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Pouring on the Pounds

“Are you pouring on the pounds? Don't drink yourself fat.”

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene anti-sugary-drink campaign (US-NY, New York City) launched 31 August 2009 with subway posters showing soda turning into fat as it is poured, followed in 2010 by ads on sweet teas and fruit drinks. It accompanied proposals for a soda tax, SNAP restrictions and a portion cap.

Years
2009–now
Country
United States
Budget
About $277,000 for the 2009 subway flight (as reported by a blog).
Topic
Nutrition
Asks people to
StopSubstituteSupport a policy
Strategy
Fear appealMetaphorPolicy paired
Channel
OutdoorSocial (organic)TV
Audience
AdultsGeneral public

Evidence

ObservationalPositive

Alongside the city's campaigns and policies, the share of NYC adults drinking at least one sugary drink a day fell 35% and of public high-school students 27% from 2007 to 2013 (Kansagra 2015); attribution to the ads alone is not possible. Retail data 2010-2015 show sugary-drink market share fell after the May 2012 portion-cap announcement (Sisti 2021). An online experiment with messages mimicking the campaign raised parents' intentions to avoid soda (Grummon 2023).

Sponsor (who paid)

  • New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene State local government, funder and creator

Credits (who made it)

Related campaigns

Sources

  1. Kansagra SM et al. Reducing sugary drink consumption: New York City's approach. Am J Public Health 2015;105(4):e61-4 evaluation · 2015 · DOI 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302497 · PMID 25713971
  2. Sisti JS et al. Examining Trends in Beverage Sales in New York City During Comprehensive Efforts to Reduce Sugary Drink Consumption, 2010-2015. J Community Health 2021;46(3):609-617 evaluation · 2021 · DOI 10.1007/s10900-020-00911-y · PMID 32920704
  3. Grummon AH et al. Should messages discourage sugary drinks, encourage water, or both? A randomized experiment with U.S. parents. Prev Med 2023;167:107417 reference · 2022 · DOI 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107417 · PMID 36592673
  4. Village Voice: City Unsure If Soda Really Makes You Fat news · 2009
  5. Grist: NYC's anti-soda ads hit right in the gut news · 2010

Research notes

US-NY (NYC). Internal emails reported by the New York Times showed staff disputing the scientific basis of the ad claims. Credits checked 2026-10-22 against fetched pages: Bandujo (Village Voice, 28 Oct 2010, citing the Times: the campaign 'was a collaboration between advertising agency Bandujo and the city's health officials'). Ad library search: "NYC Health", "NYC Health Department". Evaluation links reviewed 2026-10-22: Grummon 2023 tested messages mimicking the campaign, not the aired campaign; set to reference.

Record cases/nyc-pouring-on-the-pounds.json, updated 2026-10-22· Link to this campaign