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Soft Drinks for Adults Only

12/5/2015

23 Comments

 
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by David Hagenbuch, Founder of Mindful Marketing
A family with an elementary-age son is having lunch at a local eatery . . .
 
   - Waitress:  “What would you like to eat, young man?”
 
   - Billy: “I want the smiley face pancakes.”
 
   - Waitress: “Good choice.  How about a drink?”
 
   - Billy: “Pepsi!”
 
   - Waitress: “Okay, but I’ll to need to see ID.”
 
Would a restaurant really card a kid for ordering cola?”  Of course not, but some well-known restaurant chains have taken a significant step toward controlling children’s soft drink consumption.  Both Applebee’s and IHOP have dropped soda from their children’s menus.
 
It’s no coincidence that these two iconic American eateries have made the same decision. Each is owned by the California-based corporation DineEquity, which franchises more than 3,600 of the stores in 20 countries.  What was the reason for the company’s bold move?  DineEquity ha cited concerns about juvenile obesity and a desire to promote better health, in addition to forwarding the following statement:
 
“We believe in having a broad variety of selections so our guests have a choice that best meets their needs. While soft drinks are still available by request, we believe this is a small step in assisting parents when dining out, as parents are in the best position to determine the appropriate food and beverage choices for their children.”
 
So, it’s not that kids can no longer drink soda in these stores.  Parents who want their children to have Pepsi products, which is the brand that both these restaurants serve, can still request them.  However, instead of soft drinks, the children’s menus will list healthier options like white and chocolate milk, hot chocolate, and juice.
 
Actually, Applebee’s and IHOP aren’t the only restaurant chains that have made such a move.  Others that earlier cancelled colas from their kids’ menus include Burger King, Chipotle, Dairy Queen, McDonald’s, Panera, Subway, and Wendy’s.  So, these latest players are just extending the trend of pushing Pepsi and similar products out of children's reach.

It’s easy to argue that steering away from soft drinks is desirable, especially when one considers the well-being of children.  America has an obesity epidemic, given that “more than one-third of adults and 17% of youth in the United States are obese.”  Unfortunately, obesity is associated with “heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, [which are] some of the leading causes of preventable death.”  There’s also much evidence to suggest that “rising consumption of sugary drinks has been a major contributor to the obesity epidemic,” not to mention tooth decay.  By the way, it’s estimated that each year soft drink producers spend about a half billion dollars marketing their products directly to young people age 2-17.
 
So, less soda seems like a good thing, but will restaurants’ removal of soft drinks from their kids’ menus make a difference?  Here are a few related questions to consider:
 
  • Given the nutritional profile of the food found on kids’ menus of most of the aforementioned restaurants, is soda really the biggest problem?  For instance, at Applebee’s the kid’s grilled cheese on sourdough bread has 1430 milligrams of sodium and 620 calories.
 
  • Do people really use beverages as a criterion in choosing a restaurant?
 
  • What kind of a message do kids receive if their parents still drink soda at these restaurants while the kids can’t?
 
  • Is taking soda off kids’ menus much different than if a grocery store placed an “Adults Only” sign over the candy in the checkout aisle?
 
In sum, the actions of Applebee’s, IHOP, and the other chains are well-intended: They uphold societal values like respect for people’s health and stewardship of financial resources.  However, the restaurants’ soda restrictions are unlikely to make a significant marketing impact, or to create any additional value for the companies, the customers, or other stakeholders.  As such, striking soda from kids’ menus seems like “Simple-Minded Marketing.”
​

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23 Comments
Meliah
12/8/2015 06:34:03 pm

This is an excellent article discussing some core topics that surround us every day: food and advertising. By removing soft drinks from menus, one should not expect world-wide, or even country-wide improvement on child obesity; however, every child who doesn't chose a soft drink at dinner, avoids thousands of calories for the day. It may not stop obesity, but it is one step closer to a fitter world.

