Marketing

Keller Graduate School of Management

Class: Legal, Political, and Ethical Dimensions of Business

Professor: Pamela Aurelian

Assignment: Week 6

Author: Walid Billel Boubguira

Introduction:

No matter what junk science the global corporations are trying to push, there's always a long list of scientists, doctors and journalists ready to accept some payola money to spread their propaganda. The latest example comes from the Coca-Cola company, which paid "fitness and nutrition experts" to place pro-Coke articles in over 1,000 news websites (including major newspapers) to position Coca-Cola as a "healthy snack."

Coca Cola Vitamin Water confusion:

The example in the video was a little bit old because Coca Cola got sued over their deceptive advertising of the vitamin water in 2009, linking it to health benefits which was completely false and misleading to their customers and consumers everywhere. The Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a class action lawsuit on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of plaintiff James Koh and all other Californians who have purchased VitaminWater because of its purported nutritional value. They alleged that Coca-Cola engages in deceptive advertising by advertising and labeling VitaminWater flavors with names including “energy,” “power-c,” “balance,” “focus”, “endurance,” “essential” and “b-relaxed.” And have made tons of profits based on fooling people. The lawsuit charges the beverage manufacturer with unlawful business acts and practices, fraudulent business acts and practices, misleading and deceptive advertising, untrue advertising, fraud, deceit and/or misrepresentation and unjust enrichment. The class has asked the court for declaratory and injunctive relief, compensatory damages and punitive damages.

In late December, Coca-Cola was chastised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its marketing of Diet Coke Plus, a soft drink fortified with extra vitamins. The...