Are Soda CSR Campaigns Really Misleading?

I read a disturbing bit of news yesterday. A Policy Forum article from Washington has been released asserting that corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaigns by soda companies such as PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are misleading and don’t face enough regulation from the government in comparison to Tobacco companies.

I strongly disagree.

My main issue with this study is that it blatantly attacks CSR campaigns such as PepsiCo’s Refresh project, which has awarded grants to community causes such as park restorations, for “distracting” against how harmful their products are.

Read this: “For example, CSR campaigns that include the construction and upgrading of parks for youth who are at risk for diet-related illnesses keep the focus on physical activity, rather than on unhealthful foods and drinks. Such tactics redirect the responsibility for health outcomes from corporations onto its consumers, and externalize the negative effects of increased obesity to the public.”

Let me repeat for emphasis: “Such tactics redirect the responsibility for health outcomes from corporations onto its consumers, and externalize the negative effects of increased obesity to the public.”

My issue with this is the premise, which is that people are victims and can’t take care of themselves. We have a situation where people can’t be blamed for not having the common sense to use soda in moderation. The main point argued is that soda companies aren’t transparent enough about how harmful their beverages are, as if having the ingredients and serving sizes listed out aren’t good enough.

“The soda company made me fat. I thought I would be healthy because they give money to charity.” -Apparently people?

When it comes down to it, bad behavior is a product of ignorance. People know soda is bad for them, but they choose to drink it anyways. Why attack the soda company for using CSR campaigns to increase sales? They are trying to make a profit, sure, but that doesn’t make them  “evil” as some people seem to believe. Their product is loved by many people who do drink soda in moderation. What happens to those of us who want to enjoy a can of soda every now and then?

Yes, we should have basic education for people on what is healthy and what isn’t. People should have access to information that lets them now how to take care of their bodies. The solution is not, however, to criminalize soda for having CSR campaigns and then increase regulation as if soda is as harmful as cigarettes.

The result of increasing regulation with soda companies means several things: prices go up, soda companies disappear, jobs disappear, and people are still suffering obesity. I 100% guarantee you that if soda was abolished from the planet, obesity would not end. People are healthy because they exhibit self control and understand that too much of anything is bad for them.

These campaigns would be “misleading” if soda companies were trying to tell us that their products are good for us. Instead of lying, they actually promote campaigns that encourage people to be active in their communities and give to charity, etc.

So, our society is actually likening soda companies, as this article put it, as a “social ill” on par with Tobacco companies and should be reprimanded for trying to position themselves as being “socially acceptable” through CSR. What they’re saying is that a person is wrongfully believing that soda is good for them because a soda company gave some money to charity.

As far as I can see, this is baseless on the fact that soda companies are not in the business of controlling our behavior. They’re selling us a product.

JN

3 Ways We’re Attracted to Brands Like We’re Attracted to People

86527358
What makes a product brandable, or rather, have the ability to be promoted effectively?

I liken the dynamic to relationships. Specifically, how people are attracted to other people. It takes three ingredients:

1. Appearance

Aesthetically, how does a brand and its product appear to the consumer? For most of us, the first thing we notice about a person we inevitably become attracted to is their looks and how beautiful we think they are.

This is a basic human process that translates into how we superficially judge a product we see in the store or on a billboard. If the product doesn’t have that attractive look to it, it will be much harder to make the product attractive to its target audience.

2. Personality

How we interact with a person is a major factor in developing a liking for them. We need to be able to have a chemistry with the person, approve of what they represent and enjoy being associated with them. Much is the same with how we utilize a product or service.

If I have a bad time with a certain brand and hate how the company interacts with me via media, advertising and my actually using the product, I will not start a relationship with that brand.

3. The X Factor

We’ve all had those relationships where we loved the appearance and personality of a person, but we just couldn’t see ourselves spending all of our time with them.

The X factor is an unseen, unexplainable aspect of our attraction to people, as well as brands. This is what truly separates the brandable products from the rest. Unfortunately, it eventually comes down to luck.

We like to think of marketing as a science, and it is to a point. Tragically, the X factor is a product of many variables surrounding a brand that can prevent a company from reaching the global audience they strive for.

Like what you read? Connect with me further via twitter @JonNegroni. I’ll follow back if you seem like a real person. You can also subscribe to this blog by clicking the “follow” button in the top-left corner.

Don’t forget to check out THE JON REPORT every day, updated at 8am for a list of today’s main headlines as selected by my editorial team (me)

 

At Some Point, Any Step is in the Right Direction

138162579

We love to talk a lot about what we’ll accomplish someday. Friends get together and find pleasure in dreaming like teenagers. “Eventually, I’ll get out of this town. Eventually, I’ll get the job I’ve always wanted.”

Something strange happens. We stagnate, and not for any particular reason. Your environment has a knack for finding ways to tie you down, even when you’re unmarried or without children. Jobs, family, and friends always give us convincing reasons to stick to what we know.

Familiarity breeds contentment, then contempt. That’s why there are times when taking any step, even backwards, is in the right direction. A step backwards can get you back to a place where you try harder in an unfamiliar setting, pushing you and reminding you of what value you possess.

I could say something as generic as, “take risks.” But it really comes down to, “just do something.”

Jon Negroni is the Director of Public Relations, Promotion, and Marketing at Richter10.2 Media Group. For more information regarding Richter10.2, check out our introduction video here.

Why Can’t We Buy TV Theme Songs?

Image

Here is one of my out-of-nowhere ideas. Make classic television theme songs available on the web. That simple. 

Go on…Why Can’t We Buy TV Theme Songs?

Review: ‘The Avengers’

Last night, I saw The Avengers, a movie that I have been waiting for since 2008 when Iron Man infamously featured Nick Fury during the end credits. Well four years and several iconic movies have gone by, and we now have this film sitting in our theaters.

I loved every minute of it. The action was thrilling, the characters were dynamic and interesting and even the acting was pretty good. Was it the greatest movie ever? No. Was it worth watching? Absolutely.

Go on…Review: ‘The Avengers’

%d bloggers like this: