• May 12, 2012

The American Beverage Association (ABA) and members Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo are running ads in New York City's subway system, seeking to counter New York's own subway ads, which warn consumers that consuming sugary, high-calorie beverages can "pour on the pounds" and lead to diabetes and heart disease.

In an unusual cooperative effort by head-on competitors, the beverage brands' ads show workers for Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper and SunnyD side by side pushing handtrucks of their brands' drinks, with copy reading: "More Choices. Smaller Portions. Fewer Calories. America's beverage companies are delivering," reports Bloomberg Businessweek.

The city's subway ads, funded by a $100,000 federal grant, have been in place for nearly three years. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has advocated for state taxes on sugary beverages.

An ABA spokesperson characterized NYC's anti-soft drink campaign as "discriminatory," saying it unfairly singles out one product from an array of foods and beverages, "all of which contribute equally" to the "very complex issue" of obesity.

The beverage-industry subway ads are part of a major ABA-run lobbying and marketing effort to counter proposed legislation in a number of states calling for taxing sugary drinks.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) estimates that PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and ABA have spent as much as $70 million on ads and lobbying since 2009. ABA launched a nationwide PR campaign in February.