Part of a nutritious breakfast?

A few years ago I posted about Nutella’s deceptive ads claiming the spread was a healthy addition to a nutritious breakfast. After a class action settlement, Ferrero, the makers of Nutella, agreed to change their messaging in advertisements, on the label and on their website. However, it seems that Nutella is still trying to promote a healthy image for the brand. A food blogger has examined what is in Nutella and has discovered that the spread is far from healthy....but Nutella's website and other brand messaging still implies that it is healthy. Did Nutella change their advertising message enough? Should there be a warning on the label saying that it contains a high amount of sugar? How do you feel about marketing foods that are known to be unhealthy? Do you think there should be more or less regulation?

Are retailers the new Big Brother?

These days we rely heavily on our smartphone to get around. It is so easy to ask Siri where the nearest In-N-Out is and how to get there….but is this convenience at the cost of our privacy?

Google has started to expand its maps to include the inside of museums, airports and large stores in a number of countries. According to a recent article, stores have started to experiment with harnessing indoor positioning technology in order to track a customer’s movements within the store. The article says that some systems use video cameras, sound waves and magnetic fields. However, the most widely used technique is to intercept Wi-Fi signals emitted by shoppers’ smartphones, allowing their position within the store to be calculated. Stores also collect a unique identifier that allows them to build up behavioral information on return visitors. Ultimately, this technology will enable stores to push behavioral ads to shoppers’ smartphones.

Of course our movements as consumers are tracked online but indoor positioning is a new frontier of targeted advertising.  Is this an invasion of consumer privacy? Should stores be allowed to track and record movements of customers? How about using this data to push targeted ads? Could this new technology have an effect on the sales and marketing of brick and mortar stores? Comment with your opinion.

Up in Smoke

New York’s city council voted this week to raise the legal age to buy tobacco products to 21. The reason for the change - NY Health Commissioner Thomas Farley says 80 percent of the city’s adult smokers start before age 21. Additionally, New York has set the minimum price of a pack of cigarettes at $10.50 and upped the fines for illegal and untaxed sales.  Mayor Michael Bloomberg argues that these measures will effectively decrease the use of cigarettes among 18-20 year olds.

We all know smoking causes cancer yet cigarettes are still a part of pop culture and are marketed to young people. Tobacco companies, although heavily regulated, look to appeal to a young, hip generation. Will these changes help to deter young people from smoking? What implications could this potentially cause for tobacco business? Do you think these new restrictions are fair for tobacco businesses? Will this new policy have an effect on tobacco advertising’s target market? Comment with your view on this ethical issue.