Global marketers don't have it all their own way. One nutrition advocacy group was so concerned at the $150 million deal between Coca Cola and Warner Bros for the global marketing rights to Harry Potter that they have set up an informative website called saveharry.com.
The Centre for Science in the Public Interest advocates child nutrition, and its main gripe with the deal is that it will encourage more children to drink more coke.
"Liquid candy is bad for health - both for muggles and wizards," is the cornerstone of the site's philosophy. Concerned browsers can sign a letter to the book's author, J K Rowling, asking her to put an end to the marketing agreement.
It is not likely to happen, no matter how many e-letters the author receives, as the deal is signed and the marketing juggernaut is rolling. However it shows there is increasing awareness of how licensing works as a marketing tool.
Recently nutrition experts accused the BBC of encouraging unhealthy eating by allowing Telebubbies and Tweenie characters to promote fatty and sugary foods such as sweets, ice cream and even the birthday party menus at McDonald's restaurants. However, Ragdoll Productions, which makes Teletubbies, says: "We seek to license foods for children which are both healthy and enjoyable. We would emphasise that food such as sweets and birthday cake are marketed as occasional treats, not as the mainstay of a daily diet."
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