New Ads Say Corn Syrup's OK in Moderation
There's something crude and flippant about these new ads by the Corn Refiner's Association, which have begun advertising to undo all the bad PR surrounding high fructose corn syrup.
In one spot, a mother casually accuses another of not caring what her kids eat; in another, an uptight boyfriend insinuates his girlfriend doesn't love him because she's offered him an artificially sweetened Popsicle.
Both the girlfriend and the accused mom get the last word in the end. Turns out the corn syrup Nazis don't know why it's bad, and are apparently only following an invisible crowd of lemmings informed by, who knows, the nasty nasty liberal media.
Each spot ends with "You're in for a sweet surprise!" and guides users to SweetSurprise.com, which sports a gigantic, disarmingly fresh ear of (as-yet-unrefined?) corn.
The spots have already generated moody debate on YouTube, but their real targets are housewives, in some ways the most influential force in the fight against high fructose corn syrup -- which, sure, may be fine in moderation. The problem is, it's in just about everything: most snack foods, ready-made baked goods, drinks, ice cream, some condiments, and even bread.
At least one woman has been incensed enough to write an indignant letter to the Corn Refiner's Association. Her view is below:
Dear Corn Refiners Association representative:I'm really surprised that you're actually advertising on television and on your sweetsurprise.com web microsite that high fructose corn syrup is healthy. My understanding is that it's processed multiple times and is from genetically altered corn.
When tested on rats, it ruins livers and there are so many more clinical results out there, that I'm actually pretty much insulted that your tv ad doesn't answer any of those questions, but just shrugs at them. Then again, maybe you couldn't answer the questions without lying, so all you could do is shrug your shoulders.
That's just how it came across. Yes, you said it was ok in moderation, and it got me to the sweetsurprise website, but as an average person on the street, it was borderline offensive. I'm an average person on the street and I've lost trust in the Corn Refiners Association. To me, this is an advertising campaign gone bad.
Well, the Corn Refiner's Association was a funny place to put your trust in the first place, given that it formally represents refined corn products. If it didn't try refining (heh) the image of HFCS, it would be out of a job.
Topic: Bad, Brands, Campaigns, Commercials, Online, Strange, Television
Comments
Those darn Lefty Liberals!! Great article :)
Yes I saw these! I couldn't believe the hype. Maybe corn syrup isn't any worse than any other sweetener ( I also couldn't be they couldn't substantiate their own claims, that's always suspect) but, it's the over use of corn syrup that's the real problem.
oh man, these ads crack me up every time. corn syrup propaganda!
Shaping Youth already deconstructed these lame HFCS ads (twice) once from a badvertising standpoint here:
http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=2135
And another from a nutrition/dietary and media literacy standpoint with 'the experts' weighing in on the food police front: http://www.shapingyouth.org/blog/?p=2152
Those of us in the trenches of this food fight for kids' health didn't miss the media buy either...Targeting kids directly via ABC Family faves and tween shows to plant that doubt? Low blow. Underhanded and smarmy. As a parent, I hope the food police cry foul big time...I know the kids in our nutrition programs did!
High fructose corn syrup, sugar, and several fruit juices are all nutritionally the same.
High fructose corn syrup has the same number of calories as sugar and is handled similarly by the body.
The American Medical Association (AMA) recently concluded that "high fructose corn syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners."
High fructose corn syrup offers numerous benefits. It keeps food fresh, enhances fruit and spice flavors, retains moisture in bran cereals, helps keep breakfast and energy bars moist, maintains consistent flavors in beverages and keeps ingredients evenly dispersed in condiments.
In 1983, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration formally listed high fructose corn syrup as safe for use in food and reaffirmed that decision in 1996.
Consumers can see the latest research and learn more about high fructose corn syrup at www.HFCSfacts.com and www.SweetSurprise.com.
Audrae Erickson
President
Corn Refiners Association
Hey Audrae Erickson,
I dare you to answer the questions raised by the reader rather than telling half baked facts:
***********
I am pasting it for your corn syrup damaged eyes again! I hope it did not damage it your pea-brain.
***********
Dear Corn Refiners Association representative:
I'm really surprised that you're actually advertising on television and on your sweetsurprise.com web microsite that high fructose corn syrup is healthy. My understanding is that it's processed multiple times and is from genetically altered corn.
When tested on rats, it ruins livers and there are so many more clinical results out there, that I'm actually pretty much insulted that your tv ad doesn't answer any of those questions, but just shrugs at them. Then again, maybe you couldn't answer the questions without lying, so all you could do is shrug your shoulders.
That's just how it came across. Yes, you said it was ok in moderation, and it got me to the sweetsurprise website, but as an average person on the street, it was borderline offensive. I'm an average person on the street and I've lost trust in the Corn Refiners Association. To me, this is an advertising campaign gone bad.
It's an EAR of corn. Not a head.