The Real Bears is an anti-soft-drink advertising campaign by the

Center for Science in the Public Interest The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group that advocates for safer and healthier foods. History and funding CSPI is a consumer advocacy organization. Its f ...

, which debuted in October 2012. It is a parody of

the Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, ...

's ad campaigns depicting polar bears, in particular the "Open Happiness" ads, and was produced with the help of Alex Bogusky. Michael Jacobson said that the ad was "...our attempt to reposition soft drinks from a source of happiness to a major cause of disease." CSPI chose Bogusky to direct the ad because, they said, they had long admired his work in creating anti-tobacco ads through his agency,

Crispin Porter + Bogusky Crispin Porter + Bogusky (also known as CP+B), a member of publicly traded MDC Partners, is an American advertising agency that employed around 700 people. It was founded in 1988 by Sam Crispin. Crispin then became partners with Chuck Porter ...

. The song playing throughout the CSPI ad is by

Jason Mraz Jason Thomas Mraz (; born June 23, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his debut studio album, ''Waiting for My Rocket to Come'' (2002), which spawned the single " The Remedy (I Won't ...

and is entitled "Sugar." The ad depicts polar bears suffering from a wide variety of health problems as a result of soda consumption, such as

type II diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, ...

and

erectile dysfunction Erectile dysfunction (ED), also called impotence, is the type of sexual dysfunction in which the penis fails to become or stay erect during sexual activity. It is the most common sexual problem in men.Cunningham GR, Rosen RC. Overview of male ...

. In response to the ad, Coca-Cola spokeswoman Susan Stribling stated that the ad was "irresponsible and the usual grandstanding from CSPI,” and Karen Hanretty, a spokeswoman for the

American Beverage Association The American Beverage Association (ABA) is a government lobbying group that represents the beverage industry in the United States. Its members include producers and bottlers of soft drinks, such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, bottled water, and other ...

, noted that soda consumption has decreased over the last decade or so, whereas obesity rates have still risen over the same time period, saying, "CSPI is better at producing videos than they are doing math." The video has over 2 million views on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

References

Advertising campaigns American advertising slogans 2012 neologisms {{advertising-stub