Coca-Cola »

The controversy over China’s hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games is well documented, so I’ll spare you the details. These legitimate apprehensions are leading many to question why world leaders and sponsors alike are still affiliating themselves with China’s Olympics.

Coca-Cola has been supporting the Olympics for more than 75 years. The BBC World Service’s Business Daily program for July 8, 2008 focused on Coke’s continued sponsorship. Neville Isdell, the company’s current chairman, says that the “broader context of what the Olympics brings to every country it takes place in,” is what draws Coca-Cola to continue its support. While he acknowledges that the Games themselves do not necessarily bring about change, they play a role in creating an environment suitable for moving forward. Valid enough.

Lesley Curwen does a fantastic job later in the interview of prodding Isdell about his company’s ethics in general. She asks about the possible hypocrisy of a company that sells sugary, high-calorie beverages promoting physical activity; Isdell’s response was inadvertently comical and completely off-base. “We are a hydration company, and our products are about hydration,” he said, adding that “calorie intake has not increased…the level of physical activity has decreased.” In fact, soda accounts for the majority of calories consumed by U.S. adults. He goes on to discuss some other exaggerations, such as claiming world sugar prices are not rising (hint: they are), corn price increases don’t affect Coke since they sweeten with sugar (yes, sugar from corn), and that Coca-Cola tastes exactly the same in every country of the world.

Give the program a listen while it’s still available on BBC, or subscribe to their podcast.