The Government’s childhood obesity strategy: good or bad news for marketers?
While there will be no ban on junk food ads, brands still face a sugar tax and targets to cut 20% of the sugar out of their products by 2020.
While there will be no ban on junk food ads, brands still face a sugar tax and targets to cut 20% of the sugar out of their products by 2020.
Coca-Cola and Britvic have responded to the government’s plans to introduce a sugar tax on all soft drinks by the end of 2018, stating that the decision is “extremely disappointing”.
Chancellor George Osborne has confirmed a sugar levy will be introduced on all soft drinks by the end of 2018.
Jamie Oliver has issued a damning indictment on the state of the food and drinks industry’s attempts to tackle childhood obesity, saying it is barely managing to get the basics right and that brands need to take more risks to make eating healthy food “cool” and come up with a holistic approach to meet the challenge.
M&S has highlighted its brand and product proposition, personalisation and data, and modernising its store estate and supply chain as key focus areas for the next two years.
By working up to investing in brand building – rather than adhering to the 60:40 rule – are small businesses on the road to success or setting themselves up to fail?
Addressing marketing’s lack of socio-economic diversity could be the key to creating a more inclusive industry in general. However, making a difference starts with taking practical steps.
It takes courage to challenge the status quo and drive change but marketers are increasingly bowing to the pressure of the C-suite, which needs to stop.