Coca-Cola’s “Hilltop” ad was all the rage in 1971. Recently, it had an epic resurgence in popular culture, thanks to the Mad Men series finale.
But while the ad features a world of peace, love and racial harmony thanks to the power of soda, a consumer advocacy group has remade the famous commercial to show the reality of sharing a Coke.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a group that describes itself as “a strong advocate for nutrition and health, food safety, and sound science,” brought together people with various health maladies caused by sugar and soda consumption.
“I’d like to teach the world to sing/In perfect harmony. I’d like to buy the world a drink/that doesn’t cause disease,” the participants sing in the ad, which is being promoted with the hashtag #ChangeTheTune.
Some people have criticized the ad on Twitter for blaming conditions like hypertension and diabetes solely on people drinking soda, which they say ignores the complex roots of such diseases. But overall, the response to the dramatic ad has been overwhelmingly positive.
https://twitter.com/photofeeshie/status/613690528710836224
It's time youth change their twitter culture. Use it as a platform to connect and change with the world #changethetune and #startnetworking
— Courtney Jade Dowdal (@CjDowdal) June 23, 2015
https://twitter.com/hynhdvd/status/613497848345305088
As the ad points out, “sugary drinks are the single largest source of calories in the American diet.” So while the approach might be a bit in-your-face, it’s definitely sparked a conversation worth having.
Screengrab via CSPI/YouTube