The Coke Machine (48 page)
Authors: Michael Blanding
Page 91 National Soft Drink Association fought back . . . lost revenue:
Nestle, 210-211.
Nestle, 210-211.
Page 91 “the company puts profit”:
U.S. Senate Report 103-300, Better Nutrition and Health for Children Act of 1994, 103rd Congress, 2nd Session, July 1, 1994.
U.S. Senate Report 103-300, Better Nutrition and Health for Children Act of 1994, 103rd Congress, 2nd Session, July 1, 1994.
Page 91 so-called pouring-rights contracts . . . paid to the facility:
Howard Goodman, “One-Cola Pitch Sells on Campus,”
Philadelphia Inquirer
, July 31, 1994; Chris Roush, “Pepsi Deal Breaks Coca-Cola’s NFL Monopoly,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, August 4, 1995.
Howard Goodman, “One-Cola Pitch Sells on Campus,”
Philadelphia Inquirer
, July 31, 1994; Chris Roush, “Pepsi Deal Breaks Coca-Cola’s NFL Monopoly,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, August 4, 1995.
Page 91 Woodland Hills, Pennsylvania, for example:
“School News,”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
, April 21, 1994.
“School News,”
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
, April 21, 1994.
Page 91 Sam Barlow High School:
“Pepsi, Please,”
Oregonian
(Portland), October 30, 1998.
“Pepsi, Please,”
Oregonian
(Portland), October 30, 1998.
Page 92 contract in DeKalb County:
Elizabeth Lee, “School Lunches: Good Choices? Soft Drink Sales Provide Big Revenues, Little Nutrition,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, May 5, 2003.
Elizabeth Lee, “School Lunches: Good Choices? Soft Drink Sales Provide Big Revenues, Little Nutrition,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, May 5, 2003.
Page 92 “Coke Dude”:
John Bushey, “District 11’s Coke Problem,”
Harper’s
, February 1, 1999; Constance L. Hays, “Today’s Lesson: Soda Rights,”
New York Times
, May 21, 1999; Schlosser,
Fast Food Nation,
56-57.
John Bushey, “District 11’s Coke Problem,”
Harper’s
, February 1, 1999; Constance L. Hays, “Today’s Lesson: Soda Rights,”
New York Times
, May 21, 1999; Schlosser,
Fast Food Nation,
56-57.
Page 92 Coke sweetened the pot . . . “They have become”:
Sherri Day, “Coke Moves with Caution to Remain in Schools,”
New York Times
, September 3, 2003.
Sherri Day, “Coke Moves with Caution to Remain in Schools,”
New York Times
, September 3, 2003.
Page 92 former college athletic director:
Marc Kaufman, “Health Advocates Sound Alarm As Schools Strike Deals with Coke and Pepsi,”
Washington Post
, March 23, 1999.
Marc Kaufman, “Health Advocates Sound Alarm As Schools Strike Deals with Coke and Pepsi,”
Washington Post
, March 23, 1999.
Page 93 DeRose would agree to speak:
Dan DeRose, e-mail to the author.
Dan DeRose, e-mail to the author.
Page 93 “My basic philosophy”:
Billie Stanton, “Are Ad-Splashed Schools Selling Out Our Kids?”
Denver Post
, November 28, 1999.
Billie Stanton, “Are Ad-Splashed Schools Selling Out Our Kids?”
Denver Post
, November 28, 1999.
Page 93 one signed by Cicero-North Syracuse High School:
Ross Getman, interview by the author; Lori Duffy, “C-NS Gets a Taste of Coke-Fueled Stadium; Coca-Cola, Taxpayers Would Fund $5.5m Complex,”
Post-Standard
(Syracuse, NY), July 14, 1998.
Ross Getman, interview by the author; Lori Duffy, “C-NS Gets a Taste of Coke-Fueled Stadium; Coca-Cola, Taxpayers Would Fund $5.5m Complex,”
Post-Standard
(Syracuse, NY), July 14, 1998.
