Would This Ad Convince You to Give Up Your Soda and Juice?

By , SparkPeople Blogger
Last December New York State had considered implementing a sales tax on sodas and juices to help offset the rising rate of obesity, but that proposal appears to have fallen through the cracks.

Now New York City public health officials are taking the message to encourage people to give up soda and juices to the streets--literally. For a three month time period, 1,500 subway cars will carry an ad depicting fat being poured from a soda bottle into an overflowing glass with the phrase "Are You Pouring on the Pounds? Don't drink yourself fat" in hopes that this type of "in-your-face" ad campaign will encourage many people to give up their beloved sodas and juices.

While the ad is quite disgusting, I am not too sure if it is worth the $277,000 price tag it cost to put this campaign together.

How many years have we been told about the correlation between soda and juice consumption and obesity?

And it may not just be enough to say NO! I do believe that food and beverage industry plays a huge role in forming our behavior with what we consume, therefore leading us into an almost addicted state when it comes to certain foods and drinks.

In Dr. David Kessler's book, The end of overeating. Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite former Coca-Cola executive, Mike McCloud, admits that the company went into fast food giants, McDonald's and Burger King, and convinced them to upsize their cup sizes in order to increase company profits. So instead of the small 8 ounce drink that was sold years ago the average is now, 12 ounces. This may not seem like a big increase, after all we are only talking 4 ounces. However, with kids and adults being far less active these days, those 43 extra calories can add up over time--and that is if they stick with 12 ounces and not get the free refills that many restaurants make available to their customers.

And sodas are not the only culprits. Energy drinks and other sugary drinks also contribute to our obesity epidemic. I believe the only way to wean Americans off sodas is for parents to stop buying them and definitely keep them out of the schools. Obesity is an issue that we must hit from all angles and certainly education is a start. As to what impact an ad campaign will have on people, I guess we shall see in the months ahead.

Do you believe ads, such as the one mentioned above, have an impact on changing society's views on issues? Do you think shock advertising is an effective means of changing people's habits? What do you think of advertising as a tool for tackling the obesity issue?