Coke. Pepsi. Water. Ice tea. Sprite. Fruit drinks. Flavored water. Now, try to think about what kind of drink do you usually get in cafeteria. As an international student, when I first came to the United States, I was so shocked by the fact that people here are often drinking sugar sweetened beverages instead of water! In some stores, they even display bottle water in inconspicuous area.
“Sugar Bites” is a social marketing campaign that I find it helpful and fascinating! It is a website aimed at helping children prevent from having too much sugary drinks. They take it as a serious issue since obesity in children is increasing and leads to type 2 diabetes easily. Therefore, they also focus on enhancing people’s awareness of choosing healthier beverages.
If I could only use one word to describe this website, I would say that it is cool! “Sugar Bites” is a collaborative effort of First 5 Contra Costa. When I was surfing on it, I randomly clicked on “sugar bites” as this name just really caught my attention. Then what popped up on my computer was a vivid picture of a can with sharp teeth! As I scrolled down the page, I quickly understood that a “road map” was utilized to let people know how those sugar sweetened beverages result in obesity, type 2 diabetes and other serious health disease. It seems like a complete road map as it begins with giving examples of unhealthy sugary drinks. I like the fact that the amounts of sugar contained in those drinks are provided as well! By showing the exact number would probably make people be more aware of the seriousness of drinking sugar sweetened beverages! Another interesting thing is that, the website not only illustrates about health-related consequence, but also points out the reality probably no one would want to face, which is that we get to pay a great deal of money in order to go to an emergency room care.
In addition, the website directly tells parents what can be done to reduce unnecessary chances for children getting close to sugary beverages. It also offers some positive ways helping kids maintain healthy.
I believe that this social marketing campaign is wonderful and useful! It doesn’t only talk about general ideas but also divide kids into groups by their age in order to provide specific healthy drinks for them. What’s more, “sugar bites” enhances its reliability by sharing some other resources. On the other hand, after browsing through the whole website, it occurs to me that it mainly targets on parents. It is smart by doing so since parents often play an important role in their children’s life. However, I would suggest that maybe they should also take it into account that kids would want to read the information, too! As a result, it would be better if they use easier words to give out knowledge. Besides, they could provide some fascinating activities that help kids increase their willingness of drinking more water! Despite of a few cons, I would still say this website is successful. It is not so wordy but colorful. Again, the idea of utilizing “road map” is brilliant!
Check these website out immediately! “Sugar Bites” http://www.cutsugarydrinks.org/en & “First 5 Contra Costa” http://www.firstfivecc.org/