Health groups turn the tables on glamorous drink marketers to show the rotten side of sugar

Health groups are turning soft drink marketers’ tricks back on them in as anti-sugar campaign, appealing to the ‘vanity of teenagers’ by mixing glamorous images with real rotting teeth.

Health groups are turning soft drink marketers’ tricks back on them in their latest anti-sugar campaign appealing to the vanity of teenagers.

A series of Instagram-worthy glamorous young models posing to demonstrate how cool they are with their sugary drinks appears typical of the advertising used by teenage-focused digital campaigns — until they smile, showing rotten teeth.

While mocking images in the Rethink Sugary Drink initiative’s Thirsty campaign may be highly graphic, dentist Matthew Hopcraft says they are also extremely necessary.

“It is the impact of consuming too many sugary drinks that the industry does not show us in their glamorous ads where the people are looking happy, having fun and jumping around,” said Associate Professor Hopcraft, who is also chief executive of the Australian Dental Association’s Victorian branch.

“They are in pain and discomfort, they have difficulty sleeping, difficulty eating food and socialising.

“This can have an effect on a young person going for a job and wanting to look their best.”

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The new campaign is turning soft drink marketers’ tricks back on them.

To further fight fire with fire, the Thirsty campaign will target 12 to 24-year-olds on the same social media platforms where they are usually bombarded with similar vanity-style advertisements from junk food marketers.

The Rethink Sugary Drink initiative — made up of 19 national health and community organisations concerned about excessive in drinks — has ­previously focused on consequences such as obesity and diabetes.

But, with more than 70,000 Australians admitted to hospital a year due to dental conditions, Obesity Policy Coalition executive manager Jane Martin said many young people did not appreciate what large amounts of sugar could do.

“The campaign goes to vanity and appearance but that is what young people care a lot about, so we are trying to tap into those feelings around how they look,” she said.

The campaign attempts to resonate with young soft drink consumers.

“There is a lot of emotion used by food and drink companies to promote their products. Both Coca-Cola and McDonald’s use happiness, which is a very potent emotion, as well as being very social.

“There is a lot of love in those ads and the agency we use is trying to tap into that coolness.

“Young men are the key target market for soft drink companies.”

As well as getting through to younger drinkers in a way that may resonate, the initiative is calling for sugary drink sales to be banned from schools, hospitals and other healthcare settings to help people make healthy decisions.

“It is much easier to find a sugary drink than it is water in many public places, and healthcare settings should be promoting healthy choices, particularly drinks and making tap water very accessible,” Ms Martin said.

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