Are Coke and Harry Potter an Unhealthy Alliance?
Nov. 8, 2001 -- They love to see millions of schoolchildren devouring the Harry Potter book series, but the thought of those same kids guzzling cans of Coca-Cola has a group of health advocates all stirred up.
Coca-Cola reportedly paid Warner Bros. $150 million for exclusive global marketing rights to the upcoming movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, inspired by the popular children's series about Harry Potter, an orphaned boy wizard.
The ad campaign includes the placement of Harry Potter-related images, such as his owl and castle, on the packaging for Coca-Cola, Minute Maid and Hi-C products. There will not be product placement in the movie, nor will there be images of the beloved wizard drinking Coke. Plus, Coke said it would not use any of the common gimmicks aimed at children, such as sweepstakes and giveaways.
A Sugary Brew
Still, doctors and academics are riled up about any link between Harry Potter — a character admired by children and adults alike — and drinks they say are full of empty calories and sugar.
Michael Jacobson is the executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit group known for its efforts to get nutrition labels on all food products.
On Good Morning America, Jacobson said the Harry Potter Coke ads are more troubling than the typical fast-food tie-in.
"From now on when people say 'Harry Potter,' a lot of kids are not going to think about the book or movie, they're going to think about Coca-Cola," Jacobson said. "They're turning Harry Potter into a sales vehicle for junk food."
Jacobson's group has launched a "Save Harry" e-mail campaign to urge Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling to "kill the deal with Coca-Cola" to help protect children's health. The campaign's Web site, www.SaveHarry.com, describes the health effects of what it calls Coke's "liquid candy" products, and cites a joint letter of support from a coalition of 56 professors, physicians and social activists.
ABCNEWS' Dr. Tim Johnson said people should be concerned about soda intake, largely because it often means kids skip nutritious drinks, like milk, for pop. But he doesn't think this one ad campaign will have a severe impact.
"Is this going to ruin the health of all kids in Western civilization? — No. Do I wish they made a deal with a broccoli company instead? — Yes," Johnson said. "The big worries are that it displaces other good food, it increases the risk for obesity and there is caffeine in it, so it's a mildly addictive substance."
Coke Promoting Literacy?
Rowling has stated publicly that she is concerned about the merchandising of Harry Potter, but is satisfied with the Coke promotion.
"I understand that Coca-Cola's cause will focus on increasing children's literacy, a cause of particular interest to me," she recently told Britain's Daily Mail. As part of the movie deal, Coca-Cola has agreed to a three-year, $18 million donation to the program Reading is Fundamental.
Coca-Cola has issued a formal statement on the controversy: "To characterize Coca-Cola's sponsorship of Harry Potter and the magic of reading as inappropriate and infer a connection with the health and wellness of children simply misses the point for the sake of sensationalism. Our Harry Potter partnership will focus on the family experience, the value of reading and the magic of Harry Potter. Not children."
Jacobson said the donation is a very small percentage of the marketing budget. "I wish they would devote some of those dollars to encouraging kids to read labels so they would see that Coca-Cola has 39 grams of sugarand about 10 teaspoons of sugar in one can."
The Harry Potter film is scheduled for release Nov. 16. It stars 11-year-old Daniel Radcliffe as the child wizard and Richard Harris as his mentor, Professor Dumbledore.