Caffeine

Coffee, The Solution

marroqk Coffee , , ,

I choose coffee as my drug topic because before we talk about coffee as a drug I did not considerate it a drug. I come from a strict family, where drugs are not allowed, not matter if it is a licit or illicit drug. The only time my parents drink alcohol are on holidays, but the funny thing is that they both need to drink a cup of coffee to start their morning. I do not think they realize that coffee is also a drug, and the same thing happened to me. I did not see anything bad on drinking coffee every morning, as my parents. However, now I know what caffeine really means, as we talk in class, coffee is a simulant that increase the functioning of the nervous system. I also know that companies spend billions of dollars to get more people as much they can. An example, is how “digital [advertising] made up 36.7% of total media ad spending in 2016 and will account for around half by 2021. Mobile will be the main driver of this growth, comprising 70.3% of digital spend in 2017” (eMarkete, 2017). Being expose to all these advertising is making hard to not consume drugs.

Another reason I decided to write this blog about coffee is because I want other people to know that coffee advertising are no reflecting what coffee really is, and then they can take their decision about drink or not coffee. I am not saying coffee should not be allow because it’s bad, but people have the right to see the coffee as a drug and not just as a solution to everyday  problem. To write this blog I decided to use a video ad from Lavazza called “Lavazza ‘Ode To Coffee’ commercial 2017,” by Lavazza https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBwMof3k14U

I choose this video ad because it was made this year (2017) that means it recent, it was post on Apr 5, 2017. Another reason is because this a good example on how coffee companies sell their drugs without telling to their customers that coffee is a drug, but a solution to any problem, or situation.

More 120 Years of History

  • Everything started when Luigi Lavazza opened Lavazza’s first grocery shop in via San Tommaso, in Turin, in 1895. He discovered the different origins and characteristics of the coffee plant, and studied the art of blending to meet the tastes of customers, creating the blends.
  • It was just after World War I and Turin was bustling: the Lingotto plant entered into production for Fiat, and the Lavazza grocery shop became a small business.
    • In this same period (1927) Lavazza started to use Pergamin: a pack with two layers of paper that maintains the fragrance of coffee.
  • The first Lavazza logo was created in 1946 by the Aerostudio Borghi in Milan. The central letter “A”, larger than the other letters, still identifies us today.
  • The coffee we buy today is still in vacuum packs. The first time it was packed this way was in 1950.
  • This made long-term conservation, and hence much wider distribution, possible.
  • In 1959, we launched Lavazza’s first decaffeinated coffee: DEC.
  • The largest roasting plant in Europe, in Settimo Torinese was built in 1965.
  • The world’s largest coffee school existing today was created during the 1979’s, under the name Luigi Lavazza Center for Studies and Research into Coffee.
  • In 1989, the Vending sector was formed with the Lavazza Espresso Point system: an espresso machine that uses single-serve pre-packed coffee capsules.
  • In 1982, Lavazza Coffees Ltd. was set up in London in 1990 to spread Italian coffee in the UK.
  • In 1993, art, photography and design were included in advertising.
  • 2004 saw the opening of the Giuseppe and Pericle Lavazza Foundation, a non-profit organization that seeks to improve people’s living conditions in coffee-growing countries.
    • The main project is called: “Tierra.” In this project we have permanently improved, in eight countries, the living conditions of more than 3,000 caficultores, boosting economic growth, improving their lifestyle and introducing new, more ecological and profitable agricultural techniques.
  • 2012- The Sustainability Report, illustrated the results of the commitment in the sustainability field.
    • we have launched a programmer aimed at assessing the environmental performances of various key products
  • In 2004, the Lavazza calendar took coffee into space, with the photographs of Thierry Le Gouès, inspired by Barbarella and the pop and science fiction imagery of the Sixties and Seventies.The same year, Lavazza took Italian espresso onto the International Space Station, in collaboration with Argotec and the Italian Space Agency (ASI).
  • The Lavazza coffee we drink today is the result of his idea: combining coffees from different parts of the world (Asia, Africa, Brazil, Sud-America, etc.). These coffees are harvested, processed, mixed and roasted to create many different and balanced blends, and satisfy the taste of every one of us.
  • Lavazza celebrated 120 years of history in 2015, where Lavazza was presenting the first Lavazza compostable
  • capsule for preparing a perfect Italian espresso, respectful of the environment.
  • In 2017- Lavazza is celebrating 122 years of being not just in the Italy marker but around the world.