Page 93 with the help of the president of the state assembly:
Michael Bragman, “Coke-School Agreement Good Deal for Taxpayers,”
Post-Standard
(Syracuse, NY), August 3, 1998.
Michael Bragman, “Coke-School Agreement Good Deal for Taxpayers,”
Post-Standard
(Syracuse, NY), August 3, 1998.
Page 93 two fully stocked Coke machines:
Amber Smith, “First Impressions: Bragmans Prepare Their Home to Host a Barbecue with Hillary Clinton,”
Post-Standard
(Syracuse, NY), July 8, 1999.
Amber Smith, “First Impressions: Bragmans Prepare Their Home to Host a Barbecue with Hillary Clinton,”
Post-Standard
(Syracuse, NY), July 8, 1999.
Page 93 2-cent-per-container soda tax . . . reelection campaigns:
Kevin Sack, “How Albany Works, Lesson 1: Lobbying, the Beverage Industry Pushes Hard for a Tax Break, and Succeeds,”
New York Times
, June 12, 1995; Erik Kriss, “Bragman Holds Largest Larder in the Region; Election Reports Disclose Donations to New York Candidates,”
Post-Standard
(Syracuse, NY), July 24, 1998; Jacqueline Arnold and Jim Emmons, “Cola Wars Loom for CNY School Districts; Liverpool and North Syracuse Are Putting Together Million-Dollar Deals with Coca-Cola,”
Post-Standard
(Syracuse, NY), April 13, 1998.
Kevin Sack, “How Albany Works, Lesson 1: Lobbying, the Beverage Industry Pushes Hard for a Tax Break, and Succeeds,”
New York Times
, June 12, 1995; Erik Kriss, “Bragman Holds Largest Larder in the Region; Election Reports Disclose Donations to New York Candidates,”
Post-Standard
(Syracuse, NY), July 24, 1998; Jacqueline Arnold and Jim Emmons, “Cola Wars Loom for CNY School Districts; Liverpool and North Syracuse Are Putting Together Million-Dollar Deals with Coca-Cola,”
Post-Standard
(Syracuse, NY), April 13, 1998.
Page 93 standing next to Bragman . . . money for the stadium:
Duffy, “C-NS Gets a Taste of Coke-Fueled Stadium.”
Duffy, “C-NS Gets a Taste of Coke-Fueled Stadium.”
Page 94 written up in Coke’s hometown newspaper:
Jennifer Brett, “Corporate Partnership: Cash Strapped Schools Ponder Sponsorships,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, January 21, 1999.
Jennifer Brett, “Corporate Partnership: Cash Strapped Schools Ponder Sponsorships,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, January 21, 1999.
Page 94 school districts from Portland . . . to Edison:
Kaufman, “Health Advocates Sound Alarm As Schools Strike Deals with Coke and Pepsi.”
Kaufman, “Health Advocates Sound Alarm As Schools Strike Deals with Coke and Pepsi.”
Page 94 92 percent of high schools . . . 43 percent of elementary schools:
Elizabeth Becker and Marian Burros, “Eat Your Vegetables? Only at a Few Schools,”
New York Times
, January 13, 2003; C. Miller et al., “Nutrition Services and Foods and Beverages Available at School: Results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000,”
Journal of School Health
71 (2001), 313-324.
Elizabeth Becker and Marian Burros, “Eat Your Vegetables? Only at a Few Schools,”
New York Times
, January 13, 2003; C. Miller et al., “Nutrition Services and Foods and Beverages Available at School: Results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000,”
Journal of School Health
71 (2001), 313-324.
Page 94 “If a high school student drinks a Coke”:
Cardello, 109.
Cardello, 109.
Page 94 targeted kids with special come-ons:
Allen, 207; Pendergrast, 203.
Allen, 207; Pendergrast, 203.
Page 94 “children under 6 or 7 years old ”:
Dietz, 127; Watters, 229.
Dietz, 127; Watters, 229.
