Coca-Cola are set to roll out their latest TV ad campaign, titled ‘Grandpa’. In this latest campaign we see how the soft drink giants are attempting to promote healthier lifestyles – battling universal health issues such as obesity and stress.

Using a split-screen comparing the lifestyles of two young men, the ad suggests that the lifestyle of the man in the 1950’s – waking up earlier and not rushing, eating smaller portions and cycling to work leads to a much happier and healthier lifestyle compared to that of the 21st century man who is rushing to work, snacking on junk food in front of the computer and eating microwave meals in front of the TV.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExRg8m38rug&w=560&h=315]

It finishes with the caption, “Live like Grandpa did: move more, live well, take it easy, and don’t forget to enjoy life” before we realize that the two men are in fact Grandfather and Grandson, a relationship that many people can relate to.

As far as Coca Cola ads go, I think there is an extremely effective message within the ad that highlights a need for 21st century men to change their lifestyles. However, I was disappointed with the product placement in the final scene – we know it’s a CocaCola ad, do we really need to see them drinking a bottle of Coke? We are exposed to a clever ad which actually provides an important message that is unfortunately tarnished by hypocrisy – Coke is universally recognized as an unhealthy product,  why bother placing it in this ad? Could they not for once be perceived as caring about the well-being of others without directly promoting their own products?

I honestly enjoyed the first 45 seconds of this ad, but in my own opinion, the last 15 seconds screams ‘we honestly don’t care about your lifestyle once you drink Coke!’

What do you guys think?