe in choices, and its a parents job to limit junk food. I think if I
do my job and limit the junk food when they are young, we will be able to keep it in balance
as they get older.
No, his child never argues about what to eat
They seem to know what they like before they get it. The ads don't have much influence
when they go to the grocery store. By keeping ingredients simple, there aren't a lot of
hidden additives-apples and bananas are pretty straight forward. I try to stay the outside
aisles at the grocery store. The middle aisles are where the junk is.
#)
While I believe in regulation of advertising, parents do need to take an active role in their
childrens eating habits and the purchases they make.
She hold a huge influence over childrens food behavior because she buys the food, brings
it into the house, cooks it and supplies the nutrience for her family.

Do you wish that childrens advertising would instead promote healthy foods and
lifestyles?
Yes
Of course
Yes

If food companies promote healthy products to children do you think they will be as
successful?
Yes. Kids are more likely to listen to messages that echo the values around them. And
parents will loosen restrictions on the amount of advertising they allow their children to be
exposed to. Also, it is predominately the moms that buy the groceries and moms respond
to things which they believe to be beneficial to their children, NOT harmful!
Sadly, no. The hustle and bustle of todays schedules lend themselves to quick, unhealthy
choices. As long as there is junk food available, it will be consumed.
Yes

Have you heard of these organizations?
(Center for Science in the Public Interest, Kick the Can, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics,
International Food Policy Research Institute, Harvard School of Public Healths Nutrition
Source, Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. Have you heard of Food Day?)
No to all of the above
No to all of the above
Yes to Harvard School of Public Healths Nutrition Source
No to all of the above
I haven't heard of any of those programs listed.
Yes to CSPI. No to the rest
No to CSPI to all.













#*
Appendix B: Creative Testing

CSPI Creative Approaches / Testing
Option 1:
Shock & Alarm A campaign that aggressively exposes the unethical advertising practices
employed by food companies and supported by the media outlets that profit from
advertising dollars.
Objective: To evoke a sense of urgency in parents by tapping into their fear and anger. In
being riled up, they will feel obligated to speak up and to demand change.
Potential Method/Tactic: Using internal memos and shocking statistics that paint the bleak
picture of the food industrys true intents. Creating petitions against individual companies
and media outlets (i.e. Hersheys or Nickelodeon).

Option 1 ranks (#5), speaking from a childs point of view, i wouldnt think a child would be
able to understand the full intent of this message. I agree with your point as a parent, but I
think it would be hard to relate this to a child.

$+
Option 1 is the top choice. The most motivating factor for a parent is fear for their child.
Getting parents to be fearful and angry about what is being done to their child is the main
thing that would evoke action on the part of the parent to change things. Even apathetic
parents who don't normally get involved may take action with this approach. I think this
would be very successful.

My 4th choice. I like shock; I don't know if it works for all; some might take that
aggressiveness and not believe it????

If you choose this option, I know of two online petition sources you could use: "change.org
" anyone can start their own petition online. You would probably want to direct petition at
TV show, i.e. Nickelodeon...
"Momsrising.org" an online Moms activist group you could connect with and get ideas
from. Choice 1

Ken does not like option 1 does not like negative advertising.

Lauren (5) don't like the idea of instilling fear and anger too negative, especially for
nuturing parents

It is the easiest and cheapest to be able to reach mothers against unethical advertising.
Mothers who are part of the organizations that Debra listed are more apt to easily sign a
petition like you are trying to get. Choice 1

I find this the most interesting, mostly because I am always up for a good expose and love
things like celebrity gossip and insider secrets. This would be the toughest tactic to pull off,
because you would make so many enemies and find yourselves the target of smear
campaigns from the people doing the advertising. In terms of broader effectiveness, I think
it could get lost in the fear-based news media that people are getting used to tuning out.
#3

Option 2:
NostalgiaA campaign that shows the changes in technology and advertising practices in
relation to children and the food industry over the past 50 years.
Objective: To make parents and grandparents long for a simpler time in which children
could be freer from the pressures of advertising. This feeling of sentimentality when met
with the jarring reality of today will inspire parents and grandparents to act.
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Potential Method/Tactic: Viral video or infographic showing how pervasive and
unscrupulous food advertisers have become over time.

