The Coca-Cola Company on Monday evening began airing a two-minute spot (watch below) on U.S. cable news networks. The subject, in a first for the company: America’s obesity debate, in a bid to defend its brands ahead of looming beverage size controls in New York City and Cambridge, Mass.
The world’s biggest beverage company debuted the “Coming Together” commercial during a prime-time ad buy on the highest-rated shows on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC “in hopes of flexing its marketing muscle in the debate over sodas and their impact on public health,” the Associated Press reported. The theme ties into the company’s “Live Positively” and “Open Happiness” campaigns.
“The well-being of our families and communities concerns everyone,” Coca-Cola describes the spot. “And finding a solution will take continued effort from all of us. Watch to learn more about how we can all make a real difference. At Coca-Cola, we believe when people come together good things happen.” A URL at the end of the spot promotes a website, coca-cola.com/cometogether, for more information.
According to AP,
“Another ad [watch it here], which will run later this week during American Idol and before the Super Bowl, is much more reminiscent of the catchy, upbeat advertising people have come to expect from Coca-Cola. It features a montage of activities that add up to burning off the ‘140 happy calories’ in a can of Coke: walking a dog, dancing, sharing a laugh with friends and doing a victory dance after bowling a strike. The 30-second ad, a version of which ran in Brazil last month, is intended to address confusion about the number of calories in soda, said Diana Garza Ciarlante, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola Co. She said the company’s consumer research showed people mistakenly thought there were as many as 900 calories in a can of soda.”
As part of an American Beverage Association industry commitment late last year that included rivals PepsiCo and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Coca-Cola already “puts calorie counts on the front of its cans and bottles,” AP noted. “Last year, it also started posting calorie information on its vending machines ahead of a regulation that will require soda companies to do so by 2014.”
The company’s low- and no-calorie drinks, such as Deit Coke and Coke Zero, are driving Coca-Cola’s growth in North America, where “Diet sodas now account for nearly a third of its sales in the U.S. and Canada. Other beverages such as sports drinks and bottled water are also fueling growth.”
Below, another new spot (“Together for Good”) in the new Coca-Cola corporate citizenship campaign also meshes video from Coke’s archives with contemporary footage: “For 126 years, Coca-Cola has been bringing people together for good. Now we’re working together to address one of our nation’s biggest challenges. Watch to learn more about our collaborative efforts and actions that we’re taking to help people live positively.”
source: brand channel
Soul of Brands 