Page 95 babies recognize brands:
Daniel S. Acuff and Robert H. Reiher,
Kidnapped: How Irresponsible Marketers Are Stealing the Minds of Your Children
(Chicago: Dearborn, 2005), 71; Susan Gregory Thomas,
Buy, Buy Baby: How Consumer Culture Manipulates Parents and Harms Young Minds
(Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007), 5.
Daniel S. Acuff and Robert H. Reiher,
Kidnapped: How Irresponsible Marketers Are Stealing the Minds of Your Children
(Chicago: Dearborn, 2005), 71; Susan Gregory Thomas,
Buy, Buy Baby: How Consumer Culture Manipulates Parents and Harms Young Minds
(Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2007), 5.
Page 95 “With soft drink consumption”:
Steve Matthews, “Connecticut May Ban Soft Drinks in Schools on Obesity Concern,” Bloomberg News, May 25, 2005.
Steve Matthews, “Connecticut May Ban Soft Drinks in Schools on Obesity Concern,” Bloomberg News, May 25, 2005.
Page 95 “collectors’ items”:
Allan Petretti,
Petretti’s Coca-Cola Collectibles Price Guide
, 10th ed. (Dubuque, IA: Antique Trader Books, 1997).
Allan Petretti,
Petretti’s Coca-Cola Collectibles Price Guide
, 10th ed. (Dubuque, IA: Antique Trader Books, 1997).
Page 95 “You take any character that is cute”:
Daniel Acuff, interview by the author.
Daniel Acuff, interview by the author.
Page 95 originally intended for teens or adults:
Juliet B. Schor,
Born to Buy
(New York: Scribner, 2004), 40.
Juliet B. Schor,
Born to Buy
(New York: Scribner, 2004), 40.
Page 95 helped foment the concept of “product placement”:
Scott Leith, “Coke Leads Push to Place Products in Movies, TV,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, October 29, 2000.
Scott Leith, “Coke Leads Push to Place Products in Movies, TV,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, October 29, 2000.
Page 95 “ludicrously conspicuous”:
Tom Shales, “‘Young Americans’: WB’s Summer Fling,”
Washington Post
, July 12, 2000.
Tom Shales, “‘Young Americans’: WB’s Summer Fling,”
Washington Post
, July 12, 2000.
Page 95 sponsorship of the runaway television hit . . . “35- to 64-[year-olds]”:
Theresa Howard, “Real Winner of ‘American Idol’: Coke,”
USA Today
, September 9, 2002.
Theresa Howard, “Real Winner of ‘American Idol’: Coke,”
USA Today
, September 9, 2002.
Page 96 brokered a $150 million deal:
Olinka Koster, “Harry Potter Author’s Coca-Cola Deal,”
The Advertiser
, October 19, 2001.
Olinka Koster, “Harry Potter Author’s Coca-Cola Deal,”
The Advertiser
, October 19, 2001.
Page 96 Coke wouldn’t appear . . . Minute Maid juices, and Hi-C:
“CSPI Says Coke Deal Makes ‘Chamber of Secrets’ More Like ‘Chamber of Commerce,’” U.S. Newswire, October 24, 2002.
“CSPI Says Coke Deal Makes ‘Chamber of Secrets’ More Like ‘Chamber of Commerce,’” U.S. Newswire, October 24, 2002.
Page 96 “Kids love Harry Potter”:
Greg Hassell, “Marketing Column,”
Houston Chronicle
, October 10, 2001.
Greg Hassell, “Marketing Column,”
Houston Chronicle
, October 10, 2001.
Page 96 “The target is really”:
Scott Leith, “Analyst Criticizes Coke’s Marketing Efforts,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, June 14, 2001.
Scott Leith, “Analyst Criticizes Coke’s Marketing Efforts,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, June 14, 2001.
Page 96 second-highest-grossing film at the time
:
Brian Fuson, “Warner Reaps More Magic from Potter: $88mil Bow,”
Hollywood Reporter
, November 19, 2002.
