Coming Together is a 2-minute ad created and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company and launched on the night of January 14, 2013, on several cable networks. [1]
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| Language | English |
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| Running time | 2 minute |
| Release date(s) | January 14, 2013 |
| Country | United States, United Kingdom |
The reasons the ad argues Coca-Cola cares about consumer health include that they are now offering over 180 low- and no-calorie beverages. It also notes that "All calories count, no matter where they come from." [2]
According to USA Today's Nanci Hellmich, "Critics say the company is doing damage control to combat the widespread belief that sugary beverages contribute to obesity." [1] Anna Lappe was quoted in The Guardian as saying, "This feel-good PR blitz is just another example of the company trying to protect brand goodwill amidst growing public concern about its most profitable products: sodas." [3] On her blog, Food Politics, Marion Nestle wrote, "The ad is an astonishing act of chutzpah, explainable only as an act of desperation to do something about the company’s declining sales in the U.S. and elsewhere." [4] Additionally, public health lawyer Michele Simon wrote, "They are downplaying the serious health effects of drinking too much soda and making it sound like balancing soda consumption with exercise is the only issue, when there are plenty of other reasons not to consume too much of these kinds of products." She also "...dismissed the ads as pure public relations and noted that the industry faced an onslaught of public health efforts to curb consumption of sugary sodas, like efforts around the country to impose taxes on high-sugar drinks and Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s move to restrict the sizes of sodas sold in movie theaters and other spots in New York City." [5] In the aforementioned blog post, Professor Nestle asserted that "If Coke really wanted to help prevent obesity, it would STOP:
With regard to the ad's assertion that "all calories count, no matter where they come from," critics have pointed out that "calories from soda are entirely empty calories from added sugar and contain no nutritional value." [6] This led The Atlantic's Ruth Faden to declare that this specific assertion was "inappropriately misleading," as well as claiming that there is "considerable research" linking sugary drinks to obesity. [7] It was also highlighted in a story by the Medill School of Journalism, which quoted Brenda Murray, a bariatric dietitian, who said, “They’re saying a calorie is just a calorie. But it’s not the amount of calories you take in, it’s the kind of calories, too." [8] The ad was also criticized by outspoken critic of sugar David Ludwig, who wrote that "I’d like to see the big beverage companies market less sugar not sugarcoat their marketing." He also stated that "Consuming sugary drinks increases the risk of obesity more than any other food that we know of, based on recent research (by which he means a September 2012 study in the NEJM) [9] An opinion piece in the New York Daily News countered the commercial's argument that "our industry [Big Soda] has voluntarily changed its offerings [in schools] to primarily waters, juices, and low- and no-calorie options." The article's author, Mark Pendergrast, wrote that "the company was forced to take its sugary beverages out of the schools, in the face of threats from the same lawyers who took on tobacco. [10] Pendergrast also argued that most of the actions Coke bragged about in the commercial were actually more profit-driven than anything else; for instance, the smaller size cans allow them to make more money because the price per ounce is higher. Similarly, he wrote that "...when the company brags that nearly a quarter of its beverages worldwide are low or no calorie, it doesn’t mention that it is simply adjusting to the marketplace. In 1998, soft drink sales in the United States peaked." He concluded that Coca-Cola had only taken "minor steps" to combat obesity and, after pointing out that the company had lobbied hard against soda taxes in many different states, "call[ed] on the company to shock the business and public health world by finally supporting higher taxes on its products. Studies have repeatedly shown that educating people doesn’t change their bad habits, but hitting them in the pocketbook does."
In contrast to the criticism detailed above, the Coca-Cola Company's efforts to maintain sales growth and stock value in the face of the obesity epidemic were commended by Richard Saintvillus of TheStreet.com. Saintvillus wrote:
""Liquid candy," as soda is often called, is no longer just a "fun" moniker. In some cases, it's become a life or death situation. Here, too, Coca-Cola is not alone in overcoming this challenge. I don't believe it's coincidence that for both Pepsi and Dr. Pepper Snapple (DPS), sales volumes were also down.
The question, though, is how much investors are willing to risk that Coca-Cola can still thrive in a more health-conscious market.
In that regard, I don't believe that Coca-Cola's management has received enough credit for the fine job it has done in educating consumers about the health effects of its products. The company done this, while at the same time promoting regular exercise. It is taking the obesity issue head-on. But the company hasn't stopped innovating." [11]
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings each day. Coca-Cola ranked No. 87 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. Based on Interbrand's "best global brand" study of 2020, Coca-Cola was the world's sixth most valuable brand.
Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils, and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was imitated by other manufacturers. Most colas originally contained caffeine from the kola nut, leading to the drink's name, though other sources have since been used. The Pemberton cola drink also contained a coca plant extract. His non-alcoholic recipe was inspired by the coca wine of pharmacist Angelo Mariani, created in 1863.
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. In 2022, it was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide, behind Coca-Cola.
A soft drink is any water-based flavored drink, usually but not necessarily carbonated, and typically including added sweetener. Flavors used can be natural or artificial. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a sugar substitute, or some combination of these. Soft drinks may also contain caffeine, colorings, preservatives and other ingredients.
