Is Coca-Cola better for you than water? That depends on whether you’re the one drinking it or the one selling it. Nutritionist and health advocate Andy Bellati discusses a Coca-Cola campaign that was not promoted in public media; his essay was published in November 2013 on the blog Civil Eats.
Read it here: Bellati, "Coca-Cola’s assault on tap water”
- A key element of Coca-Cola’s rhetoric is the concept of “working together.” Coke’s CEO can claim the company works alongside public health advocates and shares their goals, but Bellati argues that the concept is problematic in practice. What is his reasoning, and is it persuasive? Why or why not?
- Bellati’s article follows a custom in online writing of omitting conventional citations in favor of embedded links to information sources. Without additional prompting, how likely are you to click on any of the links provided? Would you rather see a conventional list of references at the end of the article? Why or why not? What are the advantages – and disadvantages – of both styles?
- Read (or re-read) the essays by David Zinczenko and Radley Balko in Chapter 16 of your text. How does Bellati’s piece about the “suggestive selling” strategies encouraged by Coca-Cola’s Cap the Tap program undermine or support their respective arguments about our personal responsibility for what we eat? Imagine the three authors in conversation. How might each respond to the others? Point to statements in each essay that support your speculations.
- Although Bellati only proposes that “health advocates…remain vigilant” about corporations’ marketing tactics, some might go a step further and argue that Coca-Cola and similar companies have no legitimate role in public nutrition programs such as those undertaken by Michelle Obama. What do you think? Would you trust nutrition advice from the Coca-Cola company? Why or why not? Write an essay addressing these questions and discussing what role, if any, Coca-Cola (and related companies) should play in safeguarding their customers’ health and well-being.
They Say I Blog 
What happened to my comment.
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In his article, Andy Bellatti focuses on Coca-Cola’s “Cap the Tap” campaign that unveiled in 2010. This campaign provides instructors and advice to companies to teach staff to convince employees to buy beverages through the company rather than drinking tap water. The main argument behind this campaign is that every time an employee choses to drink from the tap rather than purchase a drink, the company loses an opportunity to make money. In order to grasp the attention of employees, the campaign suggests offering free refills as well as urging employees to buy bottled water- both suggestions that create profits for the company. Bellatti focuses on the irony of this campaign- that Coca-Cola has taken many “commitments to health” by joining various health-conscious campaigns. For example, the company joined Michelle Obama’s campaign that urges Americans to drink more water, “Drink Up.” He urges consumers to be aware of an “industry that prioritizes profits over health.”
While I concede that it is wrong of Coca-Cola to urge companies to push employees to purchase unhealthy soft drinks and sugar-loaded beverages, I insist that encouraging employees to buy through his/her own company could add much needed money into the economy. For example, say an employee forgot to bring a water bottle to work one day, and decided to purchase a bottled water from his/her company- a profit could be made. Now say on another day, in a different city, another employee did the same, and yet another employee in yet another city. The profits would add up. I do, however, still find it imperative that a company offer free tap water to the employees who wish to drink it for it is unfair to force employees to purchase from their work place. It is important that the company provide the employee with a choice of whether to purchase a drink or to consume a free one. This would put the employee in control, and still leave the company in a position to make money.
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I think its wrong to push and encourage people and teens to drink more Coca-Cola because picking health over a profit organization is completely crazy. Half America is already obesity so why make it to where its more diffacult to buy a buck fifty water bottle versus a dollar soda you can keep filling up? Its not healthy nor right for the Coca-Cola industry to continue making it such a deal and so forth.
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I believe its wrong to push the world to drink more Coca Cola. The world is already filled with people that are overweight and drinking soda will only make things worse. It contains nothing but empty calories and caffeine that only makes things worse for the body. Water is way more healthier than drinking Coca Cola. I thought the Coca Cola business is doing a good job selling its product up until now. They need to realize what they are doing.
