Coca-Cola on The State of Your Heart

By blaming soft drinks for our obesity epidemic in an earlier post, I think I’ve inadvertently stepped into a funky little debate. The Center For Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, is ticked  at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for its (unexpected?) partnership with Coca-Cola; in fact, they’ve demanded that Coca-Cola be kicked off the Heart Truth Campaign, which is an inititative to raise awareness of heart disease among women.

“In a statement, the center’s executive director, Michael Jacobson, compared Coke’s corporate sponsorship with allowing a cigarette maker to fund a government anti-smoking campaign. The fact that the campaign is sponsored by Diet Coke, rather than a sugar-laden soda brand, is irrelevant, he said.”

How ironic – and mutually self destructive – does it seem that Coca-Cola has anything to do with a heart-health campaign? I’m actually convinced otherwise. Diet Coke should not be dropped from this campaign, and here’s why:

1.       To counter Jacobson, it is definitely relevant that Coca-Cola, under its  Diet Coke banner, is sponsoring this campaign and not Coke itself. The two are already sold side by side on shelves and in vending machines, deceptively similar, the Diet paling against the Coke’s buoyant red – but the latter happens to be the mother of obesity in all her corn-syrupy-glory. Why, then, wouldn’t a consumer advocacy group see this as an opportunity to distinguish the former and give it a more appealing aesthetic with these folksy, endearing graphics? Simply having Diet more attractive than Coke at decision time has to be good for your heart and waistline.

2.       The campaign targets women, as heart disease is the number one killer of American women. 51% of Diet Coke drinkers are women, who, on some level, are attuned to their calorie intake and health. This literally places the message in the hands of a target and somewhat more receptive population.

3.       Is this campaign disingenuous? Probably. Is it working? Since Diet Coke has been involved, awareness and support of The Heart Truth has nearly doubled. Are we gullible enough to take Coke with our multivitamins? Have some faith.

–Trisha Jain