I admit: I like Coca-Cola. I don’t drink coffee that much, and the soft drink gives me a nice jolt of caffeine in the morning. So, following my month-long vacation, I just bought a twelve-pack while restocking my refrigerator. While paying at the register, I noticed the marketing message (aimed at consumers) on the bottom of the pack:
Who knew soft drinks could be hydrating?
It’s true. All beverages hydrate, including soft drinks. So if you are looking for hydration, but want the delicious and refreshing taste you get from Coca-Cola, don’t compromise — go for it! You’ll be hydrating your body with each and every sip.
We offer over 80 ways to hydrate, energize, nourish, relax or enjoy every drop of life. For more information on the benefits of hydration, go to: hydration.thecoca-colacompany.com
I was immediately skeptical. I understood the marketing-leads strategy behind the blurb as a result of the marketing-degree studies that are part of my M.B.A. program that teaches about direct-impact marketing, marcom marketing, and consumer marketing to avoid a marketing minefield. But I wonder: did the manager of sales and marketing use a management survey of buying power to create this marketing strategy?
Consumers are increasingly conscious of the effects of fast-food and other unhealthy products that they put into their bodies (see here, along with this and this and this and this)– but I doubted that this method of self-promotion by Coca-Cola was accurate.
The supplied hydration website discusses the benefits of hydration and the effects of caffeine – which, of course, is a drug. But nowhere does it say how Coca-Cola specifically hydrates one’s body well. Of course, this is not the company’s intention. By merely associating the brand name with “hydration” (variations of the word itself appear six times in the blurb on the box), Coca-Cola creates the impression in consumers’ minds that the soft drink, in fact, does hydrate one’s body.
But, again, is that accurate? “Carbonated water” is the ingredient listed first on the product’s container, meaning that water is indeed the most prevelant item in the beverage. However, I wondered whether there is more to the story, so I did some cursory research.
From Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., About.com’s guide to chemisty:
When you get right down to it, the colas and uncolas of the world aren’t good for the body. The acids used to carbonate and flavor these beverages will damage your teeth and may even weaken your bones. Soft drinks are devoid of any real nutritional content. Even so, they taste great! You are more likely to drink what you like, so if you love soft drinks then they might be a good way to hydrate. The carbohydrates will slow your absorption of water, but they will also provide a quick energy boost. In the long run, they aren’t good for you, but if hydration is your goal, soft drinks aren’t a bad choice. Avoid drinks with lots of sugar or caffeine, which will lessen the speed or degree of hydration.
From BodyBuilding.com:
It is difficult for the body to get water from any other source than water itself. Soft drinks and alcohol steal tremendous amounts of water from the body. Other beverages such as coffee and tea are diuretics therefore stealing precious water from the body.
From Clemson University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
Although soft drinks are mostly water, they contain large amounts of sugar or sugar substitute and no nutrients. An average 12-ounce soft drink contains 150 calories, 9 teaspoons of sugar, and no nutritional value…
Soft drinks, coffee, and tea contain caffeine, which is a mild stimulant and can act as a diuretic. This promotes fluid loss through urination and contributes to dehydration. Although caffeine has a diuretic effect, this effect may be temporary and does not lead to cumulative total body water deficits.
There is much more research available – try this Google search. But I think we can make some reasonable conclusions at this point:
- Soft-drinks do hydrate the body, but temporarily.
- Soft-drinks contain caffeine, which is a diuretic and contributes to general dehydration.
- Soft drinks hydrate the body less well than most, if not all, other beverages.
- Long-term consumption is unhealthy because soft-drinks have virtually no nutritional value.
So, back to my original question: Is this marketing-leads idea by Coca-Cola inaccurate or misleading? No, and yes. The company’s statement is, in fact, completely accurate: Coca-Cola does hydrate the body. But, smartly, the corporation goes no further in its specific claims because a high degree of Coca-Cola consumption, according to my cursory research, leads to long-term dehydration and general unhealthiness over time. There are many other health risks of drinking too much cola — osteoporosis, for starters.
