Gag Me with A Coke

NPH was tempted to do some serious critique of the Super Bowl ads, but decided that would be a waste of time. Instead, a quick comment on two spots that were equally egregious and egregious for the same reason.

The rich white CEO's and advertising execs at Coke and Frito Lay want African Americans to identify their junk food products with the Black Experience. First the Coke spot:



First off, for Coke to place itself at the center of African Americans' struggles is hard to swallow for one simple reason. Okay, maybe two.

Next the Frito Lays spot:



Are you kidding? In a time when childhood obesity has become a public health crisis in America, and when black urban populations take the brunt of that crisis, the makers of America's junk food want to position themselves to those same populations as their friends.

Are people really going to buy this? Or are African American consumers going to tell Coke and Frito Lay where they can put their chips and soda?