As Beyoncé Endorses Soda, Youth Warn of the ‘Sugar Zombies’

Feb. 7, 2013 / By

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Press Release • Anna Challet, New America Media

Ed. Note: Organized in the fall of 2012, the Soda Sucks anti-advertising campaign, sponsored by New America Media, invited youth from across California to “outsmart the soda advertisers.” Soda Sucks awards were contested in two categories: poster and spoken word/video. Winners shared in a $3200 cash prize. Winning projects can be seen at the Why Soda Sucks website.

SAN FRANCISCO — This year, an image of R&B superstar Beyoncé’s face will appear on limited-edition cans of Pepsi, part of a $50 million ad campaign that will include TV commercials and life-size Beyoncé cutouts in supermarkets across the country.

In a statement, the singer, who performed the Star Spangled Banner at President Obama’s inauguration, referred to Pepsi as a “lifestyle brand” that she could work with “without sacrificing [her] creativity.”

But while health experts and youth advocates have blasted the artist for what they say is essentially an endorsement for childhood obesity, young adults in the Bay Area are firing back with their own campaign.

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