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I believe that the Coca Cola company is wrong for trying to push their products on their employees and on the public. For the Coca Cola company to ask their employees to buy Coca Cola products is wrong in my opinion because the employees make a hard earned check from the company and for the company to ask the employees to use their hard earned money just to make a extra profit is unethical. It’s like the employees working for free or reducing their hourly wage. For Coca Cola to try to advocate a healthy product and market diet sodas or zero calorie drinks is wrong also because the artificial sweetners they use in those drinks are known to cause obesity. The regular Coca Cola product also have so much sugar that they are known to cause diabetes. Although the company urges bottled water as the healthier choice they pressure employees and the public just to increase their revenue and make a extra buck. The Coca Cola company those care about the public or employees and will do what ever it takes to make more revenue and benefit the company.
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Coca Cola is struggling to gain support with their campaigns to demonstrate the benefits of drinking Coke products and beverages. Bellati’s reasoning suggests the problems arise with the work together concept because health advocates are not getting on board with Coke’s campaign. Bellati further suggests that health advocates should resist any influence Coca Cola may be trying to instill upon in an effort to persuade their opinions/views regarding regular consumption of Coke beverages. The fact is simple; any time a consumer is reaching for tap water instead of a Coke product the company is losing profits.
I certainly would not trust any nutritional suggestions or information provided by a company, such as Coke or Pepsi. Companies are fueled by profits and money; regardless of the nutritional value their product holds a business would never lead consumers away from their products. That would obviously be bad for business. Therefore, the corruption that Bellanti is suggesting that is happening with these funded campaigns makes perfect sense. Consumers should already have a keen sense of awareness for false advertising and nutritional markup of unhealthy products by companies.
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I am disappointed but not surprised by Bellatti’s revealing of Coca-Cola’s “Cap the Tap” program efforts at restaurants. This attitude of indifference to societal problems in favor of profits seems endemic in our culture today. The willingness to sacrifice health for money then give conflicting messages to cover this behavior is a slippery slope for any corporation to tread upon. Unfortunately, this appears to be business as usual and we as consumers are allowing it. Our freedoms allow us to require better corporate character and upstanding morals through our support of their products. It was only through legislation that tobacco products finally included some warning labels. Now civil litigations are continuing to gain attention. Will health issues, like obesity, follow? Obesity goes deep into other related diseases that can lessen the quality of life, even shorten life expectancy. I do applaud efforts at health education but am frustrated when it is just window dressing, falling short of the complete picture.
Water is the gift of life, it is regulated by Federal and State standards. Water agencies must provide annual reports concerning water quality and any issues that arise. Taste and appearance are not regulated but agencies do respond to complaints. Filtration may help in some cases but I have found that settlement does wonders as well. Yes, I have a pitcher of water in my refrigerator. Letting it sit overnight allows some of the chlorine taste to evaporate and minerals to settle. This vital and precious resource needs to be used and used wisely. Even though the world is mostly covered in water, only a very small percent is usable fresh water. Our bodies are also made mostly of water and needs to be rehydrated daily. For an organization to attempt to substitute soda water for pure water in order to increase their bottom line is irresponsible to the overall health of the country. The cost of healthcare continues to skyrocket and hurts the economy. Anyone who purposefully contributes to that should be held accountable.
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Bellati’s reasoning is that even though Coca-Cola maybe be working along side some of these health advocates they are not doing it for the same health reasons that these advocates are doing it. While health advocates, such as the First Lady, promote her “Drink Up” campaign, Coca-Cola is doing it in order to increase their own profits. His reasoning is incredibly persuasive, in my opinion, because he’s proving his point that Coca-Cola does not care about their consumer’s health; they are concerned about making money.
If there was a conventional list at the end of the article I would be less likely to click them, because now the article is over and I wouldn’t associate each link with the different parts of the article. Its effective to have it throughout the essay because you feel more compelled to click when you want to learn more. There’s advantages and disadvantages to both. Having the links throughout the article could throw the reader off or completely divert their attention away from the article itself. While if the links are at the end of the article, there is a chance of no attention being paid at all. The advantages are that if they are in the article they will be noticed, but if they are at the end they wont distract or annoy the reader.
I would not trust nutritional advice from the Coca-Cola company whatsoever. They are a company promoting sugary drinks, which plays a major role in obesity, especially for children that love their sugary sodas. These companies, such as Coca-Cola, should have no relation with health advocates at all. Even though it may seem that the two are working hand-in-hand they are striving for completely different goals. Coca-Cola’s main goal is to make profit, in any way that they can, and if they can do that by making it seem like they are promoting a good cause then it’s a win-win situation for them.
