Do I think it is sad that Travis and Jason Kelce are using their platform to sell junk food to kids when our child obesity rate is over 20%? Yes. But it's understandable. They have a huge audience and no one can write checks like Big Food (and Big Pharma) can. So as they try to capture maximal value from the hard work they put towards building their audience they have to sell their souls. This is also why you see Mr. Beast selling Feastables candy to kids. It is the easiest and most widely captured market for him to monetize his audience. Sure, you could launch a brand trying to do something better, fixing a problem, or educating the consumer, but come on! That's hard! Even though I think real food is the winner and no small local farm is ever going to be able to endorse pro athletes, this is why I'm rooting for all of the newer better-for-you CPG brands to scale. And no, I'm not talking about New Big Food (VC funded trash like Impossible Foods Beyond Meat and Oatly) but the upstarts that are actually trying to make a dent and fix the ultra-processed, ultra-contaminated, ultra-addictive, broken food system we have. If you support brands that are doing it right, hopefully they can get to a point someday where they are displacing the checks from the enormous corporate conglomerates that are siphoning all of our vitality and health for minuscule additions to their bottom line. Someday...
Dare I say our society thrives on disease?
Don’t blame these guys for poor parenting for kids. They are not making people buy the stuff. How often do parents make their children a good health breakfast in the morning before they go to school? If kids eat the crappy breakfast cereal but went out and played and exercised they would not get fat. Its parents let their kids eat the stuff then sit around on their phones. It’s the education system taking out health and PE from schools and not teaching kids these things. Why are you not upset about other celebrities or former athletes promoting beer? Don’t get mad at these two for a problem that is not their fault.
Curious why you think Impossible Foods, Beynd Meat and Oatly are trash?
Good write up Anthony. This is why I respect people like Gary Brecka 10X Health System because he will not advertise anything he is not using himself and even pushes alternatives that are cost effective for consumers, sometimes steering people away from his own products.
Drop some love and attention for the good brands you mentioned for visibility 👍🏻
This is a really interesting take on things, thanks for sharing Anthony! Do you think this is at all short sighted by the Kelce brothers? Could almost pigeon hole them into who will be happy to work with them next time?
I appreciate your perspective, but these two don’t seem like people who have chosen the easy route in life. Their success didn’t come from selling out in other areas, so why do it now? They don’t HAVE to sell their souls. I’m happy to see people speaking out about their poor decision here because it helps others with influence realize they should put more consideration into how they get their bag!
(We) Parents need to take charge of our kids health, both physically and mentally ✌️💜 Mark A. Samuel
Executive Support | Marketing | Communications | Operations | IRONMAN Florida 2023 | Boson Marathon 2024 | Team IMF
1moThey alone are not responsible for childhood obesity. The reality is 41% of adults in the US are obese. Want to fight obesity? It starts with adults showing children how to be healthy. We can blame social media but it is not their fault. Less than 10% of adults exercise consistently for even 30 minutes five days a week. Change starts with behavior not casting fault to someone in a screen.