A recent advertising campaign by the kombucha brand Komvida on social media is generating a lot of controversy. Through its Instagram account, the company launched a post in which they published the obituary of Santa Claus: “Santa Claus passed away in Lapland on December 11, 2024 at the age of seventy-two. R.I.P.” A risky campaign that seeks to raise awareness about the dangers of sugar, attributing Santa’s death to excessive consumption of sugary drinks, the ad has been met with criticism from many users, who consider it offensive, disrespectful and inappropriate, especially for children. Excess sugar is linked to serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity, all of which are preventable through dietary and lifestyle changes.
“At Komvida, we believe that everyone’s well-being is the most important thing. We knew this was a risky campaign, but we believe that this issue is talked about very little, even though the studies are on the table: excessive consumption of sugary drinks is a global public health problem. This campaign seeks to inspire a collective reflection on what we consume daily and promote healthier habits that guarantee a better quality of life,” explains Beatriz Magro, co-founder of Komvida on the website Periodicopublicidad.com.
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Debate on social media
Meanwhile, the debate continues on social media, with opinions ranging from applause for creativity to rejection for playing with a character associated with childhood: “Instead of saying that, you could say that Santa Claus has decided to make a change in his life… and it is not that he is going to stop giving presents… but that he is going to take care of himself by drinking your drink to feel more energetic, vitality and health to be able to reach every corner of the world with his sleigh. It’s just that this ad doesn’t seem right to me,” said one Instagram profile. Others said “Uuuuff, I like your drink. But this advertising not, very bad” or “As a content creator, and with training in the sector, I must say that I love this advertising campaign. It is risky, yes, but it manages to capture attention effectively. As for those who criticize saying things like ‘if a child finds it’ or ‘if my child sees it’… I think the real problem is not in the advertising of @komvidakombucha , but in that a small child has access to Instagram. The responsibility to supervise that use lies with us as adults,” they said.