Is Children a target of Lavazza Coffee? 

The audience of Lavazza is everyone who needs a solution to any problem in their lives, which mean everyone. The song of this ad is basically about when is a good idea to have a cup of coffee, for example when you need an advice, before texting you ex, when you need to convince police officers, impress a some you like, etc. but the example that most caught my attention is when I the minute 0:58 appears a cartoon astronaut. In this cartoon they represent their achievement to take “Italian espresso onto the International Space Station, in collaboration with Argotec and the Italian Space Agency” (ASI). This make me wonder why decided to add a cartoon in this ad, is it because children like cartoons? Or is it because they want people to think that this commercial is innocent. I feel that this a technique that reflex innocence, because most of cartoons are for children, and if this ad has a cartoon it means it nothing is wrong about it? Because of this cartoon I will say that the intended audience is not just everyone who needs a solution to their problems but also children.

Is Caffeine Addictive?

The active ingredient in coffee is caffeine, which means coffee is a stimulant and a psychoactive drug. That means, caffeine “acts primarily upon the central nervous system where it alters brain function, resulting in temporary changes in perception, mood, consciousness and behavior” (ScienceDaily). That is one reason people experiment paranoid, anger, high energy, and other synthons after drinking a cup of coffee or any other stimulant.

One of the physiological effect in our bodies after drinking caffeine is that if “you stop taking caffeine abruptly, you may have symptoms for a day or more, especially if you consume two or more cups of coffee a day” (WebMD Medical, 2017). You can experiment many symptoms of withdrawal from caffeine, some of them are headache, fatigue, anxiety, irritability, depressed mood, difficulty concentrating and other symptoms. However, caffeine does not cause serious withdrawal or harmful drug-seeking behaviors as street drugs or alcohol.

Based on Patrick Di Justo, claims in the article “Here’s everything that’s hiding in your cup of coffee” that “caffeine’s primary mechanism in the brain is blocking the effects of an inhibitory neurotransmitter called Adenosine (Patrick Di Justo, 2015). That means that when stimulants like coffee block neuroreceptotors for the sleep chemical adenosine you are awake.

On the other hand, Caffeine “doesn’t threaten your physical, social, or economic health the way addictive drugs do,” (myth and fact) for example, alcohol. For this reason, most experts don’t consider caffeine dependence a serious addiction. But this does not mean that you do not spend a lot of money drinking coffee every day. “Americans on average, each American drinks 3.1 cups of coffee a day, adding up to $40 billion spent annually on coffee in the U.S. alone” (Katy Osborn, 2015).

Some Advertising Strategies 

  • The main technique that I see in this video ad is that they are not targeting only one kind of person but suggesting that a cup a coffee is the solution to everything, at any time, that way they are targeting a bigger group of people as possible.
  • Another strategy is that they used a soft and relax tone in their music. Which I think is contradictory to what caffeine really does on the body. But this music make the audience think that no matter how bad their day is going, coffee will fix everything.
  • The video has humor, which I think is a good strategy because people are more likely to watch the whole video if they are have fun with it.
  • As English is my second language I always like to have subtitles on everything I watch. I think their strategy on having subtitles of the song is because they are considering not just one language/culture but because Lavazza coffee is all around the world they want to make sure that their ads are understanding.

This video ad does not explain the ingredients or what the side effects of caffeine are. They just focus on how coffee is “great.’