Diet or light beverages are generally sugar-free, artificially sweetened beverages with few or no calories. They are marketed for diabetics and other people who want to reduce their sugar and/or caloric intake.
Coca-Cola C2 was a cola-flavored beverage introduced by The Coca-Cola Company first in Japan, then later on June 7, 2004 in the United States, in response to the low-carbohydrate diet trend. This Coke product was marketed as having half the carbohydrates, sugars and calories compared to standard Coca-Cola. It contained aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose in addition to the high fructose corn syrup typically found in cola beverages distributed in America.
Fresca is a grapefruit-flavored citrus soft drink created by The Coca-Cola Company. Borrowing the word Fresca from Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, it was introduced in the United States in 1966. Originally a bottled sugar-free diet soda, sugar sweetened versions were introduced in some markets.
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The drink industry company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, and alcoholic beverages. The company's stock is listed on the NYSE and is part of the DJIA and the S&P 500 and S&P 100 indexes.
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is a diet cola produced by the Coca-Cola Company.
Enviga is a Nestea carbonated canned green-tea drink. Enviga is a trademark of Nestlé licensed to Beverage Partners Worldwide, a joint-venture between The Coca-Cola Company and Nestlé. It is available in three flavors: Green Tea, Tropical Pomegranate, and Mixed Berry. According to Coca-Cola, Enviga burns 60 to 100 calories per three 12-oz.(330 ml) cans due to its high EGCG and caffeine content. This is disputed by some researchers and public advocates.
Energy Brands, also doing business as Glacéau, is a privately owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company based in Whitestone, Queens, New York, that manufactures and distributes various lines of drinks marketed as enhanced water. Founded in May 1996 by J. Darius Bikoff with an electrolyte enhanced line of water called Smartwater, Energy Brands initially distributed its products to health food stores and independent retailers in the New York area. Adding Fruitwater and VitaminWater to its line in 1998 and 2000, respectively, the company expanded to nationwide distribution in the early 2000s.
Since its invention by John Stith Pemberton in 1886, criticisms of Coca-Cola as a product, and of the business practices of The Coca-Cola Company have been significant. The Coca-Cola Company is the largest soft drink company in the world, distributing over 500 different products. Since the early 2000s, the criticism of the use of Coca-Cola products, as well as the company itself, escalated, with criticism leveled at the company over health effects, environmental issues, animal testing, economic business practices and employee issues. The Coca-Cola Company has been faced with multiple lawsuits concerning the various criticisms.
Blue Sky Beverage Company was a beverage company that produced soft drinks and energy drinks. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Monster Beverage Corporation. The company was established in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1980, where it remained until it was purchased by Monster in 2000. Coca-Cola North America took ownership of Blue Sky Sodas, Hansen’s Juice Products, Hansen’s Natural Sodas, Hubert’s Lemonade, Peace Tea and other non-energy drink brands as part of Coke’s partnership with Monster Beverage Corp on Jun 12, 2015. Blue Sky Beverage Company now operates out of Corona, California. The southwestern look and feel of the artwork on the soda cans is reminiscent of the company's roots in New Mexico.
Coca-Cola Orange Vanilla, formerly Coca-Cola Orange and in some markets Coca-Cola with Orange, is a variation of Coca-Cola originally available for a limited time. It was introduced in June 2007, in only Gibraltar, following the success of the previous year's Coca-Cola Lime, for which 40% of the launch sales represented new customers and increased purchasing.
A sugary drink tax, soda tax, or sweetened beverage tax (SBT) is a tax or surcharge designed to reduce consumption of sweetened beverages. Drinks covered under a soda tax often include carbonated soft drinks, sports drinks and energy drinks. This policy intervention is an effort to decrease obesity and the health impacts related to being overweight, however the medical evidence supporting the benefits of a sugar tax on health is of very low certainty. The tax is a matter of public debate in many countries and beverage producers like Coca-Cola often oppose it. Advocates such as national medical associations and the World Health Organization promote the tax as an example of Pigovian taxation, aimed to discourage unhealthy diets and offset the growing economic costs of obesity.
A functional beverage is a conventional liquid food marketed to highlight specific product ingredients or supposed health benefit.
The sugary drinks portion cap rule, also known as the soda ban, was a proposed limit on soft drink size in New York City intended to prohibit the sale of many sweetened drinks more than 16 fluid ounces in volume to have taken effect on March 12, 2013. On June 26, 2014, the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, ruled that the New York City Board of Health, in adopting the regulation, exceeded the scale of its regulatory authority and as such, was repealed. The repealed regulation was codified in section 81.53 of the New York City Health Code.
A sweetened beverage is any beverage with added sugar. It has been described as "liquid candy". Consumption of sweetened beverages has been linked to weight gain, obesity, and associated health risks. According to the CDC, consumption of sweetened beverages is also associated with unhealthy behaviors like smoking, not getting enough sleep and exercise, and eating fast food often and not enough fruits regularly.
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