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Personally as sickening as I find this I am not surprised at all. At the end of the day, people are out to make money and they don’t care who or what they hurt as long as they make their profit. Anyone with a brain realizes that Coca Cola is bad for you especially over harmless water but they don’t mind spending money to speak out against water if it benefits them in the long term. Sad reality of today’s world, Bellati made great points but in the end I think the Giant companies will prevail.
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I believe that people should drink more water than soda. Soda breaks out your skin , it have allot of sodium & empty calories. Water is obviously more healthier than water. People should also drink more water because 36% of Americans are obesed. That’s why I think everyone should drink WATER.
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Coca-Cola has reached a new low. I do not agree with the fact that they are trying to push their product even more, putting money before health. Their profits were already doing more than well, now they are just being greedy and not caring of the possible consequences. Reading this article makes me look back at my last visits to restaurants, and I unknowingly experienced exactly what Bellati is talking about in this article. The waiters either asked which fountain drink we wanted or they talked about the special drinks of smoothies and iced teas, which I did not know Coca-Cola was part of. I feel like the restaurants that agree to push Coca-Cola products are taking advantage of their customers, and as a customer I do not appreciate being forced to buy a product. On the other hand, I agree with David Zinczenko and Radley Balko when in their essays they say we have responsibility in what we eat, we can say no. Coca-Cola clearly doesn’t care that their products have unhealthy effects on its consumers. It’s deceiving for them to then go and try to act like they now want to be apart of people’s nutrition, pretending to have people’s best interests at hand.
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If I were given nutritional advice from the Coca Cola company, I would listen. Just because a company sells beverages that are terrible for general health, that does not mean they do not know anything about health. I would be willing to wager that the owners off Coca Cola do not drink their product daily. In order to safeguard their consumers health, there is not much Coca Cola could do, except stop selling their drinks. It is well known that Coca Cola is bad for everyone’s health. It is addictive, high in sugar and carbs. It is a sure fire way to gain weight and it increases water retention, just to list a few side effects. Also, people who drink soda drink less water. Ultimately, water is the most important beverage there is. Coca Cola is not about to devalue their product for everyone’s health. They would lose money and what company wants to do
that? As long as Coca Cola is available for sale, people will buy the soda. It is up to each person to take care of their own health. It is not the responsibility of Coca Cola.
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Of course Coca-Cola is going to push for a hold on water. In a business they need to do everything in their power to keep their brand clean and desirable. Pushing their cola and tea products will generate revenue, but pushing the Coca-Cola owned brand Dasani, will give them just as much money. This fight isn’t up to the company, but to the consumers. Tap water is cost effective to the consumer but not to the firm. This does justify the push for bottled beverages but it doesn’t justify the need to sway customers viewpoints. If the customer wants tap water the server should be required to give tap water.
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Coca-Cola Company launched a program “Cap the Tap” for trying to supersede the tap water for huge potential profits. The Company suggests waitstaff “turn off the tap” and sale Coca-Cola profitable beverages and bottled water to their customers. In this campaign, Coca-Cola gives advices and guide to “educates crew and reminds them when and how to suggestively sell beverages”. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has talked its commitments to public health and enjoys positive publicity. The author believes that this is a perfect example of doublespeak and big food and big soda companies are really “good” at employing this strategy. Even executives of Coca-Cola stated they don’t believe in empty calories.
Usually I do not take these unhealthy soft beverages. Coke contains Caffeine, a lot of Carbohydrate and Phosphoric acid. When people drink up a bottle of Coke, that means they drink up all of above. They are going to hurt teeth, stomaches and nervous systems. Driven by the huge profits, a company will make various “stories” to confirms potential markets to pay for its products. Even though they seem like “friendly, safe and harmless”. I really double if a company plunge its hand into employees’ pockets and ask them to pay for what they don’t like even hate when the executives hire private doctors and throw money at health care products, how can the public believe this company’s health-oriented initiatives.
