Soft drink company marketing tactics: the experts sound off

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This is a compilation of quotes about soft drink company marketing tactics from some of the leading authors on health, food marketing and food politics. This full list, and much more information, is included in The Five Soft Drink Monsters downloadable ebook.

Marion Nestle
Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health

"In 1997 children spent nearly $8 billion of their own money on food and beverages, of which $1 billion each went for sweets and soft drinks. The amounts spent on food increase with age; in 1997, children aged 7-12 spent $2.3 billion of discretionary money on snacks and beverages, teenagers $58 billion."

"Children also influence a substantial proportion of the total annual sales of certain foods… 30 percent on soft drinks."

"Soft drink companies unapologetically name 8-to-12-year-olds as marketing targets. Advertisers encourage marketing directed to 9-year-olds as a logical consequence of the fact that children -- and girls in particular -- are maturing earlier."

"The reason they chose Coke or Pepsi had nothing to do with taste. . . . [We] think the advertising media targets their advertisements to appeal to teenagers because . . . [that's when you] develop buying habits and that's when you have more pressure to drink the brand that's cool."

"Researchers counted not a single commercial for fruits, vegetables, bread, or fish…. for the most frequently aired commercials such as those for sugared cereals, candy bars, and soft drinks."

"Soft drink companies are especially comprehensive in their approach to young consumers…. Coca-Cola puts its logo on so many items that it runs a chain of stores to sell them; it even has stores at international airports."

"Coca-Cola company, for example, sends multiple copies of "Coke cards" to "teen influentials" -- school officers, cheerleaders, and sports participants -- expecting that they will pass the extras along to their network of friends. These "educational" counting books and puzzles for young children require the use of cereals or cookies as tokens, provide discount coupons to encourage adults to purchase these products, and advertise the food throughout. These convert children into advertisers as well as consumers of soft drinks. "

"Critics also are troubled by studies showing that children do not readily distinguish Channel One's commercials from its entertainment, news, and public service programs and that they are confused about such distinctions. Children say, for example, that they believe Channel One advertisers such as Pepsi -Cola are "deeply committed to helping them cope with their emotional and psychological problems."

"Recent development in food marketing: large payments from soft drink companies to school districts in return for the right to sell that company's products -- and only those products -- in every one of the district's schools."

"The company's most evident marketing strategy is advertising. Coca -Cola’s global advertising budget exceeded $1.6 billion in the late 1990s. In 1999 the company spent $867 million for advertising in the United States alone -- $174.4 million for Coca-Cola beverages, $68.4 million for Sprite, $41.4 million for Minute Maid, and $17.6 million for Powerade"

"PepsiCo spends even more on advertising. Its total domestic advertising budget was $1.31 billion in 1999 -- $165 million for Pepsi beverages, $37.7 million for Mountain Dew"

"Some soft drink companies go so far as to license their logos to makers of infant-feeding bottles."

William Duffy

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