:
Brian Fuson, “Warner Reaps More Magic from Potter: $88mil Bow,”
Hollywood Reporter
, November 19, 2002.
Page 96 most successful campaign of the year:
Scott Leith, “Coca-Cola Confident of ‘Harry Potter’ Benefits,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, February 1, 2002.
Scott Leith, “Coca-Cola Confident of ‘Harry Potter’ Benefits,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, February 1, 2002.
Page 96 eighty-five of them between 2001 and 2009 . . .
Enchanted:
BrandChannel, Movie Product Placement,
http://www.brandchannel.com/brandcameo_brands.asp?all_year=all_year#brand_list
.
Enchanted:
BrandChannel, Movie Product Placement,
http://www.brandchannel.com/brandcameo_brands.asp?all_year=all_year#brand_list
.
Page 96 leap to online advertising . . . 100,000 visitors a month:
Louise Story, “Coke Promotes Itself in a New Virtual World,”
New York Times
, December 7, 2007; author visit to CCMetro.
Louise Story, “Coke Promotes Itself in a New Virtual World,”
New York Times
, December 7, 2007; author visit to CCMetro.
Page 97 Domac and her students . . . keeps the figures:
Domac, interview by the author.
Domac, interview by the author.
Page 98 ban on soda in the entire Los Angeles:
Helen Gao, “Soda Ban May Burst Bubble; LAUSD Students Could Be the un-Pepsi generation,”
Daily News
(Los Angeles), August 26, 2002.
Helen Gao, “Soda Ban May Burst Bubble; LAUSD Students Could Be the un-Pepsi generation,”
Daily News
(Los Angeles), August 26, 2002.
Page 98 data from a new UCLA study:
Gao, “Soda Ban May Burst Bubble.”
Gao, “Soda Ban May Burst Bubble.”
Page 99 threatening to pull its sponsorship:
Gao, “Soda Ban May Burst Bubble.”
Gao, “Soda Ban May Burst Bubble.”
Page 99 unanimously voted to cut their contract:
Helen Gao, “Last Sip for Campus Sodas; School Board Bans Soft-Drink Sales,”
Daily News
(Los Angeles), August 28, 2002; Erika Hayasaki, “Schools to End Soda Sales; L.A. Unified: The Soft Drinks Won’t Be Allowed on Campuses Starting in 2004. They May Be Replaced by More Healthful Beverages,”
Los Angeles Times
, August 28, 2002.
Helen Gao, “Last Sip for Campus Sodas; School Board Bans Soft-Drink Sales,”
Daily News
(Los Angeles), August 28, 2002; Erika Hayasaki, “Schools to End Soda Sales; L.A. Unified: The Soft Drinks Won’t Be Allowed on Campuses Starting in 2004. They May Be Replaced by More Healthful Beverages,”
Los Angeles Times
, August 28, 2002.
Page 99 spawning similar resolutions:
“School Ad Backlash,”
Denver Post
, October 1, 2000.
“School Ad Backlash,”
Denver Post
, October 1, 2000.
Page 99 “This is like using a squirt gun”:
Daniel B. Wood, “A Farewell to Fizz from LA Lunchrooms,”
Christian Science Monitor
, August 30, 2002.
Daniel B. Wood, “A Farewell to Fizz from LA Lunchrooms,”
Christian Science Monitor
, August 30, 2002.
Page 99 “it’s the couch, not the can”:
Sherri Williams, “More Limits Sought on Soda Sales in Schools,”
Columbus Dispatch
, January 9, 2004.
Sherri Williams, “More Limits Sought on Soda Sales in Schools,”
Columbus Dispatch
, January 9, 2004.
Page 99 “Step with It!”:
“Coca-Cola: The Bottom Line,” Datamonitor, July 19, 2002.
“Coca-Cola: The Bottom Line,” Datamonitor, July 19, 2002.
Page 100 praise from . . . Tommy Thompson:
Scott Leith, “Atlanta-Based CCE Takes on Critics, Defends Soft-Drink Sales in Schools,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, April 6, 2003.