In conclusion

Even though I know caffeine affects can be dangerous, as coffee drinker I think is hard to decide whether or not I will recommend to my friend or family members think coffee. I think my answer will be that they can decided after I explained the cons and pros of caffeine as a stimulant. After, I will recommend then to drink coffee in small amounts, because based on my research caffeine is not addictive and even though it “does not cause the severity of withdrawal or harmful drug-seeking behaviors as street drugs or alcohol,” (Patrick Di Justo, 2015) it can cause symptoms of withdrawal as headaches, fatigue, anxiety, etc. when you stop drinking coffee.

However, coffee a good way to increase is energy. Based on the article “Caffeine Myths and Facts” by WebMD a good method to drink this stimulant is to drink it before 2:00 pm, because “caffeine has a relatively short half-life,” which means “after eight to 10 hours, 75% of the caffeine is gone” (WebMD Medical, 2017) from the body. Another point to keep in mind is that if you are trying to save some money, drink coffee everyday might not be a good idea.

References:

Di, P. (2015, MAR 18). Here’s everything that’s hiding in your cup of coffee. Retrieved from the website Business Insiders http://www.businessinsider.com/chemicals-in-coffee-2015-3

ScienceDaily. Psychoactive drug. Retrieved from the website ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/psychoactive_drug.htm

WebMD Medical. (2017, April 30). Caffeine Myths and Facts. Retrieved from the website WebMD

https://www.webmd.com/diet/caffeine-myths-and-facts#1

Osborn, K. (2015, September 29). Here’s where your coffee habit costs the most. Retrieved from the website Money http://time.com/money/4053704/coffee-costs/

eMarkete.(2017, March 15). US ad spending: The eMarketer forecast for 2017. Retrieved from the website eMarkete https://www.emarketer.com/Report/US-Ad-Spending-eMarketer-Forecast-2017/2001998

Lavazza. Timeline. Retrieved from the website http://www.lavazza.com/en/lavazza-world/company/history/

 

By Karina Marroquin, October 25, 2017.

Emmi Caffè Latte: So Fresh. So You.

monnetn Coffee , ,

 

Drug advertisements on Swiss television or radio, about tobacco and alcohol are prohibited (Scruzzi 2015). However those drugs can be advertised in theatres after 7 p.m., on newspapers and cultural or sportive events (Bundesamt für Gesundheit 2015). Other drugs advertisements about coffee and painkillers like ASPIRIN for headache, are shown quite frequently on TV and wherever you go.

So, the drug I chose is coffee, specifically Emmi’s product line Emmi Caffè Latte. Here you can find the link to my advertisement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VifHlt90N34. 

I picked coffee as my drug, because I drink it almost every morning. At home, I bought Emmi Caffè Latte a lot, because it was practical to carry, to drink it on my way to school, to buy and drink it when I was on a coffee break with friends or whenever I felt exhausted and felt like I needed some kind of power.

 

Emmi’s history and mission (Emmi Deutschland, Über Uns):

  • Emmi Caffè Latte is a brand of Emmi AG, created in 2004.
  • Emmi AG is one of the largest diary producer in Europe, the largest Swiss milk processor and a worldwide renowned specialist for Swiss cheese.
  • Emmi has it’s headquarters in Lucerne, Switzerland (established in 1907), but it also has several subsidiary companies in other countries: Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Austria and UK. In these markets, outside of Switzerland, Emmi concentrates on brand concepts and specialties that work best in the specific country and society.
  • 1947, they first sold cheese and yoghurt under the brand name Emmi. In 1998 the first subsidiary company was established in Germany.
  • As consummation of coffee and drinks with caffeine started to become a trend in 2004, Emmi hopped on the coffee train and created their new trend product Emmi Caffè Latte.
  • Starting 2010 the Emmi started to be recognized more and more. A new positioning of Emmi Germany and an image design (a typical Swiss wrapping, with a red and with Swiss flag and three mountain peeks on blue background) helped people to recognize the brand faster. A Germany wide TV campaign of Emmi Caffè Latte was the ultimate step to be fully recognized and established in the market.
  • In February 2011, Emmi became partner of the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Starting 2011, Emmi’s product line Emmi Caffè latte, became official partner of ProSieben’s (German TV Channel) success format Germany’s Next Topmodel. In  013 EMMI launched the limited edition Emmi Caffè Latte Caramel New York Edition with a TV spot on every relevant channel. In 2014 Emmi expanded the range of Emmi Caffè Latte of the trend product Emmi Chai Latte, with Vanilla and classic flavor.
  • As of today Emmi Germany is still an official partner with Germany’s Next Topmodel and still successful with all their new product lines, but mostly Emmi Caffè Latte.

