Bold NY ad campaign targets soft drinks
I don’t think the Coke people like this type of New York ad campaign.
New York City’s public health officials have opened a new front against high-calorie beverages — an ad campaign that depicts globs of human fat gushing from a soda bottle, the New York Times reported.
“Are you pouring on the pounds?” asks the ad. “Don’t drink yourself fat.” The add recommends water, seltzer or low-fat milk instead.
The ad — which cost about $277,000 to develop over three fiscal years, including money for creative work and focus groups — will run in 1,500 subway cars for three months, the Times reported.
Kevin Keane, a spokesman for the American Beverage Association, which Coke is a member of, denounced the ad.
“The ad campaign is over the top and unfortunately is going to undermine meaningful efforts to educate people about how to maintain a healthy weight by balancing calories consumed from all foods and beverages with calories burned through exercise,” he said in a statement, the Times reported.
What do you think — over the top or not?
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© 2009 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
12 comments Add your comment
Greg
September 1st, 2009
2:39 pm
Sounds good to me. In fact, why do we call them “soft drinks” they are nothing but a concoction of chemicals. We should call them “chemical drinks”
Suga
September 1st, 2009
3:01 pm
I don’t do sodas. Or sports drinks, or trendy waters….just good old tap water.
Native Atlantan
September 1st, 2009
3:11 pm
OHHHHH look at me, I’m Suga and Greg, I’m all uppity!
yall are crazy
September 1st, 2009
3:14 pm
Definitely over the top. If people don’t want to be fat, then they should stop wasting money on weight-loss products, get up off their fat @sses, and exercise. Here’s another idea: Don’t just drink soft drinks! Drink some water or orange juice every now and then; it’s good for you! If you drink something other than soft drinks every day, and throw in a little exercise, you won’t have a weight problem. Don’t punish the soft drink business, punish the people who are too lazy and/or stupid to know the difference between a healthy diet and an unhealthy one.
yall are crazy
September 1st, 2009
3:15 pm
Make the soft drinks a once-in-a-while beverage.
Kristin
September 1st, 2009
3:52 pm
Coca – Cola, Mc Donalds, have been around way longer than the obesity crisis. We have just become too lazy and too ready to blame companies for our poor lifestyle choices.
chris watson
September 1st, 2009
4:04 pm
I think it is ridiculous. If people are too stupid to balance their calories and use some common sense then too bad. We need a war on stupidity not on obesity.
bbb
September 1st, 2009
4:33 pm
Soft drink are called soft drinks as they are an alternative to hard drinks (liquor) Also, soft drinks have no value at all. They are pushed on us at every turn and served with every meal at a fast food restaurant. I love Coca-Cola, but realized that it was just empty calories and I could not go a day without it…without the terrible caffeine headache. Now I drink unsweetened tea when I need caffeine and can tell a huge difference in my waistline, wallet, and energy level.But they are delicious. Oh God, they are delicious.
Becky
September 1st, 2009
5:28 pm
It’s not over the top but most people don’t like to see or hear the truth anyway…expecially that much truth!
biljopal
September 1st, 2009
6:43 pm
Greg – good idea, but everything on earth, including us, is composed of a “concoction of chemicals”. E.g., we’re chiefly a mixture of fats, proteins, carbohydrates, water and minerals.
I’d say the ad is over the top, since it doesn’t mention diet soda at all.
Caveman
September 1st, 2009
7:16 pm
It started with over taxing cigarettes, now it’s soft drinks. Time to pay for your own medical costs too Tubby.
Fred10
September 2nd, 2009
11:42 pm
Soft drinks are obviously bad for you. If companies can advertise you to consume them, why can we not advertise that they are harmful? Let everyone make their own choice. We advertise cigarettes are bad for you, this is no different. Cigarettes are obviously worse than soft drinks but both have negative consequences. Real trouble is aspartame in diet soft drinks. That stuff is likely worse than cigarettes.