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Coca Cola is trying to promote change, and pushing for more people to drink water, but unfortunately doing it in the wrong way. Coca Cola is trying to make it seem that the only way to get health benefits from water is to purchase the big brand bottled water, preferably their own product Dasani, instead of tap water that you can get from a restaurant for free. Coca Cola is putting money and profits before the health of the people.
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Coca Cola is just like any corporation, buying and selling products that will sell. Many people would rather drink from a bottle than tap water out of a fountain or sink because of germs and disease that has always been cautioned to us from the health department. Coca Cola has been selling its products for years. Movie theaters are a great example. When you go to a movie theater, would you rather have a water cup and fill it from the water fountain? Or would you rather buy a bottle of water or Coke product? Most of you would say the latter. People are not going to stop buying their product if the Coca Cola Company says it is not as good for you as water. People are not unintelligent; they know that Coca Cola is not as good for you as water. We can blame the beverage and food companies all we want for how we look or eat. But in the end it is our own hands putting whatever the product is in our mouths.
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Coca-cola and water are two different types of drinks. There is no clear winner to which drink is better for you. Coca-cola tastes much better than water does on any day of the week. It is a free country and people should be able to choose and enjoy whatever they want to drink.
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The Coca Cola Company attempting to push the “cap the tap” campaign is just another very clever advertising scheme. Teaching servers to push products is very important in business in order to maximize profits in the quarter. Some people might say that this is wrong but at the end of the day who is making the decision to get tap water or a coca cola product. The consumer themselves make the decisions and help promote the company.
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Coca-Cola is a very profitable brand and has been for over a decade. It is not a surprise that they would want to be advertising and promoting their sugary drinks in all restaurants. Just like any business, Coca-Cola has signs, commercials and billboards in the effort to encourage people to buy their product. The fact that people are complaining about this corrupting their children is plain stupid. If someone doesn’t want their children to consume so much soda, make rules and say no. Parents make the rules and should be in control of what their children eat or drink and should not blame large corporations.
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Coca Cola can be considered a danger to human health. Health organizations want people to get off the soda craze and get on water. Water is essential to life, but it has a bland taste. Drinking just water for the rest of your life is not fun or entertaining. A person can eat healthy and drink water for the rest of his or her life, but he or she is still going to die.
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Coca-Cola is a widely known corporation, noticed worldwide and across the country. Coca-Cola’s brand name products are purchased everywhere; people are not going to stop buying these drinks. Trying to promote change among people by advertising their product in all restaurants will not create a drastic change in what people will consume. People will not switch their preference from water to coke just because they claim that soda is better for you than water.
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Coco-Cola’s “Cap the Tap” program was launched to take advantage of the potential profit that avoiding tap water could possibly create. Large companies like Coco-Cola have clearly proven that they are concerned only with their own profits. Coco-Cola has promoted good health to avoid heat from the public, yet continues to take advantage of us. Attacking restaurants and forcing the idea of a profit is an unfair disadvantage to those attempting to avoid soda and live a healthier lifestyle. Putting a price tag on water in restaurants goes to show that Coco-Cola has no boundaries where making money is concerned. Free water sometimes is the only reason guests drink water at restaurants. Today, any excuse for someone to drink water instead of soda is a beneficial one. Charging guests for water may make it even harder for the public to transform into a healthier America.
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I had no idea that this was a thing happening everyday in restaurant’s or anywhere in general. Yet, I am not surprised. The company Coca-Cola is known all around the world. I mean it is the biggest sponsor of the Olympics. They will do anything to sell their product or as in this case persuade people to buy it. What is so appalling about this is the fact that it’s not that they don’t want you drinking other products like Pepsi, it’s that they would rather you buy one of their drinks than get water. Nowadays we are having a huge problem, especially in the U.S. with sugar intake. My mom recently has taken away all unnatural sugar drinks in our house. Yet I am realizing I am having a very hard time not going after school and buying a coke. It is much harder for me when I go out to say I would like ice water, then when the server sits there and names every soda they provide. Especially with those new touch screen machines that gives me the option to chose from over one hundred and fifty drink choices. Diving deeper into this on those machines every drink option is bright with colors and bold letters and the water tab is in the bottom right corner gray and bland. Just looking at the fact it’s an option makes me turn away. People today should be drinking up to three to four bottles of water, and to be healthy probably more. This campaign from Coke is completely wrong, and more people should know it’s happening. So the next time you are stopping at a gas station and are really wanting to taste the bubbles of that carbonated, full of sugars and owned by a deceiving company, Coke. Think again and go grab a water, it may be one of the best changes you have made in a long time.
