A healthy branding decision for Disney
Disney’s recent decision to take on the childhood obesity issue was a healthy move. Not just for a nation of chubby kids. But for the brand.Adding high quality food fare to its high quality entertainment fare seems the most natural of branding ingredients. We all know kids love sugar and spice and everything not so nice. We know they love the cartoon characters that cleverly market these foods. We also know kids love Disney. Kids do not always listen to mom and dad when it comes to eating their veggies, but they might listen to Buzz Lightyear.
As parents face the challenge of getting their kids to eat right, Disney is coming to the table at just the right time.
Its new nutritional guidelines for both its licensed food products and the food it sells in its theme parks are sure to put pressure on other marketers of kids’ food products to do the same. (Sesame Street and Warner are already in the game.)
In the past, if a cartoon character promoted a food you could bet it was full of sugar and low in nutritional value. Disney’s raising the bar can only add to its reputation as a responsible family brand. The Incredibles Oatmeal. Mickey-shaped organic ravioli. Fresh kid-sized produce from the Disney Garden. Healthy food. Healthy branding. Healthy kids. Great recipe.