Have you been unfooled by Coca-Cola? We have been followers and fans of the way Coca-Cola runs its business. Even thought of them and their good social responsibilities as very socially responsible. Now we are not so sure. How about you?
You can’t fool people all the time, not even most of the time. And people once unfooled, talk about the experience.
Seth Godin
Before we continue, let me ask you a question.
What works best for advertising design in your business? We would love to hear what it was. Would you do us a favor and post it in the comments section below? Our readers and we would greatly appreciate it.
The ultimate goal of all the points I list below is this: eliminate the fluff from your marketing strategy and focus only on the things that work.
Here is the thing that has us rethinking our position. Coca-Cola is being sued by a non-profit public interest group because the company’s Vitaminwater products make unwarranted health claims.
The simple fact is that the product is sugar-water, to which about a penny’s worth of synthetic vitamins has been added. And the amount of sugar is not trivial. A bottle of vitamin water contains 33 grams of sugar, making it more akin to a soft drink than to a healthy beverage.
We don’t like that, but we certainly can live with it. It doesn’t make Coca-Cola any less socially responsible in our minds. And calling the product Vitaminwater, while moving closer to the ethical, legal line, is OK in our minds.
This wasn’t the first time a lawsuit was filed on this issue. It was first filed in 2009 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), and a group of Vitaminwater customers in New York and California.
It alleged that Coca-Cola took part in deceptive labeling and marketing for the soft drink, which included claims that the drink could reduce the risk for eye disease, promote healthy joints and support optimal immune function.
Coke has chosen to endure multiple public slaps on the wrist because its marketing has succeeded in insulating Vitaminwater from the negative health aura that’s engulfed soda and other forms of sugar water.
The beverage industry’s school beverage guidelines, for instance, allow for sales of Vitaminwater in high schools because they have less sugar than soda. By comparison, a 20-ounce bottle of Coke contains 65 grams of sugar or 15 teaspoons.
So where does consumer protection law stand on this issue?
Social responsibilities … what makes an ad deceptive?
It is ruled deceptive if it contains information that:
Is likely to mislead consumers acting reasonably under the circumstances
Is material to a consumer’s decision to buy or use the product
It certainly looks like the series of Vitaminwater ads could be ruled deceptive, doesn’t it?
Social responsibilities … so what is Coca-Cola’s response to this lawsuit?
This part is the most difficult to swallow. They are defending their advertising and not backing down or changing their ads. Their argument? In surprising logic, lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the product by asserting that “no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking Vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.” Amazing. Pushes them over the social responsibility line in our minds. No question.
Does this mean that you’d have to be an unreasonable person to think that a product named “vitamin water,” a product that has been heavily and aggressively marketed as a healthy beverage, actually had health benefits?
And most important, does it mean that it’s okay for a corporation to lie about its products, as long as they can then turn around and claim that no one believes their lies?
Forced to defend themselves in court, they are acknowledging that Vitaminwater isn’t a healthy product. But they are arguing that advertising it as such isn’t false advertising because no could believe such a ridiculous claim.
Here is what the Coca-Cola Enterprise has to say about their Social Responsibility vision and commitment:
Energy conservation/climate change – reduce the overall carbon footprint of our business operations by 15% by 2020, as compared to the 2007 baseline.
Sustainable packaging/recycling – reduce the impact of our packaging; maximize our use of renewable, reusable, and recyclable resources to recover the equivalent of 100 percent of our packaging.
Water stewardship – establish a water sustainable operation in which we minimize our water use and have neutral water impact on the local communities in which we operate. We’ll safely return the amount of water equivalent to that used in our beverages and their production to these communities and their environment.
Product portfolio/wellbeing – provide refreshing beverages for every lifestyle and occasion, while helping consumers make informed beverage choices.
Diverse and inclusive culture – create a culture where diversity is valued, every employee is a respected member of the team, and our workforce is a reflection of the communities in which we operate.
It seems like good words to live by, doesn’t it? What we would expect from a solid, socially responsible business.
Does helping consumers make informed choices? It seems like a big discrepancy versus their Vitaminwater advertising, doesn’t it?
So what good are a socially responsible vision and commitments if they are not followed?
The worst case of deceptive advertising out there? Absolutely not. But we would expect more honesty and social responsibility from Coca-Cola. Don’t you agree?
The bottom line
I am a marketer and in many aspects, I know a lot about online and social media marketing. But I do follow a lot of other online businesses. I am subscribed to their blogs and email lists. Why do I do that?
Because I can still learn from them: I can see what they do and how I react to it. I also get a ton of information and can easily select which of this information I want to read or watch and what to ignore.
All in all, being subscribed to my other businesses makes me a better marketer and a more knowledgeable person. That is how I learned and began my research on Coca-Cola’s deceptive advertising.
Did you learn something from this article? Please join the conversation and tell us your thoughts on Coke’s actions here.
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When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.
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Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he writes about topics to help improve the performance of a small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
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What to Expect from a Creative Advertising Strategy
Creative Secrets from Budweiser Advertising Examples
Prudential Ad Makes Visualization Design Central to Story