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Coca-Cola is a brand name that every person knows and that most people drink regularly. I understand they are a business that is trying to gain a profit but I don not think downgrading water, which makes up over 70% of our bodies, as a bad thing and that people should drink alternatives. When did the tables turn to where water is viewed as something you shouldn’t drink and soda is? they also address the issue of obesity; obesity is a rising issue that is becoming more and more of a problem but I do not understand how drinking soda over water will improve this. I do not think that Coca-Cola should continue with what they are doing with this advertising angle or whatever they choose to call it. Water is one of the healthiest things you can put in your body and they are trying to encourage people to not consume water and rather buy something more expensive and what most times is worse for them. We should be supporting more people drinking water not soda. it is every persons choice to drink soda, water, tea or whatever they want but I do not think tap water or any water in general should be frowned upon or seen as something that should be put to the wayside. Coca-Cola has done a very good job of keeping this hidden, I didn’t even know about it until this article. at the end of the day it is the parents choice to make rules for their children until they can make their own choices but water shouldn’t be downgraded or put to the wayside.
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Humans are made up of around 65% of water and water is crucial to survive. Coca-Cola has made claims to be healthy and even say the Diet coke is not bad for you, but unfortunately it is filled with many chemicals that are not beneficial in any way. The campaign “Cap The Tap” is simply a marketing business to try for their own water bottles and their soft drinks to be sold. Businesses are only concerned about their own products making it in the world and for them to get an abundance of sales. In every commercial or any type of advertising the coca- cola company makes you only see happy, smiling, and healthy people drinking their products. This paints a picture of joy and health; which in reality is wrong. Coke products are filled with sodium, sugar, carbohydrates, and caffeine. Nothing is healthy about any of their products (exception is the Dasani water)and more and more people should start to realize that. soda is one of the leading factors to our obesity, People SHOULD make a switch to tap water.
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It is not surprising that they are trying to sell more Coca-Cola products. However, “cap the tap” is not the way to approach it. Obesity is becoming very popular among many Americans, and the American people need to take control of the issue. However, when people are constantly being offered calorie filled drinks, it becomes hard to say no. I strongly believe that when you sit down a restaurant, water should be on the menu. This will most likely not happen though. Companies make more money when they sell you any drink besides water. As part of the American people, I believe that something should be done about this.
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Coca- Cola should not want to stop people from drinking water. By making this campaign it shows that they multi million dollar company just wants to make more money. In their claim they try to give evidence on why we should not drink tap water. I do not agree with them doing that because water is water and if a place is selling the water it must be healthy and clean enough for one to drink. Not only do drinking sodas add to the reasons why people are obese, the soda products also make the drinkers dehydrated which can lead to other health problems.
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The Coca-Cola “Cap The Tap” campaign proves that Coca-Cola cares a whole lot more about their profits than the well-being of their customers. People should be able to choose what they want to drink with their meal without having a sugary beverage shoved in their face. People should be switching to drinking water instead of switching to soda. Water is one of the most healthy things someone can drink! The human body is composed primarily of water and the average person needs to be drinking about eight cups a day of it. The fact that Coca-Cola is trying to get people from being healthy just to have a little more money in their pocket is ridiculous.
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I think Coca-cola is ridiculous for trying to convince people to stop drinking water, and drink coke instead. Every study ever done shows that coke is not a healthy drink option, and we know water is immensely more beneficial to our bodies. We can live without coke, but not without water. Coca-cola is being greedy and preferring profits over the health of citizens. They are the biggest soft drink provider in the world and they are receiving a bad reputation for the “Cap the Tap” movement.
