Response to Erica Murray

"Do you think the taller and skinnier can is contributing to a negative portrayal of body image?"

I think that Pepsi went about this new design the wrong way. Like Erica said, they are creating this new "skinny" can as a celebration of beautiful, confident women. This is just as bad as saying that ONLY "skinny" women are beautiful, which is absolutely incorrect. If they created a slogan that was a lot less degrading then I think it would have been okay. I think a slogan aiming at less sugar intake would have generated more sales. I found an article about this controversy and it quotes "Our slim, attractive new can is the perfect complement to today's most stylish looks, and we're excited to throw its coming-out party during the biggest celebration of innovative design in the world," Jill Beraud, chief marketing officer for PepsiCo said in a statement. (charlotteobserver.com). In my opinion, the marketing of this product was very poorly chosen and I think a lot of people were offended.

Read more: Charlotte Observer: New "Skinny" Pepsi Can

Groupon Advertisements: Crossing The Line? Or Creative?

Have any of you ever heard of Groupon? It is a website aimed at promoting "deal-of-the-day." You type in the closest major city to you and you can purchase a certain "deal," which leads to major savings. I recently heard of Groupon after viewing three very different commercials. These commercials were aired during the Superbowl and viewed by ALOT of people. Ever since, there has been a lot of controversy. These ads ranged from deforestation to the poverty in Tibet. The commercials made mockeries of those situations and ended by promoting a deal. I wonder if Groupon was really aiming for all of this attention in the first place. Companies only get 30 seconds of fame during the Superbowl, so they have to do what it takes to stand out. The controversy is whether this ruined the Groupon name or if it is actually helping them generate sales. In my personal opinion, people are very clearly talking about this controversy, which will lead them to the companies website. I believe they have a mission accomplished: people know about them now. Whether it is a good advertisement or a negative one, they were able to generate commotion. What do you think? After watching the three commercials below, do you think they crossed the line? Or were they creative with their mockery?