How many ad agencies does it take to patronise a demographic?

Only one, apparently

Have you seen the The Zero Movement? The blog of a group of activists who aims to to "rid the world of all the negative consequences that limit us all"[1]. If you believe their slick website, they want you to help them solve the world's biggest crises, namely: "Why can't new years come with zero resolutions?"[2] and "Why don't women consider everything small "soooooo cute"?" [3].

Yes, earth shattering stuff.

In care you hadn't sniffed a lame marketing attempt two miles away, a check of their domain's ownership details shows that the whole thing is owned by Coca Cola South Pacific (see the screen grab below).

The Zero Movement, it would seem, is the launch campaign for Coca Cola's latest offering, Coke Zero, a product designed to appeal to the male 'yoof' demographic who avoid Coca Cola because of its dangerously high sugar content, but don't want to look like Diet Coke swilling sissies.

So why are we bothering to point this out to the world? After all, guerilla marketing and multinationals posing as rebellious groups is by no means a new tactic, just check out the latest rash of campaigns for Sony and Microsoft's games consoles. In fact this kind of advertising has almost become a trademark of uncreative advertising agencies desperate to gain cut-through to an increasingly apathetic market.

"If we look cool and act like a fringe outfit that deserves their respect," you can see the agency's Creative Director's pitch to Coca Cola's marketing team going, "maybe they'll give it to us!"

"What's cool among the kids these days?" he booms to the market researcher.

"Um, well," market research gimp stammers while consulting the latest Sputnik or Look-Look report."Well, blogs, and stuff. Like graffiti. And rebellion. And sticking it to the, you know, man."

"Well let's do a bit of all of that! Let's have a blog, do some graffiti and write about how provocative we are."

But in co-opting the trademarks of the counter-culture--blogs, street art and a passionate cause--to promote an artifically sweetened cocktail of chemicals and flavourings, Coca Cola is demeaning its target market. We don't want an ad agency forming our life philosophy. We don't want a group of soft drink executives trying to tell us how to live our lives. We just want Coca Cola to 'fess up to the fact that it's a profit-driven multinational whose only interest in culture change is the carefully researched chord it might strike into its consumer base.

Coca Cola, welcome to the underground. As others have found out, it's not always comfortable.