The company’s marketing-leads campaign is not inaccurate, but it is certainly misleading. I wonder if Coke is using this tactic is its email marketing techniques, direct mail marketing, and bulk email marketing as well.
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Yeah, I just noticed this advert on the 12 pack yesterday. I am really disappointed by this sort of marketing. I am a marketer myself and this kind of advertising disgusts me and reminds me why I can not see myself working for almost any packaged food or drink company. It is also kind of disappointing that we as people are generally so stupid that we fall for advertising like this — Coke has the research to prove it with statistical significance, I’m sure. Brian(Quote)
what is the new stretagy of coca cola shubhendu(Quote)
Every time a person looks at an item of food, they make a decision. It is difficult enough for many people to control themselves when they know that they are considering something unhealthy. For Coke to make a statement like this and give a weak person an excuse to consume their product which is definitely bad for you, this is tragic. Yes, their goal is to sell the most amount of product possible and that is business, but with a sneaky half truth such as this, it is really shamefull. Call it what it is– high calorie, unnecessary snack food– people will still buy it! Bhakti(Quote)
It’s kinda llke getting my carbs from beer if I am looking for a carb booster for my cardio work outs. Carbs help me keep my endurance and sugar levels for the burst of speed I need to keep with the program regimine. I prefer pastas and other starches, but beer would do just a well, based on this thin reasoning.. and from a company as big as Coke?
Come on Coke! Aren’t they making a profit now? Do they have to stoop to this level, and arguement so tissue thin, it had better not rain (which is what we should be drinking more of). But no.. the stockholders are holding this CEO and basing his salary on the amount of stock price, so there fore, in order to encourage more people to drink Coke, they can now be justified in doing so because of the “association” made to hydration to the brand name Coke?
Hell, Just print.. COKE and HYDRATION and be done with it.
This kind of marketing is just as bad as some other sins out there we market. spmosher(Quote)
I already had a problem with coke before this marketing ploy came about– I read it and KNEW I was reading something inaccurate– but I just couldnt help but want to let myself give in and believe it– I am horribly addicted to coke– In fact, I just blogged about my sad addiction to it– And often it is the only thing i drink it a day, for the company to say something like that, it is hurtful– especially to people who may be in the same shoes as me with less education or ability to know they are being duped– Thanks for the post about it.. at least MAYBE someone else will take to heart that this is not a beverage you can subsist on by itself… Tawni(Quote)
I don’t think cocoa cola can be deceptive in their advert.all i see here is that coca cola is trying to regulate tjhe mentaliy of her consumer to buy and which all organisation do especially when the competion is high.advert is all about strong ability to convince the consumer to buy.
on the other hand consumers also should try to evaluate advert and see which one satisfy their minds,since all producers are bent on luring consumers at all cost to buy. kayode(Quote)
to be candid coca cola did fine by listing hydration as the gain you have when you use her product and which is true.no organisation will tell the long term effect of her product,as it might be observe differently on consumers.so coca cola is not deceiving is just that the customers should be help with clear information on advert kayode(Quote)
I guess that this means we won’t be seeing new Silica Gel Coke on shelves anytime soon. (Warning: Do not eat!) TCWT(Quote)
Love thr Sprite Zero
Can’t have suger the Doctor said, sooooo it’s good and the weight I’ve lost is more than good charles B.Fisher(Quote)
Well the doctor said I can’t havesuger s I have0 Sprite, and guess what I’ve lost
weight. Now the Doctor is Like HAPPY. So thanks Guys charles B.Fisher(Quote)
I, personally, don’t trust sodas at all. Especially diet sodas. Artificial sweeteners are ARTIFICIAL … and I would argue that nothing artificial should ever be ingested, no matter how good it tastes. Soda is a bunch of useless garbage that is significantly contributing to making our world both sick and fat. It should be replaced with good old H2O and people should just shut up, enjoy their water and be healthy. alinaphoenix(Quote)
