Marketing Mixed Messages...

OK, am getting a bit tired of carrying the spare tyre around the middle and after losing some 15kg a year ago, it has slowly come back on.  Am determined to do something about it and am trying to work out when and where to do some exercise.

 

Cricket started on Saturday, but thats hardly athletic when you field at first slip and then bat for just 13 runs...

 

But one thing I did notice on the weekend is how much food is pushed at you in marketing... having the girls on my own this weekend, I was trying to do the right thing for them when it came to food.  They came to cricket with me on Saturday and whilst I packed some chips and crackers, I also put in fruit juice and mandarins and apples and grapes.

 

I then took the girls to the movies and we bought a small bag of mixed lollies to eat in the cinema and a bottle of water... we're sitting in the half dark eating the lollies together when an ad comes on that was pretty cutting edge about obesity.  The ad included a quick photo grab of a person being operated on to have their stomach stapled and pictures of really fat kids laying on the lounges.  For a G movie (we were seeing Ratatouille) it was a pretty nasty ad, but I thought it was good to show it.  Every adult and kid during the ad were silent and you could sense the adults ticking over in their minds "why am I at the movies on a beautiful Sunday eating popcorn at 11am".

 

For a brief moment, the ad seemed to have a sense of purpose, but guess what was next... an ad for McDonalds happy meals with kids smiling and playing with penguins as they scoff burgers, chips and soft drink.  McDonalds were partnering with the kids movie "Surfs Up" and are giving away cute toys with the Happy Meals... suddenly the sullen theatre was loud again as the kids laughed at the penguins and the serious advert prior was quickly forgotten.

 

Then after the movie, it was lunch and 2hrs after the ad, my Brookie wanted a Happy Meal and a toy "like in the movie".  Never mind the fact it was an ad, it was "in the movie" in her mind and I couldnt persuade her for something else.  Kate did though and had a toasted chicken wrap and a mineral water, but Brooke was determined to have McDonalds...

 

Afterwards though we went for a walk around and under the Knapsack Bridge to work off the lollies and lunch... (some great shots of the bridge on that linked page).