How breakfast cereal makers entice kids into a life of sugar crimes
It’s not quite in the category of marketing cigarettes to young teens, but the efforts by food and beverage companies to entice children to consume sugary breakfast cereals and soft drinks are highly effective, if not controversial. Public health authorities have repeatedly warned that food marketing influences children’s food preferences and diet, and contributes to […]
Polyglot Management Teams Learn Best, and it Shows in Their Acquisitions
Big news today on the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) front: Hudson’s Bay Co. announced it was acquiring the U.S. luxury retailer Saks for $2.9-billion. This got me thinking about how some companies, like Amazon, General Electric, and Proctor & Gamble, have great track records in M&As; they make very few missteps. Others — I’m looking […]
Deconstructing the Gay Consumer
You could make the argument, at least in the Western world, that corporations have been ahead of public policy in recognizing equal rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people (LGBT). In jurisdictions where governments have been timid, a great many employers offer protection against employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. At the same time, marketing […]
Does the Web Build Bridges or Fortresses?
One of the hot debates in communication studies relates to the power of the internet to shape and change attitudes. Does the web broaden peoples’ views or make them more polarized? There are two dominant schools of thought: selective exposure theory states that people tend to favour information that reinforces pre-existing views and to avoid […]
Truth and Reconciliation, Corporate-Style
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not everyone’s cup of tea but there’s no denying the concept is catching on. From Molson Coors Canada’s “responsible drinking” campaign to Ben and Jerry’s Caring Dairy program, CSR adherents are trying to tie good deeds to business interests. Many of these initiatives are eminently worthwhile. Very few reflect profound […]