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Jessalyn
12/8/2015 07:53:15 pm

I agree with the evaluation of this as simple-minded marketing: tackling childhood obesity is an important issue, but should not be used to create stakeholder value. That just seems like bad business to me.

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Landon
12/8/2015 09:28:51 pm

I agree that this is simple-minded marketing. It does not benefit the companies in any way, but it betters the health of the community. Soft drinks are something that should be regularly avoided for kids, as the sugar content is extremely high. Replacing them on the menu with milk or juice will hopefully influence kids to drink healthier starting at a young age. Props to these places for putting the health of the customer over the companies profits.

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Mikaela
12/8/2015 11:17:09 pm

I agree with the simple-minded label to this decision to take soft drinks off of kid's menus. I think that it is a good way to start to get children to make healthier options at a young age. I hope that other restaurants and companies will follow suit. While it does not benefit the company profit-wise, I think it is a great decision on their part to take a small step to influence healthier lifestyle choices by having children not get hooked on sugary drinks.

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Lane
12/9/2015 11:10:33 am

This is a very interesting idea that companies have looked into. I see where they are coming from by removing soda from the menu. Out of sight, out of mind. Plus, while it may not be exceptionally significant, it is one small step towards the bigger goal. However, I do see how removing soda for health benefits does not parallel with the fact that a majority of the food options are also exceptionally unhealthy - and so the health initiative does not totally make sense.

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Tom
12/9/2015 07:27:09 pm

I love the idea behind this! The health of our youth should be top priority, after all they are the future. The amount of sugar in sodas is staggering. Just 12oz of coke has over 10 teaspoons of sugar in it. This is one teaspoon over the recommended daily amount of sugar. However I do not think it is mindful marketing to create shareholder value by removing soda from your menu. I think its great that applebees and panera are doing this, but I think they are doing it for the wrong reasons.

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Eric
12/9/2015 07:39:08 pm

This article sums up perfectly how much of a problem soft drink consumption is. Over the years I've learned that soda is one of the top 3 most unhealthy foods/ drinks you can put into your body. IT has gotten out of control how many people live these days, although this is a harsh step taken towards a healthier world, it makes a point to better each and every individuals over all health.

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Becky
12/9/2015 07:46:26 pm

I agree that taking soda off of the kids menu may seem like an inefficient way to deal with problems of childhood obesity and the adverse effects it causes later on in life. However, I disagree with the simple-minded label. It is only simple minded if one looks at this issue by itself. If instead one views this as a stepping stone to healthier choices being instilled in the minds of young, impressionable children, it may be mindful after all.

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Kyle Koser
12/9/2015 11:08:32 pm

I agree that this is simple minded marketing because it does uphold society values but does not meet the customers needs. The kids want soda or a slushy and they are willing to pay but the restaurant will not give them what they want. This does not meet the customers needs. Weather this is a good thing or a bad thing I don't know but I do think it is up to the kids parents on deciding if they can have a slushy.

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Jennifer Sanchez
12/9/2015 11:22:11 pm

Unfortunately, I agree that this move is single minded but I believe the intentions were good and that a mall step is better then no step at all. I believe that maybe by encouraging and creating healthier options for drinks overall, not just kid's drinks may be a way to target healthy options for the whole family, not just the kids. I think that the things these restaurants have done have been useful because they have been curving soda intake even by a little, which is always a good thing (this is coming from an avid soda drinker so.....). I like the initiative but this has to be the first of many steps.

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Charmaine
12/10/2015 12:27:06 am

I agree that this article is simple-minded as it does not create stakeholder value but it does uphold some societal value. Removing soda from kids' menu would not solve the issue of obesity epidemic but it is a step in the right direction. Nevertheless, adults will probably still drink it and kids who observe that will question the reason and even follow the example their parents set. It is a good step in the right direction though.

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Justin
12/10/2015 12:35:56 am

This is an excellent thing for companies to promote, better health for children. I like the fact that it is still available, but since it is not on the menu soda is, "out of sight, out of mind." The children are then able to decide out of the other drink what they want to have. Obesity has become a real problem and this is a great step in the right direction.

