Oh my lord......Washington Post:
Disney's practice of licensing its characters for placement on children's food products is not new, but its strategy is. Whereas cereal boxes and fast-food bags used to be prime real estate for company-to-kid marketing, alarming rates of childhood obesity caused Disney to think twice about aligning its name with sugary or fatty foods. So over the past few years, Disney has gradually distanced itself from junk food. It ended its McDonald's Happy Meal contract in 2006 and has been expanding its association with healthier foods since then. The result: an abundance of Disney-branded healthy stuff, including fruits, vegetables and dairy products..........
One such product is the High School Musical avocado. When Disney stamps a product with a popular character, such as tween sensation Zac Efron, it "can't help but benefit from the nag factor," says Lance Gatewood, the vice president of Disney Consumer Products' Food, Health & Beauty, North American division. And, when kids are begging their parents for something nutritious, like an avocado, he explains, it's hard to say no. Parents are happy, growers are happy, grocers are happy, kids are happy and healthy, and, oh yeah, Disney is pleased, too. It turns out that seasonal fruits can be the perfect promotional platform for a film. Last summer's avocado season coincided conveniently with the fall release of High School Musical 3. Besides the promotional boost, Disney earns back royalties on units sold. And, because of the Disney appeal, more units tend to sell. Sometimes it's a lot more: Bagged-apple sales went up 47 percent during a High School Musical promotion at Winn-Dixie.
