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‘Honest’ Coke ad says it “killing you and your family” [video]

A new 'honest' version of Coca-Cola's latest ad campaign has been released, although the beverage giant had nothing to do with this one.

The satirical version of Coca-Cola's latest campaign, which puts the spotlight on the brand's efforts to curb calorie consumption, slams the nutritional value – or lack thereof – of all Coca-Cola products, regardless of their calorie counts.

The ad displays the same visuals as the legitimate Coca-Cola TVC, but the voice-over is completely different, with comments including, "These diet beverages still pose serious health risks. Even though we've reduced the calories per serving, these beverages can still cause kidney problems, obesity, metabolic syndrome, cell damage and rotting teeth."

It then poses the question, "Imagine if cigarette companies said they were doing something reponsible to protect you", implying that Coca-Cola is misleading its audience by suggesting its low calorie beverages can form part of a healthy lifestyle.

"The calories in Coca-Cola products have no nutritional value. If you choose to live a healthy lifestyle, then you should not be drinking any of our products," the voice-over says, before concluding, "Don't drink Coke. It's killing you and your family.

"Coca-Cola – we're partially responsible for America's obesity problem."

At the time of publication, the ad, uploaded by 'John Pemberton' (founder of Coca-Cola) had received 572 views on YouTube.

This backlash, and similarly the bad press that tennis champion Maria Sharapova is receiving for releasing her own brand of lollies, which are apparently very high in sugar, is raising the question – in today's social media-savvy world, how careful do manufacturers need to be when making health claims (or any claims for that matter)? Today's consumers are so much more educated, so much more marketing-savvy that it's near impossible to pool the wool over their eyes. And heaven help those brands that do. As we can see here, these sort of ad campaigns have the potential to do more harm than good.

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