Kids nowadays learn the word ‘Coke’ soon after they gain familiarity with their own names. Knowing this piece of information, one can rightly assume the utter significance this beverage holds within our culture and households. However, given the dire health consequences associated with the drink, a question arises to mind; why do people continue using this and more importantly why do they let their children still consume it? The answer to this lies in the appealing advertisements we have been seeing for as long as we were born.
Coca Cola’s recent marketing campaign involved an advertisement that showed how a family bonded because of their love for the drink and how consumption of the drink further added to their happiness. Not only this, they also included a catch line which said ‘khulain khushiyaan’ as if opening the bottle of coke would allow them to enter into a realm of happiness.
Given the host of problems such as diabetes and obesity which are associated with the consumption of insane amounts of sugar (part and parcel of such drinks), one can rightly question the ethical nature of this advertisement. Are we as a community allowing multi-national companies to get away with brainwashing our public, especially kids, while not educating them about the true consequences of the consumption of such products? If cigarette packs can have ‘smoking kills’ on them, why can’t coke bottles have something similar instead of the ‘khule khushiyaan’ they are so conveniently using?
Yes, I agree Laiba, and the problem is that almost all firms indulge in such marketing practices where they paint a false picture of their product through advertisements. This can be extremely problematic since it induces various inferiority complexes, health issues and what not, in different people. To be very honest, even without any rules and regulations, firms need to draw a line by themselves and refrain from such unethical practices. Imagine the number of kids who have been addicted to coke because of such ads and the massive effect it has had on them from being obese to having a higher sugar intake.
And yes, we need to counter such ads as a community with elders and teachers teaching…
Thank you for highlighting this. Coca cola's ads are very problematic. They associate Coca Cola with happiness, energy, love, family, and themes that have nothing to do with the actual effects of the product. I believe that they use these themes to mask the harmful effects of their product on the body. Coca Cola contains ingredients such as high sugar content that lead to problems such as obesity and heart diseases. However, the overconsumption of Coca Cola is very prevalent in Pakistan. From adults to children, everyone loves coca-cola and consume it without any information about its ingredients. This shows the lack of responsibility on the part of the company. Advertisements should provide accurate information about the products they are…
I absolutely agree with this post. I read somewhere that coke can even be used to clean toilets; It is like drinking bleach because coke is no less. It can cause problems from tooth decay to heart diseases. Furthermore, their marketing strategy is so wrong a Coca-Cola spokesperson said: “People have enjoyed drinking a Coca-Cola for more than 129 years. Like all soft drinks, it is perfectly safe to drink and can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle".
Same is the case with fairness cream ads. Although now people speak up against them but that is because of the racism issue but still no one talks about the effects of some of the commnly endorsed creams on health. Like recently ayeza khan featured in faiza beauty cream ad and many people did bash her for endorsing a fairness cream but only a few talked about the even more important issue which is that the cream contains chemicals like mercury hich are proved to be harmful for the skin but it is still being endorsed
Completely agreed I don't understand why no one takes a notice on this irresponsible spread of information by our media. Wese tou PEMRA and PTA are always ready to ban anything like if mehwish hayat dances in a biscuit ad then that is some unforgivable act and the whole country wants it banned but such ads which are actually doing more harm than we can ever imagine are totally okay! There are several researches on it that children who are more exposed to ads of soft drinks demand them more and it affects their health adversely like causing obesity in a young age and if they are denied then it increases their anger issues. While those who do not watch…