I am a student of MBA, i ve recieved a project on the 4P’s of marketing. In which i ve to ask questions to the manager of Coca Cola on 4P’s. Please help me by giving some questions that i can ask to a manager of Coco Cola regarding 4P’s. Thankyou
my email address is = zohaib_babar2003@yahoo.com Zohaib(Quote)
First of all, I’d like to say that I don’t work for coca cola or have anything to do with them, other than drinking their products. The blog and the responses still seem to be skirting the issue. The real question is, does drinking a bunch of coke (or coffee, or tea, or other water based beverages) hydrate a person. I drink 10 times more diet coke, zero coke or decaf diet coke, than I do water. Do I lose 10 times more liquids because of the temporary diuretic? Your blog does a little bit of research and then makes some pretty hefty assertions about cola cola. I thought all hydration was temporary (because you sweat, urinate, spit, are alive,–whatever). What part of your research indicates that most other beverages hydrate better than coke. Many soft drinks are caffeine free or decaffeinated. Is it only the ones that contain caffeine that we should be worried about? What, exactly, is the nutritional value of water? Okay, there are few trace minerals, which I suspect are in soda as well. Your research, it seems to me, leads exactly to the opposite conclusion. Is the marketing campaign misleading? The only way it is misleading is if, in fact, coke doesn’t hydrate. Your research hardly proves that. John Bell(Quote)
wow that’s greate to say i m big adicted fan of coca-cola soft drinks.i also like it’s new stretegise. usman(Quote)
Nice and usefull post, thanks, this is one for my bookmarks! Cleaning Lady(Quote)
Coke: No Longer “Classic” « Samuel J. Scott // Jan 31, 2009 at 20:41
I’m convinced soft drinks are an industry of death michaelhenryhersh(Quote)
I believe that Coca-Cola has four main KSF’s (Key Success Factors).
*The first one of them is that the company has an historical and a medical aspect to it.
*Coca-Cola was also (and still is) very successful with their communication
*Coca-Cola has been able to really set itself apart as a leader by creating important and meaningful
partnerships.
*Finally, Coca-Cola is also very efficient in adapting: their products (to the local tastes) Oboulo(Quote)
What does “hydrate” mean?
verb
2. To supply water to a person or thing in order to restore or maintain fluid balance.
The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/hydrate
transitive verb
: to cause to take up or combine with water or the elements of water
http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/hydrate
So, in drinking Coca Cola ” you’ll be hydrating your body with each and every sip.” However, that’s not necessarily a good thing taken alone. You can also “hydrate” your body with every sip of Scotch you take until the bottle is empty. You can do it for free with every breath you take.
The problem here is not with anyone misleading anyone else, or even with the advertising industry itself. The problem here is with a school system that indoctrinates populations into unquestioning obedience and acceptance of anything that sounds remotely authoritative, and discourages (mainly through encouraged frontal lobe atrophy) any kind of questioning, reasoning or critical thinking. The problem here is that we have all been trained never to actively think (using reinforcement techniques involving hostility or ridicule, or both).
And the upshot of all that? Perfectly obedient ranks of Prussian citizens, consumers and cannon fodder, who salivate at the sight of weasel words like “hydrate”, and stretch out their arms and walk funny forwards muttering something about obeying when hearing “new”, “improved”, “free”, “fresh”, “easy” or “patriot”, “flag”, “nation”, etc.
If you believe Coca Cola will “hydrate” your body with every sip, you deserve a big glassful. The glucose will help you remember whatever it is you have to recite. koyanisqaatsi(Quote)
Education for Well-being » Does Real Beauty Create Ugliness? // Oct 27, 2009 at 22:48
Thanks to everyone for his or her comments! Sam Scott(Quote)
Coca-Cola Company Marketing | Soft-Drink Soda Marketing | Considerations // Jun 11, 2010 at 13:26
I recently did a Coca-Cola Pin up girl Photoshoot that I would love the Coca-cola comapany to see.
and possibly use as they see fit.
can anyone help me out as to where i can submit the link to someone from the company who may care. Adam Csatary(Quote)