Why Kraft decided to ban some food ads to children
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
By Sarah Ellison, The Wall Street Journal
Since J. L. Kraft started a cheese business in 1903, Kraft Foods Inc. has shaped an image as family-oriented as the Oscar Mayer hot dogs and Jell-O it sells. But last year, executives at the Northfield, Ill.-based food giant surveyed a troubling landscape. A major government-commissioned study found advertising contributes to childhood obesity. Two bills in Congress proposed regulation of children's advertising.
Kraft, the nation's biggest food company, which spends about $90 million advertising directly to children every year, suddenly risked being depicted as a corporate villain.
What happened next says a lot about how quickly companies can be forced into dramatic action when confronted with a challenge to their reputation. In January, Kraft announced it would quit advertising certain products to kids under 12.
FULL ARTICLE AT http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05305/598722.stm
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