Coke is making some wild obesity claims. But it’s just Coke being Coke

Coke? Oh, that’s just Coke being Coke.

Recently, Coca-Cola tried out a new PR campaign. Their plan is to put some distance between their product and the obesity problem.

The message goes like this… “All calories count. No matter where they come from including Coca-Cola and everything else with calories.”

Nobody in here but us calories! We’re all the same!

Riiight. But…no. It’s ridiculous. An avocado calorie is not nutritionally equal to a soft drink calorie. And that’s the end of that discussion.

Media reactions ranged from amusement to scorn. But NPR nailed it. They saw it as part of a long line of dubious Coke claims.

Remember “Coke is it!”? How about “Coke adds life”?

Like your life was incomplete without a Coke.

As you go back a few decades, the claims turn laughable. Coke aids digestion. Coke relieves traveler’s fatigue.

Tall claims are just part of Coke’s DNA. I wouldn’t be surprised if we start hearing about Coke preventing flu.

Hey, it probably works as well as a flu shot.

Sources:
“Critics attack Coke’s anti-obesity ad” Nanci Hellmich, USA Today, 1/14/13, usatoday.com

“Vigor, Brain Power And Other Health Claims From Coke’s Advertising Past” Audrey Carlsen, NPR, 1/26/13, npr.org