The Sugarpova campaign is incredibly creative and successful… but it has some side effect: it promotes unhealthy food! This is what some critics complain about.
The Campaign
As per Sugarpova’s website
“Sugarpova is a premium candy line that reflects the fun, fashionable, sweet side of international tennis sensation Maria Sharapova. Maria has created her own candy business to offer an accessible bit of luxury, interpreting classic candies in her own signature style. A long time candy lover with a surprising sweet tooth, Maria is bringing a new level of quality to the candy category through fun, unexpected types and shapes – with playful names to match. Wrapped up in a beautiful package, it’s both style and substance, just like founder Maria Sharapova.”
Genius stuff… isn’t it? Well somebody doesn’t really agree.
The Controversy
Everything comes from the fact that each pack contains 84g of sugar that is 21 teaspoons or 2 cans of cokes which is considered to be unhealthy.
According to Corrina Langelaan, campaigns manager for The Parents’ Jury, an Australian organisation “Maria Sharapova is a hugely influential athlete, admired by parents and children alike.
She has a role to play in promoting healthy lifestyles and, with childhood obesity on the rise globally, promoting a confectionery range smacks of irresponsible marketing.”
Child psychologist Dr Justin Coulson considered Naria’s campaign as “unhealthy”, “irresponsible” and commented ” Sports stars have a disproportionately large influence on consumer behaviour, including that of children.
“So to be promoting an unhealthy habit like this seems entirely inappropriate. Surely she can come up with something that’s good for people?” he added.
From Sharapova’s Camp
Jeff Rubin, the creator of the brand commented “For me, someone who’s been going to over 20 years of candy shows, we see different athletes at every show, selling an organic version of something or a healthy version of something or a natural version of something, when we all know that they all have sweet tooths and what they really love is gummies and sour.”
There is only one things that we can’t disagree, Maria looks really “WOW” at the Sugarpova launch in Melbourne.
