I survived my first day! I love that school can be instantly gratifying and all of the things I can reward myself about. Like meeting up with someone I met at orientation, talking to two new people, answering at statistics question correctly. I’ll brush the dirt off my shoulders now. For those of you who asked, I’m at GW for my Masters of Public Health. Which is why I so frequently talk about policy related to obesity issues. I went into this program hoping to learn skills to help address food insecurity and obesity issues.
I came across an advertisement a few days ago that really caught my eye. Snickers has paired with Feeding America to create the campaign “Bar Hunger.” The premise is that Snickers bars are specially labeled with a code that can be entered online and in turn, Snickers will donate the equivalent of one meal to Feeding America (up to 3.5 million meals).
I am a huge supporter of Feeding America. I’ve worked with one of their food banks and have applied for one of their internships. This is an organization that I would truly enjoy beginning my public health career with. But pairing with a product that contains highly subsidized ingredients and that is not exactly healthy? I was in a mild state of shock.
The press release states:
Campaigns like ‘Bar Hunger’ are critical for our organization because they not only provide meals to help us support Americans in need, but they also raise the volume on the issue, helping to inspire Americans to help.
Hmm. Okay. Yes, some of the profits will go to providing meals and yes this is a publicity stunt. But did Feeding America have to choose Snickers? Couldn’t they have tried to partner with… oh, I dont know… a pretzel bag?
What about when food companies sponsor events held by professional organizations? The 2010 ADA Food & Nutrition Conference and Expo received sponsorship from Campbell’s, Chobani, ConAgra Foods and Nature Made. Is it okay that the ADA receives support from ConAgra… they company that makes Beefaroni?
What about when a healthy living conference receives funding and product samples from food companies? What about when a scheduled event is to visit a Frito Lay factory? How does healthy living and chips work? Everything in moderation, I suppose.
I certainly cannot say what is right or ethically sound for a professional organization that I am not a member of. I also am unwilling to stand on a pedestal and say that it is 100% wrong to partner with a company that makes candy or chips or junk food in general. If advertising with a food company brings greater awareness for a cause and involves greater media involvement, that’s not so bad. But, and it is a BIG but, what I find unfortunate about the partnership between Snickers and Feeding America, is that low income individuals are statistically proven to have a greater risk of being obese. Part of the issues arises from the cost to calorie ratio. Candy bars cost little and have a high calorie content. The irony is that the individuals who could most benefit from some of Feeding America’s programs, like this free meal, are also more likely to purchase Snickers.
What are your feelings on corporate sponsorships? Is it ethically sound to say that one type is “good” while another is “bad?”
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
I thought that sounded really odd too. I guess they are hoping to reach a more wide spread audience?
Today while address student teachers in HPE (health and physical education) we discussed the issues of corporate sponsorship in schools. Specifically, Coke productsn (sold exclusively) in vending machines and sold at food/snack shacks during sporting events, in return for large sums of money to help finance stadiums, resurface tracks, electronic scoreboards, and so forth. Finally, the PA State Health Dept. has put nutritional guidelines on what is allowed in schools for not just lunches, but vending machines and food items sold at schools during extracurriculiar events. Noncompliance with the rules and standards can result in the suspension or recovery of state and federal reimbursements. It will be interesting to see what happens with Coke and other companies to find ways around this.
I think it all comes back to money. When organizations are in need of cash, they’re OK with accepting it from a company that might not fit with their mission. It reminds me of how Diet Coke was a sponsor for some American Heart Association campaign not too long ago. No, it doesn’t make sense, but then again–where else will the money come from? I guess I’m saying I don’t have an opinion just yet. It’s great that these organizations are getting funds. I wish they were from other companies , but Snickers is better than no one, right?
In theory, I’m happy that more companies (regardless of what they’re promoting) are raising money for good causes like this BUT it doesn’t make much sense for me to give MORE money for junk, you know? I’d rather just donate right to my local food bank.
I have such mixed feelings about things like this. It makes me think of Coca-Cola sponsoring the Olympics, and Dunkin Donuts sponsoring “America Runs on Dunkin” races.
A positive: Big companies have the money to sponsor causes like hunger and medical problems. Small, organic companies usually do not, or it would take a lot more of them to accomplish meeting funding.
A negative: Well, the obvious, as you said. Snickers markets towards people from lower-incomes who don’t question Snickers’ goals and mission, and can get more calories from a candy bar than a bag of carrots. These big companies are advertising their name, to show that they’re do-gooders, when it’s actually all about marketing.
I think Snickers is probably just doing this to improve their corporate reputation – maybe instead they should try making some healthier products if they really want to help lower income folks.
I have such mixed feelings about this too — on the one hand it is great that Snickers is helping Feeding America, but I agree that the advertising for Snickers makes it seem like it is a healthy snack.
I’m part of the “moderation is key” group of eaters, so as a whole I am ok with this, but I do see your points here.
