For decades a certain soda company has employed polar bears as part of their annual advertising campaign to endear themselves (their product, not the bears) to consumers across the world. It’s pretty simple: people love polar bears and by association, they’ll love us. Right?
Well, polar bears (or at least white bears who live in snowy regions that I believe we are to assume are polar bears) have switched sides and now are helping build the case for healthier alternatives to sugary drinks. The Center for Science in the Public Interest joined forces with Alan Bugusky (who coincidently has held previous gigs at ad agencies for Coca Cola, Burger King and other CPG giants) to produce the video meant to educate and illustrate the impact sodas have on our health.
The ad girl inside me gets such a giggle out of this.
But on a serious note…where this comes from is based in the state of our nation’s health. And it’s not pretty. It’s no surprise to anyone that we are facing an accelerated rate of disease and health risks, and no demographic group is sheltered, especially our children. Some of us have gotten into a situation with our kids and soda where no parent wants to argue whether they can or cannot have another soda at dinner out. It’s not easy. They are often so diligent and persistant. I know exactly where my kids get it and I bet you do too.
(I’ve been told that this trait will serve them well later in life. I’m counting on that.)
I feel pretty fortunate that my kids don’t like “fizzy” drinks – anything with carbonation – but we’re in that “situation” with other things. Every family has their “thing”, right? The battles really stink so we avoid them. And we give in.
But maybe soda is where we can draw the line?
Note: watch this on your own first before viewing with children. There are a few scenes they might not understand that could lead to questions you don’t want to answer today.
Coincidentally I just read this inspiring and entertaining story at Eating Rules about a dad who’s children held a soda intervention to get him to kill the habit.
What did you think? Could this message make you think twice about sodas? Did you share this with a friend?
2 Comments
What timing, Gina. As you may recall from Twitter, I just gave up soda for life, after a two week cleanse. Ryan says he also hasn’t had any since I raised the question of is this something we really WANT to be consuming. Our kids have never really had cola. They’ve tried a Sprite and bubbly water, but don’t really care for the carbonation.
So back to the timing. The polar bear soda company is currently hosting a blogger event. Amy, a delightful, honest writer who cares about her health, is there, so make sure to tune in about what she comes back with! (http://usingourwords.com/2012/10/09/c-is-for-cleanse-and-coke)
Good for you and Ryan! That is awesome. I’ve given up caffeine during cleanses but crazy work schedules always got the best of me. I don’t even like the taste of coffee but enjoy the creamy warm wake up call. Thanks for the tip about Amy’s adventure. I will definitely check out her site!