This PSA Will Tug At Your Heartstrings — And Make You Ditch Soda
It’s time to stop guzzling down the sugary drinks. (Photo by Mike Mozart/Flickr)
In Mexico, two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, and Type 2 diabetes and heart disease are the top two causes of death. But the country is taking steps against soda consumption in an effort to get its residents’ health back on track, including tacking a one-peso-per-liter tax onto soda and other sugary drinks last January. And now, in a widespread public service announcement, the health advocacy group El Poder del Consumidor (Consumer Power) takes the fight against soda one step further.
The group’s ad, above, turns Coca-Cola’s “Haz feliz a alguien” (“Make someone happy”) campaign on its head by highlighting families whose holidays have been ruined by diabetes. One young boy wishes his amputee father could play soccer with him, while a woman wishes her blind mother could see her grandson.
The video is rife with statistics to back up the sad faces: “50,000 people in Mexico are blind because of diabetes,” “Someone’s limb is amputated every seven minutes because of diabetes,” and the kicker: “In Mexico, 66 people die each day from drinking sugary drinks.”
The PSA ends with a request: That viewers “make someone happy” by sharing the video and removing soda from their tables. So will it work? Mexican consumers did drink less soda this year, and surveys show they now associate it with obesity and Type 2 diabetes. If El Poder del Consumidor gets its holiday wish, the national movement against sugary drinks will lead to a healthier Mexico.
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