Scott Leith, “Atlanta-Based CCE Takes on Critics, Defends Soft-Drink Sales in Schools,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, April 6, 2003.
Page 100 Coke reportedly “donated” $200,000:
Melanie Warner, “Striking Back at the Food Police,”
New York Times
, June 12, 2005.
Melanie Warner, “Striking Back at the Food Police,”
New York Times
, June 12, 2005.
Page 100 “There is a rush”:
Dan Mindus, senior analyst, Center for Consumer Freedom, interview by the author.
Dan Mindus, senior analyst, Center for Consumer Freedom, interview by the author.
Page 100 four to eight times more likely:
David S. Ludwig, “Relationship Between Funding Source and Conclusion Among Nutrition-Related Scientific Articles,”
Public Library of Science
4, no. 1 (January 2007), e5.
David S. Ludwig, “Relationship Between Funding Source and Conclusion Among Nutrition-Related Scientific Articles,”
Public Library of Science
4, no. 1 (January 2007), e5.
Page 100 “Is that happening today”:
David Ludwig, interview by the author.
David Ludwig, interview by the author.
Page 100 The argument hits deep:
See Lori Dorfman and Lawrence Wallack, “Moving Nutrition Upstream: The Case for Reframing Obesity,”
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
39, no. 2S (March/April 2007), S46-50; Raj Patel,
Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power, and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System
(Hoboken, NJ: Melville House, 2007), 276; Abigail C. Saguy and Kevin W. Riley, “Weighing Both Sides: Morality, Mortality, and Framing Contests over Obesity,”
Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law
30, no. 5 (2005), 869-923.
See Lori Dorfman and Lawrence Wallack, “Moving Nutrition Upstream: The Case for Reframing Obesity,”
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
39, no. 2S (March/April 2007), S46-50; Raj Patel,
Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power, and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System
(Hoboken, NJ: Melville House, 2007), 276; Abigail C. Saguy and Kevin W. Riley, “Weighing Both Sides: Morality, Mortality, and Framing Contests over Obesity,”
Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law
30, no. 5 (2005), 869-923.
Page 101 spent $2.8 billion in advertising:
The Coca-Cola Company, Annual Report, 2009.
The Coca-Cola Company, Annual Report, 2009.
Page 101 “Certainly students should be taught”:
Lori Dorfman, director, Berkeley Media Studies Group, interview by the author.
Lori Dorfman, director, Berkeley Media Studies Group, interview by the author.
Page 101 strategic retreat . . . “We just don’t think”:
“Coke Easing Off Marketing in Schools,”
Houston Chronicle
, March 15, 2001.
“Coke Easing Off Marketing in Schools,”
Houston Chronicle
, March 15, 2001.
Page 101 nobody bothered to tell . . . ponied up a bid:
Scott Leith, “Obesity Weighs Heavily on Colas; Industry Studies How to Fight Back in Health Debate,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, February 6, 2005.
Scott Leith, “Obesity Weighs Heavily on Colas; Industry Studies How to Fight Back in Health Debate,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, February 6, 2005.
Page 101 “What is the plan?”. . . placed on its board:
Sherri Day, “Coke Moves with Caution to Remain in Schools,”
New York Times
, September 3, 2003.
Sherri Day, “Coke Moves with Caution to Remain in Schools,”
New York Times
, September 3, 2003.
Page 102 “They are a win for the students”:
“Sodas in Schools Become an Issue,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, September 6, 2001.
“Sodas in Schools Become an Issue,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, September 6, 2001.
Page 102 news articles in 2001 and 2002:
Berkeley Media Studies Group, “Obesity Crisis or Soda Scapegoat? The Debate over Selling Soda in Schools,” January 2005.
Berkeley Media Studies Group, “Obesity Crisis or Soda Scapegoat? The Debate over Selling Soda in Schools,” January 2005.
Page 102 average only $12 to $24 per student:
Amy Hsuan, “Schools’ Soda Deals Losing Fizz,”
Oregonian
(Portland), November 15, 2006.
