For the record, it isn’t my mission to necessarily pick at Coca-Cola, even though this is my second blog entry about the product. That said, I can’t promise that it will be the last one either. Ok, now that we have gotten that out of the way, the title of this blog is actually a slogan of Coca-Cola’s. Yep…a billboard in Las Vegas equates good ol’ fashioned Coca-Cola to sunscreen. How’s that? To be honest, I’m not exactly sure. I mean, good common sense knows this can’t be true. Yet, I feel this compelling need to really think this through to be sure:

1. Literal Translation: Sunscreen is a chemical or physical barrier that doesn’t let harmful UV rays damage the skin. What part of coca-cola provides protection to your insides? Never mind the high fructose corn syrup, which is an issue unto itself, coca-cola has a high acid content, which can erode bones and teeth. Further, this acidic content can lead to kidney stones. Hmmm…sounds a bit like the opposite of sunscreen.
2. False Advertising: Before you all attack me because I say that coca-cola assumes that the American population - or for that matter any population - may actually believe the slogan, I just want to say, that ‘Yes, most normal people understand Coke isn’t like sunscreen, but for those who might not, there is a good chance that they will buy coca-cola, believing that the product may actually help or ‘protect’ them in some way.’ Regardless if I’m right or wrong in my estimation of people's ability to believe advertising, saying that coca-cola is beneficial to the likes of sunscreen is ridiculous. There is no way that coca-cola provides any health or physical benefits or protection.
3. Irrelevance: What really boggles my mind, however, is that the ad DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE. What are they actually trying to say? What does this slogan even mean? Have advertising giants promoting unhealthy products, such as Coca-Cola, gotten so desperate that they need to grasp at such irrelevant healthy straws to make the product appear healthy?

Call me crazy, but I just don’t get it. Seriously, can someone please explain what the ad agency was thinking when they created this ad campaign?

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