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I understand the way Coca-Cola is trying to promote and sell more coke products, to make more money, but I feel like the health of the consumers should definitely be considered. However, it is the consumer who is choosing to drink soda when they have the option of water, so one cannot blame Coca-Cola for ones heath issues or obesity. I feel as if that overrides the idea of Coca-Cola being concerned about heath, because that company is choosing what we put in our bodies, it is just promoting it.
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The “cap the tap” campaign is just another clever scheme for Coca-Cola to make money. Not suggesting water and suggesting Coke products instead is another way for them to make obscene amounts of money of the restaurants. They claim to be promoting good health yet they still push for us consumers to purchase one of the the most abused sugary substance used today, soda. This proves the Coca-Cola cares more about profits than their own consumers. All they see is us as potential money that could be lost by us trying to make healthier decisions.Coca-Cola should focus more on the occasional drinkers, like me, that drink a Coke maybe once a month and stop worrying about just money. What happened to all the commercials where everyone is happy as they enjoy a nice Coke?
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Coca-Cola is a major brand name for soft drinks, water, and refreshments in general. Coca-Cola has been trying to keep their number one title for quite some time due to them being number one for about 17 years. Their beneficial programs do, indeed; help with creating an eco-friendly economy and environment for many, but the idea of them taking over the industry is something I wouldn’t be too keen on. I have personally been experiencing the tastes and enrichments of Coca-Cola refreshments since I was a little kid. Making the “Cap the Tap” program does help save money for many companies, but by them replacing tap water with bottled water or at least pushing people to buy water instead of getting the same type of water from tap water. Both types of waters are the same and do the same idea; the gist of it is that they are both healthier forms of refreshments compared to soft drink, which ruins someone’s insides. I don’t believe that Coca-Cola should monopolize the refreshment industry at all because that is just immorally incorrect. In the United States, we the people believe that no company should ever monopolize a particular industry that is why the government of the United States has a law against monopolization.
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Water can not simply be replaced by a sugar-filled beverage like a Coca-Cola. Water is crucial to humans and our survival. Obesity is a major issue in the United States and “Cap the Tap” does not help with the issue. Encouraging restaurants to sell sodas or other beverages other than water is absurd. The profit of Coca-Cola beverages should not have more importance than the health of the citizens of our country. Take in the price of sodas at restaurants in our time, tap water is a more reasonable option, health and price wise.
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“Cap The Tap” does not seem like a reasonable campaign. The Coca-Cola company want to reduce the intake of tap water and increase the intake of either Dasani water or Coca-Cola products. This may help but not too much. Obesity is one of America’s biggest problems and trying to promote people to drink more soda that is high in calories and sugar is not the best way to do it. Restaurants should not give free refills because that will increase American’s soda intake. They should only be serving water bottles and soda to those customers who want it.
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Coca-Cola is a brand name that is known around the world. Some people love their products, and they always will. Nothing will change that. Coca-Cola makes billions of dollars every year, and using this “Cap the Tap” campaign to stop restaurants from selling tap water to its customers will not significantly increase their profits. Most customers, if they are told they cannot get tap water, will walk out and leave the restaurant. Some children and adults cannot have sugar or caffeine and should not be told they cannot get anything to drink. Not a single person should ever be forced to turn away from a restaurant. Water should not be rejected; it is healthy and needs to be promoted more. Coca-Cola says their profits will increase; however, I think restaurant businesses will decrease in their profits if this campaign continues. As a result, the Coca-Cola business will then suffer a decrease in profits.
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Coca-Cola is a large company that’s goal is to make money. In order to do this, of course they are going to push their product being served over water. However, just because they are informing their product and advertising in this way, does not mean the consumer has to choose their product. I am my own person; therefore, I make my own decisions. If I want water, I will order water and not be influenced by the waiter pushing me to get a coke product.
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Coca-Cola is a very big company that sells popular beverages.This “Cap the Tap” campaign is kind of absurd;whether in a restaurant or in the comfort of ones’ home;people will drink tap water if they choose to.This is just another tactic that the Coca-Cola company has conjured up to sell more products.If people don’t want to drink soda then he or she shouldn’t be pressured into choosing one at restaurant,but people also shouldn’t be frowned upon for wanting a glass of soda;it’s their lives at stake not yours.Therefore it doesn’t really make sense to me as to why they should remove tap water its not really hurting anyone; either way Coca-Cola still makes profits in stores, fast-food chains etc.