Amy Hsuan, “Schools’ Soda Deals Losing Fizz,”
Oregonian
(Portland), November 15, 2006.
Page 102 Another analysis by CSPI:
Center for Science in the Public Interest and Public Health Advocacy Institute, “Raw Deal: School Beverage Contracts Less Lucrative Than They Seem,” December 2006.
Center for Science in the Public Interest and Public Health Advocacy Institute, “Raw Deal: School Beverage Contracts Less Lucrative Than They Seem,” December 2006.
Page 102 announced its own new policy . . . scoreboards stayed:
“Coke Announces Policy on Soda Sales in Schools,”
Washington Post
, November 18, 2003.
“Coke Announces Policy on Soda Sales in Schools,”
Washington Post
, November 18, 2003.
Page 102 industry conference in New York City:
Scott Leith, “Simplistic Solutions Won’t Cure Obesity, Coke CEO Says,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, December 9, 2003.
Scott Leith, “Simplistic Solutions Won’t Cure Obesity, Coke CEO Says,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, December 9, 2003.
Page 103 2 percent overall:
Scott Leith, “Sales Growth Slow, Profit Flat at Coke,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, February 12, 2004.
Scott Leith, “Sales Growth Slow, Profit Flat at Coke,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, February 12, 2004.
Page 103
declined
3 percent:
Elizabeth Lee, “Cola a Day Doubles Diabetes Risk,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, August 25, 2004.
declined
3 percent:
Elizabeth Lee, “Cola a Day Doubles Diabetes Risk,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, August 25, 2004.
Page 103 Matthew Whitley, had lashed out . . . paid no fine:
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “In the Matter of The Coca-Cola Company, Respondent,” Administrative Proceeding File No. 3-11902, April 18, 2005; William Spain, “No Fine for Coke in ‘Channel-Stuffing’ SEC: Beverage Behemoth to Continue ‘Remedial Actions,’” Market-Watch, April 18, 2005.
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, “In the Matter of The Coca-Cola Company, Respondent,” Administrative Proceeding File No. 3-11902, April 18, 2005; William Spain, “No Fine for Coke in ‘Channel-Stuffing’ SEC: Beverage Behemoth to Continue ‘Remedial Actions,’” Market-Watch, April 18, 2005.
Page 103 In one 2003 poll in California:
California Endowment, “A Survey of Californians About the Problem of Childhood Obesity,” October/November 2003.
California Endowment, “A Survey of Californians About the Problem of Childhood Obesity,” October/November 2003.
Page 103 “a simplistic” ... “absurd and outrageous”:
Leith, “Simplistic Solutions Won’t Cure Obesity, Coke CEO Says.”
Leith, “Simplistic Solutions Won’t Cure Obesity, Coke CEO Says.”
Page 103 The first anti-soda bill . . . schools K-12:
Michele Simon,
Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back
(New York: Nation Books, 2006), 224-25.
Michele Simon,
Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back
(New York: Nation Books, 2006), 224-25.
Page 104 slip out the back door:
Domac, interview by the author.
Domac, interview by the author.
Page 104 industry-paid experts . . . high schools anyway:
Simon, 226-227.
Simon, 226-227.
Page 104 California experience would be repeated:
Simon, 234-236; Greg Winter, “States Try to Limit Sales of Junk Food in School Buildings,”
New York Times
, September 9, 2001; Scott Leith, “Selling Soft Drinks to Kids: Obesity Battle Shifts to Schools,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, June 15, 2002.
Simon, 234-236; Greg Winter, “States Try to Limit Sales of Junk Food in School Buildings,”
New York Times
, September 9, 2001; Scott Leith, “Selling Soft Drinks to Kids: Obesity Battle Shifts to Schools,”
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, June 15, 2002.
Page 104 “When it came to the two”:
Michele Simon, interview by the author.
Michele Simon, interview by the author.
Page 104 The most notorious example . . . governor Jodi Rell:
Simon, 231-233.
Simon, 231-233.
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