Coca-Cola is launching a Fairlife, a new “premium” lactose-free milk product – and the beverage brand best known for its signature soda is getting major flak, for both health claims and its racy ad campaign. Let’s focus on that last part. People are screaming that the ad graphics – naked pin-up models being splashed with milk – and copy lines like “Better milk looks good on you” are sexist. While “sex sells” has long been an advertising mantra, does sexist sell?
The controversial ads ran in Denver and Minneapolis during this past summer as a test market campaign, but the campaign just started hitting social feeds…and making news. Coke has now dropped the ad campaign due to so much backlash and angry twitter fans.
People are wondering why Coca-Cola is attempting to enter the dairy market. It’s not just because soda sales are declining – with diabetes on the rise, many Americans are cutting out milk. Enter Fairlife. The brand states that its new drink is produced with a filtration system, cutting all the sugar and leaving 50% more protein and 30% more calcium…at a higher price tag. The company is optimistic about their prospects, and is planning to launch nationally in the U.S. in 2015 in hopes to push forward an alternative option for protein lovers.
As for me, the concept of drinking “Coke Milk” doesn’t seem a bit appetizing. Switching gears may or may not work for Coca-Cola, but it seems they’ll be taking a new approach with their next round of ads. Either way, the controversial campaign certainly got the brand and their new product quite a bit of attention.
~ Jazmine Rodriguez, Account Coordinator, The S3 Agency
