Mars and Snickers shrink but prices stay the same.
Mars and Snickers shrink but prices stay the same.
A public Relations Fail. Or "Why my nine-year-old is more savvy than a confectionery company."
My nine-year-old lad was watching this news story on BBC's Newsround. When the presenter reported that the company's stated motivation was not to make more money but rather to encourage people to eat more healthily, I heard him scoff disparagingly: "Yeah right!"
That's my boy...!
It seems to me that Mars are naïve to think that people will believe this, even were it true. Wouldn't it be more savvy to simply state something like this? -
"We're obligated to meet certain regulatory standards and, at the same time, keeping the great taste of the product is a real priority to us. In order to achieve those aims while containing costs, we had to reduce the size of the chocolate bar a little bit.
And it would be honest, too.
Suddenly there would be nothing for my nine-year-old to be cynical about.
Public Relations Fail.
** Sources **
For the BBC Newsround story, Click here.
For the Telegraph Online story, click here.
A public Relations Fail. Or "Why my nine-year-old is more savvy than a confectionery company."
My nine-year-old lad was watching this news story on BBC's Newsround. When the presenter reported that the company's stated motivation was not to make more money but rather to encourage people to eat more healthily, I heard him scoff disparagingly: "Yeah right!"
That's my boy...!
It seems to me that Mars are naïve to think that people will believe this, even were it true. Wouldn't it be more savvy to simply state something like this? -
"We're obligated to meet certain regulatory standards and, at the same time, keeping the great taste of the product is a real priority to us. In order to achieve those aims while containing costs, we had to reduce the size of the chocolate bar a little bit.
And it would be honest, too.
Suddenly there would be nothing for my nine-year-old to be cynical about.
Public Relations Fail.
** Sources **
For the BBC Newsround story, Click here.
Mars says it's to encourage people to eat more healthily and keep the number of calories (the energy contained) in a standard bar, to fewer than 250.
For the Telegraph Online story, click here.
Mars told The Grocer that it had shrunk the products to meet its public health targets.
16/12/2013 4:52 PM
| Comments [2] | #Current Affairs
