Brainstorm for final project

After Monday's class I began to brainstorm ideas about what I could possibly use for my final case analysis. With no relationship with any nonprofit organization, at first I was stumped. But then I began to approach the question using the big picture analysis, and decided to take the route of using this framework to analyze an existing example of CSR. I remembered this article that ran in the NYT a few weeks ago, and I had my answer.

Why Coca Cola is sponsoring a heart health campaign when drinking soda, even of the diet variety, can lead to obesity is beyond me. We all know obesity is key factor in heart disease, and therefore this partnership is a confusing one. Sure, Coca-Cola can garner lots of press and CSR, but is it worth it when they are presenting such a conflicting message? The campaign features television commercials, Heidi Klum as their "heart health" ambassador, a variety of fashion events from the "red dress program" including a fashion show high profile models all wearing red, as well as other events.

I'm sure in Coca-Cola's mind the partnership makes perfect sense. Heart disease is the leading killer of women, and lots of women drink diet coke. Add in Coca-Cola's large platform and marketing finesse, and it seems like a no brainer as a way to get the word out about heart health. In reality, this partnership presents a very conflicting message which detracts from the campaign's meaning.

Throughout my analysis I plan on detailing exactly why this partnership is a mismatched one, and offering suggestions for either a more appropriate sponsor for the heart health campaign, or another organization Coca-Cola could partner with for some CSR.