A Sweet Reminder: The Corn Syrup Campaign

Too often, consumers often find themselves being fed advertisements of products or services that seem unnecessary of needing any reminders. Brands like Coca-Cola, Nike, and other big name category leaders use their advertising as brand reinforcements, yet smaller, unknown products can, too, use their time and advertising budget to emerge from the shadows. One such example of this emergence is the campaign launched earlier this month by the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) titled SweetSurprise. But why would the Corn Refiners possibly need to advertise to Americans (the same Americans who currently consume the most corn per capita in the world)? Well, the broadcast message is not merely about the corn itself, but rather about the high fructose corn syrup product which has recently received a bad image from our increasingly health-conscious nation. This high fructose corn syrup has taken on many negative connotations and it is still debatable whether all of these perceptions are true or not. But the CRA surely will no longer sit dormant while their syrup product is replaced with "healthier" alternatives. The fact that a non-necessity product that has never been branded before needs to take on such an overhauling of its image means that advances in consumer knowledge are bringing about an abrupt and disruptive change to the many fabrications used in advertising. This is not to say that high fructose corn syrup is the only product to have launched a massive campaign on behalf of revamping their position in the minds of consumers. Moreover, other products that are struggling as of late on market shelves, including common goods like milk, cheese, and various fruits, have also taken to the TV screens and billboards in an attempt to reestablish their favorablility among consumers. However, unlike the others' efforts, corn syrup is not as strongly backed by its product’s parent association.

The SweetSurprise campaign, generated by the DDB Chicago agency, launched with TV spots, print ads, and a website. Unfortunately, the ads initially came off almost humorous and as a result sparked much media coverage. Yet not all of the coverage was exactly supportive. The print ads (see example above) are being run in magazines and newspapers and seem to carry a more serious tone with the textual support and design. On the other hand, the TV spots feel like a Saturday Night Live skit mocking the syrup product. The creative executives in charge of the SweetSurprise TV spots must have just finished working on an awkward-to-sell medical product as the setting and scripting feels forcibly cliche while pressingly informative. Yet when all seems lost, there is that slight bit of comedic relief to close out the spot. The three TV ads- the mothers at the picnic party and the young couple in the park, and the (just released) brothers at home use similar punchlines where the character debating the consumption of a product with corn syrup is quickly stumped when asked to tell of a reason why the syrup is unhealthy. These overtly biased messages did nothing but relinquish the connotation these products' producers, who are obviously aware of their potentially detrimental effects, try the hardest to reverse the conceived negative imagery. To do so, their attempts are focused on swaying the current consumer perception to highlight an often unproven, yet positive aspect. Much of the media coverage, be it mostly online, belittles the Corn Refiners for using marketing tactics similar to those practiced by the tobacco industry (see image to left), while forgetting the importance of a catchy cigarette jingle. Just as was the case in those old black and white tobacco commercials, where viewers were informed by a doctor that smoking cigarettes was a safe, reliable choice. As we are all aware, this eventually was proven to be a mistrusted source. To further illustrate this in a post on the blog AdFreak dealing with this subject, David Gianatasio uses a bit of sarcasm to point out this comparison, "Here's an old Chesterfield cigarette ad that seems to imply that smoking isn't so bad for your health. I wonder why I felt like including it." So, too, it does not help the CRA to provide facts in the ads that seem superficially appealing to the eyes and ears, until they are consistently refuted by numerous current medical studies.

Being compared to the tobacco industry may not have been exactly where the Corn Refiners wanted to come out of this campaign, but it has increased overall awareness of the sugary foods America is eating. The impact of the news coverage has had an apparently reverse effect from the intended one, as more consumers have now become more conscious of their food purchases, or just angrier at the CRA. However, if the future holds strong evidence to back these SweetSurprise claims, the only ones truly enjoying these ads will be the refiners themselves. It is not illogical that the sugar alternative may in fact be the best ingredient to nutritional health after all and for proof the SweetSurprise website offers a title display with numerous references to recent studies conducted by researchers. While the website is a good source of information, regarding the healthiness of corn syrup, the visitors must ultimately decipher just what to believe in this sticky (and sweet) debate.

And in the end, here is the advertising industry stuck in a battle of moral and ethical practices, where agencies struggle with a balance between dollar signs and company values. This campaign may not be quite as controversial from the agency's perspective, as much so as say picking up a pro-abortion client. Yet, this campaign has, however, extended ever so widely across the media likely because of the large categorical span touched upon by the various issues present. Categories ranging from the environmental impact of growing corn for syrup production, to the relation of corn syrup and obesity, and even the morality of “lying” to the public through advertising are covered. Initially the SweetSurprise campaigning appeared to be a smart investment choice as a hope to boost the Corn Refiners declining sales, but the lasting results have detracted from their original, subtle message. Such lessons learned in advertising and marketing will serve as reminders for future campaigns of how to steer their message clear from a nationwide rebuttal.