As I was having breakfast this morning, I opened up the newspaper, and for the nth time, I saw a page spread on Coke’s new policy of not distributing sodas at schools. Their message is something like “we are concerned with the nation’s children’s health and thus we are determined not to distribute hazardous drinks to their development, supporting parents along the way”
From a marketing point of view, that is a fabulous campaign. Even though the Mexican government has imposed a few rules on what types of foods and drinks should be sold/distributed at schools (including Coke), it’s good to know that they are taking the initiative to publicly say that they understand the risks in the consumption of their product.
Now compare that to what cigarettes have done. Sure, they have warnings on their packs about what could come from their products, but then again, that’s the minimum by law. May be they should take on the example from Coke, and start those kinds of campaigns. Nevertheless, even with the rise in prices for this industry, regardless of the brand here in Mexico, they’ve decided to be mad about it and withdraw (presumably) their manufacturing plants from the country.
If you can’t beat them, join them. That’s just what Coke has done, and that may be the very answer for other kinds of industries (Supersizers or Hazardous).