ParticipACTION's Kelly Murumets explains their
partnership with Coca Cola
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ParticipACTION's Kelly Murumets accepting her
Live Positively Award from Coca Cola's Nikos Koumettis
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I've blogged about it many times before, but recently the Ottawa Citizen's Joanne Laucius decided to tackle the oxymoron that is the ParticipACTION/Coca-Cola partnership.
The deal Coca Cola made with ParticpACTION is worth $5,000,000 over 5 years. Hardly a huge amount of money to be partnered up with one of the most recognizable and well respected brands in Canada. In fact I'd venture that companies would have been lined up out the door trying to attach themselves to ParticipACTION's heritage brand coattails.
But apparently ParticipACTION was picky. They didn't want to partner with just anybody, they wanted to partner with Coca Cola. ParticipACTION's President and Coca Cola award recipient Kelly Murumets calls Coca Cola, "a responsible, effective partner". Never mind the fact that improving Coca-Cola's brand image will help to sell sugar sweetened beverages - a causal factor in childhood obesity. Never mind the fact that Coca-Cola and ParticipACTION's recent co-branded advertising campaign purposely misdirects people about calories. Coca-Cola knows what kids want (sugar-sweetened beverages?) and so they're the perfect partner?
How so Kelly?
"If we had partnered with
an insurance company, we would not get kids' attention and get commitment to
behaviour change"
Why not?
Doesn't ParticipACTION have the brand awareness necessary to make advertising
headway?
According to Laucius' article, ParticipACTION's own partnership strategy document spells out what's in it for Coke,
According to Laucius' article, ParticipACTION's own partnership strategy document spells out what's in it for Coke,
"an
effective partnership will leverage and extend each partner's assets (and
partnerships) will further your own mission, but will also offer a return on
investment for your partner organization."
So while
ParticipACTION is as unlikely to impact on childhood obesity rates this time
around as last (during the original 30 year reign
of ParticipACTION childhood obesity rates rose by nearly 300%), one thing they'll certainly be
able to do. They'll be able to offer Coca-Cola a return on their investment.
Translation?
ParticipACTION will help Coca Cola sell more Coke.
Translation?
ParticipACTION will help Coca Cola sell more Coke.
Citation:
(Not the Onion) Canadian Government Teaming Up with
Donut Giant Tim Horton's To Fight Diabetes
Who
better to team up with than a national doughnut chain to tackle the increasingly
pressing issue of diabetes prevention among Canada's First Nations' youth?
The announcement, made by Health Minister Leonna Aglukkaq, details the launch of what they're calling, "Play for Prevention" which in turn no doubt will put the focus on exercise as the preventative medicine, and not of course on the fast food culture that permeates society as a whole. That's not to say that exercise can't help, but I'm fairly certain that in the history of public health interventions there has never been one that has been proven to have led to a long term significant and sustained increase in activity among teenagers (or anyone else for that matter).
It's a brilliant move for Tim Horton's of course. For the ridiculously low price of just over $72,000 Tim Horton's partnership with the Canadian government makes it far less likely that we will see such initiatives as the establishment of zoning laws that would prevent Tim Horton's franchises from setting up shop within a certain distance of schools, or hard hitting public health messaging focused on getting Canadians out of restaurants and fast food establishments as a whole. It will also undoubtedly be utilized in the fight against mandatory menu board calorie labeling as proof positive of Tim Horton's and the restaurant industry being "part of the solution".
And fellow Canadians get ready for many more such partnerships as the Harper government has decided that these partnerships are the cornerstone and future of quality public health interventions and has formally put out a request for many more of them.
[Hat tip to Twitter's Robert Ablenas for kicking my way.]
The announcement, made by Health Minister Leonna Aglukkaq, details the launch of what they're calling, "Play for Prevention" which in turn no doubt will put the focus on exercise as the preventative medicine, and not of course on the fast food culture that permeates society as a whole. That's not to say that exercise can't help, but I'm fairly certain that in the history of public health interventions there has never been one that has been proven to have led to a long term significant and sustained increase in activity among teenagers (or anyone else for that matter).
It's a brilliant move for Tim Horton's of course. For the ridiculously low price of just over $72,000 Tim Horton's partnership with the Canadian government makes it far less likely that we will see such initiatives as the establishment of zoning laws that would prevent Tim Horton's franchises from setting up shop within a certain distance of schools, or hard hitting public health messaging focused on getting Canadians out of restaurants and fast food establishments as a whole. It will also undoubtedly be utilized in the fight against mandatory menu board calorie labeling as proof positive of Tim Horton's and the restaurant industry being "part of the solution".
And fellow Canadians get ready for many more such partnerships as the Harper government has decided that these partnerships are the cornerstone and future of quality public health interventions and has formally put out a request for many more of them.
[Hat tip to Twitter's Robert Ablenas for kicking my way.]
ParticipACTION partnership with Coke draws critics
CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Friday, June 22, 2012 3:18PM EDT
Last Updated Friday, June 22, 2012 3:23PM EDT
Published Friday, June 22, 2012 3:18PM EDT
Last Updated Friday, June 22, 2012 3:23PM EDT
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One of Canada’s most famous fitness enthusiasts is speaking out against a partnership between ParticipACTION—the national non-profit organization that promotes healthy living and physical activity—and Coca-Cola.The two partnered to create SOGO Active, a national physical activity program designed for youth.
The campaign asks young Canadians to pledge to complete a challenge involving physical activity online, and complete the challenge.
Hal Johnson, longtime host of ParticipACTION’s Body Break public service announcements, criticized the partnership in a tweet on Friday.
Reports indicate the deal between ParticipACTION and the world’s most popular soft drink manufacturer is worth $5 million over five years.
“I am disappointed that ParticipACTION has partnered with Coke, it doesn't fit no matter how much money they are getting,” read the tweet.
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Ottawa University professor and obesity expert Yoni Freedhoff sounded off on the partnership on his blog, Weighty Matters.
Freedhoff slammed the way Coca-Cola was described by ParticipACTION President Kelly Murumet.
In the past, Murumet has called Coca-Cola “a responsible, effective partner.”
In the end, the partnership between the two will not improve the health of Canada’s youth, wrote Freedhoff.
Health Canada estimates that in the last 25 years, childhood obesity rates have nearly tripled. Studies have shown a link between the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity.
To help children maintain a healthy body weight, the Canada Food Guide recommends limiting the amount of sweetened drinks consumed by children.
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