Promotion of a particular brand of food product and so called health drinks using the charisma and the rising popularity of celebrities has been a common marketing strategy to push up the sales number for the product. Researchers have explored into you tube performances of pop and rock musicians. The number of views has stunned them as did the fascinating performances of these luminaries who rule the world of entertainment like sports, music, fashion and movies.
Defying business ethics
A direct correlation between the popularity of celebrities and the desire of the corporate barons to encash this popularity in furthering their business in the domain of food and drinks could be established. Deals were signed. In exchange for handsome fees, celebrities agreed to promote their food and beverage market even if the commodity was far from healthy not even qualifying the threshold health and safety standards.
Unscrupulous strategies took over public health ethics. Products were sold with a fiery pace like never before with a consequential rise in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and other disorders arising from consumption of celebrity backed junk foods.
What survey says?
Data suggests that out of 163 pop stars making a pronounced impact upon public, 65 were identified to be connected with 57 different beverage and food brands and were heavily endorsing the products. Promoting food products has finished very close to promoting consumer goods when market research on these two separate domains was conducted to put them under limelight.
Promoting Poor Nutrition
Evaluation of these celebrity promoted food products revealed that so far as nutritional value is considered, 21 out of 26 endorsed food products were labeled ‘ Nutrition poor’.While putting our focus on the nutritional value of endorsed drinks, it is found that out of 69 beverages promoted through celebrities, 49 were sweetened with added sugar that will send your health in ruins.
Churning cash in unhealthy way
High calorie soft drinks ranked among the toppers in endorsed beverage market with water related endorsements only appearing thrice. Ironically, none of the pop stars stood for fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts with pistachios being the only exception.
Celebrities were mainly found to focus on promoting the unhealthy and processed garbage. The temptation of a lucrative deal remuneration rules over consumer ethics and this is certainly painful.
How it affects youth?
It is the powerful influence of movie and rock superstars over the global youth population that has made the latter the sacrificial lamb at the altar of unscrupulous business strategies centering on marketing food products and drinks.
Junk foods – Fad of the youth
Researchers have proved that aggressive marketing of fast food products have spelled irreparable damage. Targeting the market segment that constitutes the youth has led to an increase in the consumption of these junk foods among the juveniles. The business houses have invested substantially spending on an average of 1.8 billion USD annually on market strategies primarily targeting the youth. A chunk of these product advertisement expenses goes to fill the coffers’ of celebrities.
Rise in obesity
Over last thirty years, the rate of obesity among the young continues to climb. More affluent the country, more intense is the obesity issue. In fact, obesity has doubled among children and tripled among the teens owing to junk food consumption continuously endorsed by the celebrities. They are a brand of food with low nutritional value that are highly harmful to health but somehow turn enormously appealing to the younger generation just because they are hyped by their dream idols who perform high on stage.
Most unhealthy food brands that list star endorse only for business promotion
The American processed food market is flooded with products with artificial flavors, unhealthy additives, colors, dyes, hormones, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and toxins. Some of the renowned brands are here for customer awareness:
- Con Agra foods
The brand includes Hunts’ healthy choice, Reddiwip, Egg beaters, Orville Redenbacher, Slim Jim, Hebrew National, PF Chang’s and Bertolli’s. They come in beautiful and tempting packs but how far they adhere to food ethics is open to question.
- General Mills
Their products contain Trisodium phosphate which is an additive and flavor enhancer. The same chemical is used as industrial cleaner. Isn’t it a shocking piece of news?
- Kraft’s food
Contains artificial coloring agent called Yellow no 6 is harmful to health. It results in asthma and skin disorders.
- Heinz
Products contain GMOs and they hide the fact. They market tomato concentrate from non organic tomatoes, high fructose corn syrup and distilled vinegar.
- Campbell’s soup company
Their soups contain high salt content about 850 mg of NA. Their food products contain GMO s as well.Besides brands like Coca-Cola, Pepsi cola, Nestlé, Hershey’s and Kellogg’s are not free from the stigma of product imperfections.
Corporate houses sponsoring celebrities in promoting their food and beverage brands with zero nutritional value and high unhealthy additives are slowly inducing serious public health disaster.