Thursday, May 17, 2007

"Shrek" is one popular dude

Could Shrek become even more beloved than he already is? Food marketers are certainly counting on it, especially as a whole new audience gets hooked on the new movie released this week, "Shrek the Third."
A review by the Boston-based nonprofit Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood says 70 different products are using "Shrek the Third" in their marketing, including Kellogg's Marshmallow Froot Loops cereal, Keebler E.L. FudgeDouble Stuffed cookies, "ogre-sized" Peanut Butter M&M's, Cheetos, and Kellogg's Frosted S'Mores Pop Tarts.

It's weird, then, that the US Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with the Ad Council to use Shrek and his cohorts to convince kids to eat healthy and exercise more. I mean, does HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt really think a 7-year-old in the grocery aisle can resist Shrek's image beckoning from an assortment of his favorite unhealthy foods because another Shrek image told him to eat healthy? I can just imagine how grateful the mom of that 7-year-old must be to HHS for perpetrating this mixed message.

CCFC has called for Leavitt to fire Shrek from the anti-obesity campaign. For a short period of time during the next few weeks, it may actually look like that has happened. Think again.

Bill Hall, HHS spokesman, said in a phone interview this morning that the public service announcements will desist for a period of about six weeks, now that the movie is out, to "avoid the appearance that HHS is endorsing or promoting the movie." Once the hype dies down, the PSAs will be up and running again with no plans to take them down.

HHS does not see the dual roles of Shrek et al as confusing to kids.
"Shrek is an over-weight character who doesn't exercise and eats lots of treats," says Hall.

Posted by Barbara Meltz at 01:00 PM

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