Option 2 ranks (#4), again speaking from a childs point of view, I wouldnt think a child
would be able to understand the full intent of this message children and most young
adults are stuck in an all about me phase and although an adult would understand and
agree, I dont think children and most young adults would understand.

Option 2 is last choice. Although parents and grandparents would relate to old fashioned
ideas, it just makes us sad because we know you can't really ever go back. The future is
here and the world is rapidly changing. We have to change with the times. We realize that
old fashioned tactics don't work in this day and age. I don't think it would be very effective.

My favorite. Of course I love nostalgia idea. It would tap into my personality more.

Nostalgia might not work well with 20 and 30 something parents. Choice 5

Lauren (4) although this might work in some instances, not very realistic to live in past,
need to deal with technology and where we are now

Young mothers do not care about the past nor do they want to do all the work mothers in
the past did. Choice 5

This is my least favorite, because I think advertising to children has been around since the
invention of the printing press. It's hard to harken back to 1842. #5

Option 3:
Empowering approachThis campaign would empathizes with modern mothers looking
to provide healthy lifestyles for their families. It would highlight their challenges and
celebrate their victories, creating a sense of solidarity.
Objective: To make mothers feel like they are not alone in their war against junk food and
negative influences in the lives of their children. Rather than making them feel guilty or
attacked, this campaign will make them feel understood, well-represented and
empowered to make a difference.
Potential Method/Tactic: An app, e-publication or video series providing healthy options for
Moms to provide for their children outside and inside the home. Would use direct address
from other moms (celebrities, bloggers, everyday mothers).

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Personally I feel that option 3 ranks the highest (#1). As you and everyone else knows,
habits are started by the parents (mother and/or father). They (in this case) govern the
quality and quantity of food that their child(ren) eats.

Option 3 is my 3rd choice. Any time you can give a parent actual assistance with helping
them know what to do to help their child is beneficial. Sometimes parents want to do
what's right they just don't know how to make a change. This should be a successful
approach.
My 2nd favorite. #3 I like too--it fits my lifestyle.--but I don't want to be told what to do by
a mom who stays home for sure.

Choice # 3 No quote

Lauren: (1) yes yes yes love it

I like this one because it is great to tell mothers how bad the food is but being a stay at
home mom I would be lost if I was giving you junk food and then I would have to change
your diet. It is convinent to give you junk and not have to cook. You would have to give
them options that do not take a lot of time from the mother. For example, meals that take
30 minutes or less and not to expensive. Choice 2

I think this option will appeal to the broadest variety of moms and potentially have the
biggest impact. Sort of the, "Hey, we know you're already trying to get your kids to eat
healthy, and these guys aren't making your job any easier. Here are some strategies." Now,
are all the women out there REALLY trying to get their kids to eat kale chips? No. But if
you make it seem as though you already believe the best about someone, they're more
likely to listen to your message

Option 4:
Satirical ApproachUsing humor to expose the true extreme tactics used by food
companies to target children.
Objective: To counter CSPIs typical approach and reach a more broad audience. If
executive properly, campaign could go viral and spread the message via the spoon full of
sugar methodology.
Potential Method/Tactic: Video or print campaign for a fake ridiculous product likes Box O
Rocks cereal.
Ken I would go with Option #4. If you think of the effectiveness of commercials and the
ones we remember, it is the ones that employ humor.
$$

Option 4 ranks (#3), it is a cute and creative way to get the point across.
Option 4 would be my 4th choice. Humor is always a good method to get people's
attention. The problem is that it may not seem like a very serious issue if you humorize it
too much. Could cause people to just laugh it off and not understand the seriousness of
the issue. Not as effective.

My 3rd favorite. I like laughing :)--this sounds good too, but perhaps some would not take
it seriously--they would laugh, be entertained, and then do nothing..

Option 4 Humor is always powerful. Could point out it's ok to have kids watch some TV
and then go with assauging parent guilt over that with asking parents to pay more
attention to what their kids eat... in fun ways Choice 2

Lauren (3) I like the use of humor but would worry about parents interpretations- could be
iffy...