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Coca-Cola’s “Cap the Tap” campaign is just another way for the massive multi-billion dollar company to increase their profits even by the slightest amount. Though their gesture is meant to promote a healthier lifestyle, they forget that Coca-Cola is filled with many different chemicals in addition to the high amount of sugar put in to make the drink taste good. If someone was to try to keep a healthy lifestyle, the most logical choice is to drink tap water. But a coke from time to time wouldn’t hurt, unless you go overboard with it. In the end, it’s really up to the consumer to decide the drink that best fits them.
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This is very clever by the advertising team at Coca-Cola, but delivers dire consequences to a consumer. Many try to avoid the high sugar drinks, and promoting the selling of them when someone doesn’t want one to begin with is something I never knew.
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Coca-Cola is trying to gain profit, they claim to be apart of so many health programs and promote good gealth yet they downgrade tap water. Water is 70% of a humanbody. They would rather a customcustomer to buy their bottle water to gain profit. Coca-Cola I’d a business and a business will do anything to raise revenue.
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Coca-Cola is a large name-brand company who, like other competing companies, has one purpose: to make a profit. Coca-Cola is a company that is widely known for producing and distributing soda. Coca-Cola produces Dasani, a brand of water. While water is healthy for you, no one source (of clean water) is better for you than another. Coca-Cola wants people to buy their water, because they gain from it. If customers buy tap water, a free source of water, Coca-Cola does not profit from it. This new “Cap the Tap” campaign is a step in working towards getting more money for Coca-Cola. I don’t think companies like Coca-Cola should play a role in their customers’ health because they aren’t concerned with the health of their customers, but with the amount of money their customers can give them.
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I don’t understand Coca-Cola is under such heat. Of course they want people to drink their product; forcing chained resturants or any resturant to sell Coca-Cola is just a way for them to increase their sales. Coca-Cola is a business and a business will do anything to insure that they get as much income as possible, instead of looking down on them for trying, the resturants should be considered since they allow this “Cap on Tap” to occur. In addition, I have never had a waiter discourage me from drinking water and all of the resturants I’ve been to don’t have a price on water. This reasoning is because there is not a single resturant that is obligated to sell soft drinks, and why would they if buying the original product would cost more then selling it out to customers–It is a perfect example of supply and demand. All in all, every person has their own ablilty to choice what goes into his or her body, and if he/she wants to drink tap water they will regardless of the price. I suppose society should look down on Coca-Cola for its poor marketig choices, but at the same time realize that this company isn’t doing anything illegal–unnecessary–but not illegal.
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How low can Coca-cola go? Coke is a popular beverage company that usually portrays happiness, joy, and laughter in its commercials. Even though this may be true, in reality, Coca-Cola is rotten to the core. A company willing to maximize its profits by offering free Coke refills in restaurants. In compensation, restaurants must abolish tap water. A campaign referred to as ” Cap the Tap.” With that being said, Coke tries to prioritize drinking coke over tap water, saying that it has empty calories. However, it contains sodium, sugar, carbohydrates, and caffeine. Ingredients that are unhealthy to the body. No beverage is considered more healthy to the consumer than water. This campaign will only damage Coke’s reputation and decrease profits. Nobody can confine anyone to drink or what not to drink. It’s up to the consumers to make their decision: to drink water or Coke, not Coke’s!
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Coca-Cola has one legitimate role in public nutrition programs and that is feed people unhealthy crap that will make them fat. Coca cola tries to convince the people that coke isn’t bad with advertisement on television, paying people look like they actually enjoy coke. I would pretend like I like coke for dollar bills too if the price is right, but in my opinion it tastes like bubbly poop,and i don’t think anyone would ever trust the coca-cola company that coke is actually good for you I mean they put cocaine in coke in the early years coca-cola was made.
