nicoles blog maY 09
Coke busted by ACCC for myth-busting ads
Coca Cola ‘down under’ was recently required to print corrections to an advertisement in which they claimed to “bust” myths about their black bubbly beverage. They asserted coke did not make children fat, and did not rot their teeth. The corrective action was taken by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) after complaints by the Australian Dental Federation and parent lobby group ‘The parent’s jury’ who believed Coke had pushed their luck too far by suggesting soft drinks were OK.
This whole sorry chapter has cast a negative slant on the entire food and beverage industry, not to mention the Coca Cola Company. Fingers have been wagged from as far away as The Lancet medical journal (UK). In a stinging editorial, it suggested this debacle has further eroded trust in the food industry and using the strategy of disputing myths between soft drinks and ill-health was similar to that used by Big Tobacco…ouch! The editors implore the industry to “develop greater respect for the consumers who allow them to exist” and to earn their trust back by taking positive action to benefit consumer’s health. They also listed a range of strategies supporting better social responsibility:
- Stop marketing nutrition-free products to children
- Stop using celebrities to endorse products
- Declare funding for researchers, professional organizations and consumer groups
- Desist from stealth marketing
I invited a representative from Coca Cola South Pacific to discuss this at a meeting of dietitians working in the food industry (which I chair). They accepted. Joanna Price, Public Affairs and Communications Director for Coca Cola Asia Pacific, bravely and openly discussed what went wrong and how they intend to avoid such a public relations disaster in the future. In short, ensuring proper due diligence of risk assessment and top-level approval processes, and better engaging stakeholder research were mentioned. The company is now focused on rebuilding credibility.
This tale from the trenches holds salient lessons. These include the importance of utilising food and nutrition research responsibly, never losing site of who we are talking to when designing persuasive communications, and being in touch with stake-holder groups as well as consumers. And, if I may be permitted a small plug, involving an Accredited Nutritionist in such campaigns is essential to ensure the cold hard nutrition science is expertly translated into responsible messages suitable for different audiences. Managing communications is one of the things I do, so please be in touch if I can help your organization nicolesenior@ozemail.com.au
A more in depth legal commentary can be found at FoodLegal