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Josh Ly
12/10/2015 02:11:24 am

This is a great idea in theory, but I agree with the post when it says that stakeholder value is not helped at all. If it were, I would definitely say that this is mindful. Overall, the idea of making it more difficult for the youth of the United States to get sugary beverages is great. This is something that should have started a long time ago and I would love to see a company some how find a way to create that stakeholder value in order to bump up the scale to mindful marketing.

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Matt
12/10/2015 09:14:03 am

I agree that this is technically simple-minded marketing because it doesn't really create stakeholder value. However, I am a fan of the intentions by these companies. Even though it may be small, they are probably making at least some impact on the beverage consumption of kids, which I think is a major positive.

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Anders
12/10/2015 10:18:49 am

I agreed with the simple-minded assessment of this marketing decision. It does uphold cultural values, but whether or not it is going to be effective is debatable.

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Tyler
12/10/2015 10:51:55 am

I do agree that this is simple-minded marketing. This move could start something big in the food and hospitality industries. However, from the world's point of view, this move is unnecessary.

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Jonathan
12/10/2015 11:01:01 am

From reading everyone's comments above, i would say that just about everyone is in agreement with the analysis of this business decision. To me it seems like a very honorable move to give parents helping hand when it comes to their child nutrition, however whether it creates any kind of stakeholder value has yet to be determine. i would agree for now that the move at this point simple-minded.

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Courtney
12/10/2015 11:29:33 am

I have not heard about this happening prior to reading the article. It does not surprise me these restaurants have chosen to take soda off the menu because today many people are striving to be healthier. Just because it is off the menu does not mean that they don't have it. I think this whole tactic just seems like a ploy to try and make life a little easier for parents. I agree that it is simple-minded because I do not see how this will change their stakeholder value.

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Nick West link
12/10/2015 11:35:24 am

I disagree with the evaluation decision of being simple-minded. While it doesn't seem like this would be Mindful, if you think about it, they're definitely upholding societal values by limiting the intake on children's soda consumption. But, now when families think of where they want to take there children for dinner, they will think of an Apple Bees because they're looking out in there children best interest. This idea of generating more customers, will increase societal values, thus making this mindful marketing.

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Lucas Bailey
12/10/2015 12:17:15 pm

this is definitely simple-minded marketing. It has no pros for the companies but it helps create a healthy community.

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Jarred Sands
1/8/2016 10:29:46 pm

I have to also agree with the majority of these comments, claiming this case as "simple minded" this does go along with the societal values of American's desires to become more healthy as a nation. The best way to achieve this is to instill good eating habits in our nation's youth. So this is a great way to at least start the ball on that front. From a stakeholder's point of view, this decision would not excite me too much because one of the most profitable things in the food industry is the money made on drinks, as they are very inexpensive to the restaurant itself. So this is a selfless move on behalf of the company to risk hindering a part of the revenue with the best margins just to aid in the health of the physical future of America.

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Bryan Zumbek
11/6/2018 01:43:32 am

Looking at this article from the lens of 3 years after the fact, creates a different perspective. I would agree that the attempt to make waves in the push to end childhood obesity by removing sodas from their kids menus was simple-minded. It was a poor attempt to be praised by society for their activism, while doing little to actually help the problem they said they were worried about. I do not find it ethical to try to create positive stake holder value by changing principles on the surface. If they really were after an inspired change, they would have removed soft drinks as an option for youth all together.

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Isa
11/9/2018 12:45:30 am

I think that this is a wonderful idea and concept! I did not know that certain businesses were taking action by removing soda from the kid's menu prior to reading this article. I can see how this is "simple-minded marketing," but I do not think that any effort can be too small when it comes to our health and especially the health of children. Granted this may not solve the problem of obesity in America, but I think it is definitely a step in the right direction!

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