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In Bellati article, “Coca-Cola’s Assault on Tap Water”, he brings to light the campaign “Cap the Tap” produced by Coca-Cola. He, Bellati, explains that Coca-Cola suggested restaurants train their employees to offer consumers drinks that bring in more profits, hinting, any drink except tap water. He even goes into more detail about how the employees received guidebooks and posters on how to sell profitable drinks. Employees were even competing to see who could sell the most Coca-Cola products. Towards the end, Bellati expounds on his findings. He reveals his problem; not only is coca cola just wanting to make money, but also promoting two sides. On one side, the company is all for wanting people to be healthy, on the other the campaign “cap the tap” is making it more difficult for people to obtain water, one of the healthiest beverages for people to consume.
Bellati clearly makes his point how coca colas double standards is not acceptable, and I agree to a point. During the middle of his article, he states, “It should not come as a surprise that the food and beverage industry will do whatever it can to maximize profits.” I completely agree with this statements and I believe that the people who get affected by this “cap the tap” should really look to his or herself. Yes I get the fact that coca cola is not all “for the people’s health” as it seems, but in the end if that person, whoever he or she is, really wanted to become healthy no matter what Coca-Cola was doing if he/she wanted tap water and a salad the waiter would have brought tap water and a salad. I don’t feel its right to blame advertisement for unhealthy eating, people need to realize that big name companies want the best of two worlds money and to help ,but sadly the money just may come first. For that, people have to look within, be strong, bypass all the good-looking sodas, and order water.
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Robert makes a great point concerning the greed that Coca-Cola is displaying through the “Cap the Tap” program. It is quite clear that this is a business strategy employed by Coca-Cola in order to bring in more revenue. It is also quite clear that this program will be detrimental to the obesity epidemic that has continues to grow in our society. While I concede that Robert is right concerning obesity and the health risks to drinking soda, I must insist that Coca-Cola has simply created a strategic campaign in order to bring in more revenue. The company is not personally trying to increase the obesity epidemic, they are simply trying to increase profits, which is simply business. Therefore, I must say that by only focusing on the health of consumers, Robert overlooks the deeper reason behind the “Cap the Tap” campaign, which is the overall financial welfare of a company near and dear to the hearts of so many Americans.
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I would have to agree with most of the comments left on this thread. Coca-Cola is a huge corporation that has control over much of what we eat and drink, which is why this article really did not surprise me. There efforts to try to increase their sales of Coke products is really quite pathetic. So much research has come out to show that these sugary, chemically-filled, carbonated drinks are detrimental to health and obesity (and obesity-related diseases) is such a major public health issue in America. Coca-cola also trying to maximize their own profits by selling their other products like bottled water and diet sodas, which is also very wrong. The production and disposal of the plastic water bottles and the extraction of spring water versus tap water causes environmental degradation. Diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners, like aspartame, which are proven to cause neurological damage. What we need is more advocating of the benefits of drinking water and the consumer needs the awareness to make the right decision of what they are buying.
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This article covers precisely why I feel that consumers deserve to be able to sue large corporations that provide these unhealthy foods. While publicly saying the right words, their actions are vastly opposed to what they are say. Even if we know the main motivation of a corporation is to drive profits, we still do not have to allow them to outright lie in the process of it. The days of snake oil salesmen are suppose to be behind us and as a society we need to punish those who engage in these practices. The fact that they pack known addictive substances into the products on purpose may even make this a criminal enterprise. In a country that promotes and expects personal responsibility, why would we allow corporations to skirt these obligations we put upon ourselves?
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In this article Coca-Cola’s Assault on Tap Water written by Andy Bellatti in 2013 opened my eyes to the vicious assault on me the consumer by marketers. As I was reading this article various things popped out at me like the posters in the break room about how to transform you and your waiters’ apron into a Coca-Cola sales representative is just jaw dropping. Despite these facts I don’t believe that all fault is resting on Coca-Cola adding to my prior knowledge about marketing and business I believe that Coca-Cola, affiliates and merchandisers are not looking in their own interests but looking out for what is most profitable for the business that they are in. Putting up posters and training staff about the principals of selling drinks are all a choice not forced.
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The article shows how big companies try every angle to make a profit. Coca Cola teamed up with Michelle Obama to encourage kids to drink more water but were also running a program that discouraged ordering water at restaurants. Empty calorie soft drinks like soda are big contributors to the obesity problem and the actual companies will not make real changes to their products or policies if it involves hurting their profits.
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