Coke Sales Bubble Up As Company Repositions Diet Sodas as “Healthy”: Atlanta Journal-Constitution Article Also Quotes Me

Filed under: Health,In The News — @ March 11, 2007

The talented, objective, business reporter Duane D. Stanford of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution offers a thoughtful glimpse at Coca-Cola and discusses its new promotional tactics, which apparently have paid off for the company, whose global soft drink sales grew faster last year than they have since 1998 — this despite falling sales in the U.S.

Duane also explains how the company is now positioning soft drinks as “healthy.” (Read on to see my shocked comments about this new wildly creative marketing approach.)

Perhaps because of the fact that I’m a trained journalist, I do respect Duane’s measured approach to the subject when he writes:

“To, sell even more sodas, [CEO Neville] Isdell is pushing back against the stigma surrounding carbonated soft drinks, escalated in part by a debate over childhood obesity. He told stock analysts at a recent convention in Scottsdale, Ariz., that he wants to reframe what defines the category. His argument: The decision to drink a diet soda also can be a health-conscious choice.”

Health-conscious? Oh please.

Find out what other marketing tricks Coke has up its sleeve, and what Connie thinks of them, here .