18 February 2020
Mumbrella
Reporter: Zoe Wilkinson
Cancer Council Victoria has launched a campaign for the Rethink Sugary Drink initiative, aiming to help children make healthier choices.
The ad shows a young girl reaching for a can of soft drink. When she tips it, a stream of sugar pours out and she envisages her family hungrily consuming a mountain of sugar. Her sister turns to her and smiles exposing a mouth of rotten teeth.
The voiceover of the young girl explains to her mum the wide-ranging health implications of drinking sugary drinks.
The campaign will be running for three weeks across digital platforms including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
The campaign was made by creative agency Catch The Bird. The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCO) collaborated with the Cancer Council Victoria on the project.
Craig Sinclair, head of prevention at Cancer Council Victoria, said he hoped that teenagers would find the ad confronting so they reflect on their own sugar consumption.
“Sugary drinks are addictive and Aussie teens are hooked on them, with one in six downing at least 5.2 kilograms of sugar each year from sugary drinks alone. Many would find the idea of eating 16 teaspoons of sugar sickening, but this is exactly how much sugar is consumed from just one 600ml bottle of soft drink,” Sinclair said.
“Teenagers may be shocked to know that the high sugar content in these drinks can lead to tooth decay as well as weight gain and obesity, increasing the risk of heart and kidney disease, type two diabetes and some cancers.
“When a quarter of young people in Australia are above a healthy weight, and nearly 50% of Australian children have tooth decay, something has to change. Big beverage brands are at it again this summer promoting these unhealthy drinks to young people.”
Sinclair also said that campaigns like this one were crucial to highlighting the health conditions of young people today.
“We need more ads like this to cut through the noise and show the real damage these drinks are doing to young people’s health,” he added.
“We need to restrict the availability of sugary drinks in sports facilities, schools and other places where young people spend their time.
“Organisations like Museums Victoria and Melbourne Sports Centres have already overhauled their cafeterias to provide healthy options and we hope to see other venues across Australia putting the health and wellbeing of Australia’s youth first.”