It is good but how are you going to do this without getting in trouble. Choice 4

I love humor. I love humor in advertising. But I can't say this appeals to me much. What is
funny about the fact that my children beg for cereal that we have never purchased a single
time? I can't think of a way to spin this to be funny. (But would certainly be open to
changing my mind.) #4

Optional 5:
Empowering Childrena campaign that speaks to children in an age appropriate tone but
addresses the issue of food advertising practices.
Objective: To empower children to be thoughtful consumers earlier on in life. Our primary
research shows that children under the age of ten are highly susceptible to advertising, a
fact their parents generally accept as fact. Through this campaign, parents would be given
a platform to create a dialogue with their children about this issue.
Potential Method/Tactics:
-Interactive game created to show kids how food advertisers try to reach them.
-Humorous video featuring a child of precocious but relatable child of 8 declaring
themselves too smart to fall for various advertising tricks.

$%
Option 5 ranks (#2), it gives children of all ages empowerment and the feeling that they
are in charge or independent to make their own decisions which in this case would be
about making positive food choices.

Option 5 was GREAT! I like the positive approach that Parents have an obligation to create
a dialogue with the entire family; teachable moments! interactive games, and educational
experiences are key, ie.shopping at the market together/ growing a garden...

Option 5 is my 2nd favorite. I think educating children with the truth and getting them
involved in making their own decisions/good choices is advantageous. Kids like to be
independent and do things because THEY think it's the right choice, not just because their
parents say they should. I think it would be successful.

Last choice. It sounds good, but only if the child can be reached. Of course I am in the
winter blahs and feeling like all teenagers in middle school are evil and disrespectful, so I
wonder what kind of kid would respond to this. It would have to be a thoughtful, intelligent,
media deprived, teen---or get em early like before the dreaded know it all years-- when
they are willing to learn.

Option 5 Empowering children...preschool kids may not have alot of influence over their
parents...but good idea to teach them about good nutrition. Grade school kids would
have more power over parents' food choices... Choice 4

Lauren (2)empowering children once again I think this is great!!!
I feel strongly about educating people about their choices and allowing them then to make
their decisions

I like this because you are making the children aware and then they will go back to the
parents. It is hard to tell your child that you are giving them junk. Choice 3

I like this, and I like it in conjunction with #3. My 10, 8, and 6 year olds could probably be
taught to recognize some advertising tactics and possibly deflect some of the incoming
gamma rays. #2





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Appendix C: Pinterest Infographic

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Appendix D: Example of a Press Release


January 14, 2014 Contact:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Anjuli Johnson
PR Director
OMW Group
(555) 555-5555
ajohnson@omwgroup.com

JESSICA ALBA AND THE HONEST COMPANY PARTNER WITH CSPI FOR GET REAL
CAMPAIGN

WASHINGTON, DC - CSPI launched its Get Real campaign in August with the purpose of
getting moms involved to eliminate food marketing of unhealthy products to children, and this
week, Jessica Alba, founder of The Honest Company, signed on to the campaign with her full
support.

Albas business venture, The Honest Company, was founded with the goal of providing natural,
healthy products for children, so she was thrilled to become a spokesperson for Get Real. I have
two jobs, I have two kids, I have a husband, friends and family to care about. I have so much to
do in my life, and all I want to do is make healthier choices that are realistic and inexpensive, said
Alba.

She wants to help make sure Get Reals message is spread to all mothers of young children like
herself, because making healthy food choices is important for growing children. The Honest
Company focuses on eco-friendly, healthy, and safe products for babies and toddlers, and Alba
sees Get Real as a continuation of this healthy decision-making in childrens lives as they become
more independent.

Alba will be promoting her support of Get Real online through her social media channels.

About Get Real: Get Real is a new extension of CSPI focusing on branding the initiative to
eliminate marketing of unhealthy food products to children. Its goal is to educate mothers on their
childrens susceptibility to food marketing, especially when at a younger age, and empower them
to become active in the cause in order to take back their TV, their internet, their food, and their
health. Visit GetReal.org to find out more about this campaign.

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