Coca-Cola’s Story of O

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zybnaPqzJ6s

Obesity, that is. The country’s leading beverage purveyor is releasing a television ad today about just that. Well, sort of. The two-minute “coming together”-themed commercial is designed, according to a company spokesperson, to address the so-called “issue of the times” by highlighting all the healthier options Coca-Cola offers (like, say, smaller cans of Coke and diet sodas and, oh right, water) and presenting a strong message that consumption of too many calories of any kind (not just those found in soda) are what leads to weight gain. The same spokesperson claims these new ads aren’t a response to the bad rap soda has been getting of late—like Mayor Bloomberg’s oversized soda ban which goes into effect this year, or the recent backlash against Beyonce for accepting a multi-million dollar endorsement deal schilling Pepsi—though that is very hard to believe. Also hard to believe: that anyone really falls for these upbeat brand statement commercials with their glossy lens on Americana put out out by big companies—recall any of the BP commercials in the wake of the Gulf oil spill, or McDonald’s attempt at convincing the public that they were fast food’s answer to farm-to-table. Coca-Cola will also release another shorter ad in the coming week that offers (in a cheerful way, of course) suggestions for how to burn off a can of Coke’s “140 happy calories”. While we are all for exercise encouragement, and even the occasional soda indulgence, let’s get real ( a word Coca-Cola has always liked to throw around) any calories that come from high fructose corn syrup are definitely not of the “happy” variety. FIORELLA V.