All I can think to say is brilliant. Good for Snickers. They are a mega brand and they are definitely trying to give back.
I don’t think that Snickers was the best choice for this campaign. We need to do a better job of educating people on the right food choices and this sends the wrong message. Low income families struggle as it is considering that it is cheaper to buy a candy bar then a head of broccoli, so we need to continuously reinforce the idea that healthy food is a must and that something needs to be done to make it more affordable. I think that the campaign is a step in the right direction but should be paired with a corporation that stands behind the message.
I was a littl surprised about the Frito Lay tour at HLS too. Yes, I agree that everything is okay in moderation, but it just seems out of place at a convention of this nature.
I’ll get off my soap box now…
This is such a tricky topic! I do agree that its very important to take time to think about who companies are partnering with, but it’s unfortunately when messages don’t really align. Snickers doesn’t make healthy food too, do they? I mean I definitely did a double take when HLS brought Frito Lay on as a sponsor, but I think times like these are tough for raising money so some companies/organizations are going with the “take what you can get” menality. It’s also hard to say no when someone approaches you about giving you money, so I’m sure that was the case with Snickers – they offered rather than were sought after. I do fundraising/sponsorship for my full-time job and meeting goals this year has been particularly hard because of the economic climate.
PS: GWU is my alma mater!
This is a seriously good topic! I’m kind of torn.
I love that Snickers is willing to give back. But it’s true- it seems the organization could have found a better company that aligns with the overall picture they’re trying to paint, to partner up with. I won’t judge Snickers, it just seems like a really odd pairing.
It’s true that candy bars are higher in calories/cheap but there’s other bars that I know Feeding America sends to starving countries that are loaded with *healthy* ingredients and calories- instead of straight sugar. But see since Snicker’s probably sell millions of bars a day, the fact they’re donating some of the proceeds to Feeding America’s awesome. Health food wouldn’t make as much revenue as Snicker’s are able to. Overall, they could have chosen a healthier food or even candy bar..but the money will really help in the long run.
I love the first day of classes, meeting new people and starting a fresh, new year! Haha I sound nerdy : ) Public Health sounds like a really interesting course of study
I think that it’s smart marketing for Snickers. I also think that Feeding America has made a mistake. The population buying Snickers frequently is a large part of the population that receives meals through Feeding America. In essence, they buy their own meals, but still don’t improve their overall health because they continue buying/eating Snickers.
Glad you are settling in and enjoying school!
I’m always torn over stuff like this. On the one hand, if the popularity of Snickers is really able to help feed more people, how can I be against that? On the other hand, it’s such a conflict of interest; it sends such a contradictory message.
Glad your first day went well!
This is an issue I often debate my thoughts on. On the one hand, these organizations (esp. in a time of recession) can often use all the help they can get. And it’s good to see big companies step up and make a difference. At the same time, how can an organization promoting health partner with a company selling products that can harm health!? It’s a tricky situation for sure. I’m still torn!
I feel like missions like Bar Your Hunger probably want to get together with Snickers because they are so widely known and consumed. The health food market is very isolated. In order to get the most buzz, it is probably best from a marketing standpoint to join with a widely accepted and known company. A health foodie is more likely to enjoy a snickers or hear about the campaign from personal desire to research food. People outside the health world are less likely to get the information on their own. Congrats on your first day! Sounds like you kicked butt!
Yes yes and YES! That last line is critical. It isn’t surprising news, the research is there — the people who are more likely to have problems feeding themselves and their families are the ones that are going to also be more likely to reach for that Snickers with the money that they DO have. Honestly, I hate sounding cynical and crotchety but this is all just clever marketing on the part of Snickers (and I guess they have to be commended for that…?) First of all, they are doing a “good deed” which puts the company in a good light, something critical especially with all the negative press given to junk food these days and the efforts to reform school lunches, take away vending machines, etc etc. Showing the world that they give back (just like Pepsi is doing with the Pepsi Refresh campaign) shows us that they aren’t really a bad junk food company. ALSO…here they are sponsoring something that reaches a huge chunk of their target audience. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. It’s just marketing.
Yes, I understand that Feeding America is getting something out of this and yes, you do have to acknowledge the fact that a company is giving money to a good cause. And the fact that more people are going to be fed as a result can’t be overlooked or downplayed. However, I find it hard to believe that Snickers, Pepsi, or any of these companies are doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.
It’s a tough issue. Obviously non-profits rely on funding from sponsors and it can be hard to justify turning that money away. But I think it’s important to remember that whatever your organization (Feeding America, ADA, HLS), you are sending a message with your sponsorship. You are showing that on some level, you believe in/support the product. I know this is a much smaller level (and probably not a fair comparison), but would you agree to review a product on your blog that you didn’t believe in just because the company wanted to send it to you for free and even pay you to write it up??
(also, i just have to say — I hate the regular Snickers ads: “Hungry, grab a Snickers” So maybe I’m already a bit biased against them haha)