Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by MeadowLark on September 16, 2009 at 8:11am

LOL! Why not a book for salads instead?

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Permalink Reply by 1HappyDiabetic on September 16, 2009 at 8:18am

Wendy's coupon approach with their milkshakes to support fundraising is not new. The focus is on fundraising. Just beacuse the drinks have 41 grams of carbs does not mean the intent of that drink is for a diabetic. Nor does a milkshake cause Type 1 Diabetes which the money was being raised for.

Misguided, I'm not sure, I would disagree and say successful with the amount of money they raised. Would we not accept money from Hersheys or McDonalds. I think not. Money talks, the bigger question is what we do with the money I think.

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Permalink Reply by Sarah on September 16, 2009 at 8:18am

Don't they raise money specifically for JDRF? I remember years ago thinking that it was odd as anything that they'd be selling something loaded with sugar as a fundraiser, but on the flip side, if it's one of their most popular items and they're raising money, is it truly a bad thing?

They done this same promotion for a very long time....it's always been frosty's.

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Permalink Reply by Janet on September 16, 2009 at 11:14am

It's misguided although filled with good intentions. Why not have coupons for a different product that they sell? One that would be a good part of any healthy diet - forget about diabetes.

When I participated in my first walk for JDRF, I was shocked at the food they had waiting for the walkers at the end of the course. Ice cream, hot dogs on a big fluffy bun, potato chips, cookies, and bananas plus soft drinks, some of which were diet. Considering the fact that they had an area at the beginning of the race with booths from various companies whose products target diabetics, shouldn't they have called on some of those companies to supply healthier choices? I contacted the local office a couple of weeks after the walk to register my complaint and to volunteer to help find sponsors who would provide healthier options. The response: most of the people who volunteer for the walk aren't diabetic so we serve them what they like.

Wow. How clueless.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on September 16, 2009 at 11:54am

The JDRF snacks were amazingly clueless!

While it's not Wendy's role to be educating, you'd think they would have made a better choice as a fund-raiser. We know that sugar doesn't cause diabetes, but it's an odd choice to associate diabetes research with milkshakes. Most marketing people are smarter than this. It's like promoting double cheese bacon burgers for the Heart Assoc:)

But hey, research dollars are needed.

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Permalink Reply by Travis Grubbs on September 19, 2009 at 4:14am

Why make this opportunity to educate the volunteers by feeding them healthier snacks? Maybe they were just trying to create more type 2 diabetics, like me. That way the volunteers organizing the ADA Diabetes Walk will have something to do.

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Permalink Reply by Janet on September 16, 2009 at 12:41pm

Guess what? I'm in marketing! :)

I just want to have it both ways -- raising lots of money AND staying within healthy eating guidelines. A gal can dream, can't she?

(I know that tone is hard to read in e-mail/posts -- so please know that I'm smiling and not attacking you.)

Here in Wisconsin (where beer and alcohol in general are a HUGE part of daily life), we had an uproar a few years back about concessions sold during youth softball/baseball games. One particular town allowed beer sales during games, which was a huge source of revenue to support the kids' softball/baseball program. Some parents were concerned that selling beer at children's events sent a bad message to the kids. Other parents were concerned that stopping beer sales would severely affect revenue, which would have a negative impact on the kids. In the end, beer sales were banned and sales continued at the level they were before.

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Permalink Reply by Janet on September 17, 2009 at 8:16am

Nice to meet you, fellow Cheesehead.

We sure do have a culture of drinking in our state. Did you see that a state representative from Green Bay is trying to block the construction of roundabouts near Lambeau Field -- even though the Dept. of Transportation has determined that they would greatly improve traffic flow? His logic: after Packer games, drunk drivers would have a hard time navigating their way through and would cause accidents.

I'd laugh if it weren't so sad.

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Permalink Reply by Andreina Davila on September 16, 2009 at 4:45pm

yes, hummm, I feel a bit in the middle, on one hand the more money raised for research the better. On the other side, I strongly believe mayor fast food chain can make a better, perhaps more authentic job at educating people about their food choices. A diet too high in carbs and calories is no good for anybody (type , type 2 or people without diabetes, like myself), and many times it seems to me that this companies take on some of the "guilt" of offering high carbs, high calories foods by supporting a good cause.

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Permalink Reply by Travis Grubbs on September 19, 2009 at 4:21am

But in the end isn't it about "sales" or the "bottom line". If Wendy's wants to financially support diabetes research, why don't they just write a check? They appear to be only willing to support this cause if they can increase their sales of Frosty's. What's next, beer companies supporting MADD based on the number of 12 packs they sell?

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Permalink Reply by Mike Ratrie on September 16, 2009 at 5:26pm

Yes - no question!

When I took Marketing 101, we spent a lot of time discussing having a coordinated message. As noted by another poster imagine tying the double cheeseburger to an American Heart Assn fundraiser, or more outrageously, "buy a carton of Marlboros and Support Lung Cancer Research". Isn't this similar? At a minimum, someone at the JDRF should have been involved in deciding what products to promote.

Didn't someone write, "The medium is the message?"

Fair Winds,
Mike

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Permalink Reply by rick phillips on September 16, 2009 at 6:49pm

I guess I really dont see this as a big deal. I suppose I am the type of guy who finds that ends justify the means. Well that and I would love to snarf down one of those chocolate frosty's. i figure if it raises money, then it can't all be bad.

Now, I do imagine that if they had it to do again, they might do things a little differently. But then again, if they had, I would not be talking about Frosty's. Yumm pass the spoon.

rick phillips

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