The Real Bears

Last updated

The Real Bears is an anti-soft-drink advertising campaign by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which debuted in October 2012. It is a parody of the Coca-Cola Company's ad campaigns depicting polar bears, in particular the "Open Happiness" ads, and was produced with the help of Alex Bogusky. Michael Jacobson said that the ad was "...our attempt to reposition soft drinks from a source of happiness to a major cause of disease." [1] CSPI chose Bogusky to direct the ad because, they said, they had long admired his work in creating anti-tobacco ads through his agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky. [2] The song playing throughout the CSPI ad is by Jason Mraz and is entitled "Sugar." The ad depicts polar bears suffering from a wide variety of health problems as a result of soda consumption, such as type II diabetes and erectile dysfunction. In response to the ad, Coca-Cola spokeswoman Susan Stribling stated that the ad was "irresponsible and the usual grandstanding from CSPI,” [3] and Karen Hanretty, a spokeswoman for the American Beverage Association, noted that soda consumption has decreased over the last decade or so, whereas obesity rates have still risen over the same time period, saying, "CSPI is better at producing videos than they are doing math." [1] The video has over 2 million views on YouTube. [4]

Related Research Articles

Coca-Cola Carbonated soft drink

Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by The Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton and was bought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coca-Cola to its dominance of the world soft-drink market throughout the 20th century. The drink's name refers to two of its original ingredients: coca leaves, and kola nuts. The current formula of Coca-Cola remains a trade secret; however, a variety of reported recipes and experimental recreations have been published. The drink has inspired imitators and created a whole classification of soft drink: colas.

Cola Type of carbonated soft drink

Cola is a carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus oils and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after pharmacist John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked brand, in 1886, which was later imitated by other manufacturers. Most colas contain caffeine, which was originally sourced from the kola nut, leading to the drink's name, though other sources are now also used. The original cola drink by Pemberton contained caffeine from coca leaves as well. 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.

Soft drink Sweetened non-alcoholic drink, often carbonated

A soft drink is a drink that usually contains water, a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. 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/or other ingredients.

Diet Coke Diet cola brand

Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Light or Coca-Cola Light Taste is a sugar-free and no-calorie soft drink produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. It contains artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Unveiled on July 8, 1982, and introduced in the United States on August 9, it was the first new brand since 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark. The product quickly overtook the company's existing diet cola, Tab, in sales.

Id Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony) 1971 single by The New Seekers

"I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing " is a pop song that originated as the jingle "True Love and Apple Pie", by British hit songwriters Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway, and sung by Susan Shirley.

Cocacolonization The globalization of American culture

Cocacolonization refers to the globalization of American culture pushed through popular American products such as soft drink maker Coca-Cola. It is a portmanteau of the name of the multinational soft drink maker and "colonization".

The Cola Wars refer to the long-time rivalry between soft drink producers The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo, who have engaged in mutually-targeted marketing campaigns for the direct competition between each company's product lines, especially their flagship colas, Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Beginning in the late 1970s and into the 1980s, the competition escalated, which gave this cultural phenomenon its current moniker of Cola Wars.

Dietdrinks or light drinks are sugar-free, artificially sweetened versions of carbonated beverages with few or no calories. They are generally marketed toward health-conscious people, diabetics, athletes, and other people who want to lose weight, improve physical fitness, or reduce their sugar intake.

Tab (drink) Diet cola brand

Tab was a diet cola soft drink created and produced by The Coca-Cola Company, introduced in 1963 and discontinued in 2020. Coca-Cola's first diet drink, Tab was popular throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Several variations were made, including a number of fruit-flavored, root beer, and ginger ale versions. Caffeine-free and clear variations were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

OK Soda Experimental soft drink

OK Soda was a soft drink created by The Coca-Cola Company in 1993 that courted the American Generation X demographic with unusual advertising tactics, including neo-noir design, chain letters and deliberately negative publicity. After the soda did not sell well in select test markets, it was officially declared out of production in 1995 before reaching nationwide distribution. The drink's slogan was "Things are going to be OK."

A&W Cream Soda

A&W Cream Soda is a cream soda carbonated soft drink introduced by A&W Root Beer in 1986.

Center for Science in the Public Interest

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group that advocates for safer and healthier foods.

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.

Polar Beverages Soft drink company

Polar Beverages is a soft drink company based in Worcester, Massachusetts. It is a manufacturer and distributor of sparkling fruit beverages, seltzer, ginger ale, drink mixers, and spring water to customers in the United States. It is the largest independent soft-drink bottler in the United States.

Dr Pepper Carbonated soft drink

Dr Pepper is a carbonated soft drink. It was created in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, and first served around 1885. Dr Pepper was first nationally marketed in the United States in 1904, and is now also sold in Europe, Asia, North and South America. In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, Dr Pepper is sold as an imported good. Variants include Diet Dr Pepper and, beginning in the 2000s, a line of additional flavors.

The American Beverage Association (ABA) is a government lobbying group that represents the beverage industry in the United States. Its members include producers and bottlers of soft drinks, such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, bottled water, and other non-alcoholic beverages.

Sunkist (soft drink) Line of fruit flavored carbonated beverages

Sunkist is a brand of primarily orange flavored soft drinks that launched in 1979.

Sprite is a colorless, lemon and lime-flavored soft drink created by The Coca-Cola Company. It was first developed in West Germany in 1959 as Fanta Klare Zitrone and was introduced in the United States under the current brand name Sprite in 1961 as a competitor to 7 Up. Sprite comes in multiple flavours, including cranberry, cherry, grape, orange, and vanilla.

Coming Together (advertisement) 2013 Coca-Cola Company advertisement

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.

References

  1. 1 2 Horovitz, Bruce (9 October 2012). "Video satire skewers Coke's polar bears". USA Today . Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  2. Parekh, Rupal (10 October 2012). "Why CSPI Asked Alex Bogusky to Work on Anti-Soda Video". Advertising Age . Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  3. Goldwert, Lindsay (11 October 2012). "What if polar bears really drank Coca-Cola? Advocacy group CSPI draws fire with 'Real Bears' video that depicts cartoon creatures with suffering from diabetes". New York Daily News . Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2013.
  4. "The Real Bears". Archived from the original on 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2016-11-30 via www.youtube.com.