 

“What started out as just an idea back in 2004 is now a global success story. In 2012 we sold more than 100 million cups [of Emmi Caffè Latte] and it’s you we have to thank for this.” (Emmi Deutschland, Über Uns)

 

From Ski Champions to Germany’s Next Topmodel:

As previously described, Emmi and Emmi Caffè Latte have main sponsors like FIS Ski Alpine World Cup and TV Show: “Germany’s Next Topmodel”. Both of those have a very large audience.

Picture

FIS Ski World Cup attracts sportive people and people interested in Winter Sports or just fans of particular skiers.

For example some the Swiss Skiers (e.g. Wendy Holdener) have Emmi as a tricot sponsor during the Ski World

Championship. I think the message they want to bring across is: drink coffee and be energized and become Slalom Vice World Champion and Combined Alpine World Champion (Season 2016-17: Wendy Holdener).

  • Happy feelings
  • Shows the winner of the FIS Slalom World Championship: suggests that when drinking coffee everything is possible. Energetic. Sportive.
  • Tricot #1. Stands for best, first, winner.

Video advertisement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VifHlt90N34.)

The TV advertisement shown during Germany’s Next Topmodel shows a woman standing in front of a man, with a coffee in hand and then she starts dancing. They mostly want to grab the attention of younger people, but also people in their 40ties. I think it really is intended for a wide span of people. I guess they want to grab the attention of people who want to have fun und a happy, energized live. At least this is how the TV ad comes across.

  • Happy feelings.
  • Dancing as an indicator for energy.
  • “So fresh. So you.” Slogan.
  • Beautiful woman and handsome guy in the clip.
  • Sensual presentation of fresh roasted coffee beans dripping in creamy milk.

 

The whole video or the picture doesn’t say a word about the specific ingredients or the amount of caffeine used. It is only labeled on the product itself. The video however shows, as described above, a short cut of freshly roasted coffee melding with milk. Dangers, potential (although limited) dependence, or addiction aren’t addressed. In fact the only thing they do say is their slogan “Emmi Caffè Latte. So Fresh. So You.”

 

Is Coffee addictive or dangerous?

Hanson, Venturelli, Fleckenstein (2015), state that caffeine is the most frequently and perhaps the most popular used drug in the world. Beverages and food contain caffeine and are consumed almost every day. The average intake of caffeine is approximately 289mg (= 2-3 cups of Coffee) for U.S. citizens. Caffeine have a similar chemical structure to xanthines.

 

Physiological effects of the xanthines according to Hanson, Venturelli, Fleckenstein (2015):

Xanthines influence several body functions, but the effects are viewed as short-term. Only when used in high doses or by severely ill people, the drugs can be dangerous.

According to Hanson, Venturelli, Fleckenstein (2015), 100-200mg of caffeine enhances alertness, causes arousal and diminishes fatigue. It is also commonly used to block drowsiness and heighten mental activities (e.g. Cup of Coffee in the morning to “wake up”). Caffeine stimulates formations of thoughts, but doesn’t improve our learning ability. An other effect of caffeine is that it diminishes boredom. As a result students listening to boring lectures or a dull professor, often drink caffeinated beverages.

After doses over 300mg, the effects of caffeine are reversed: insomnia, increased tension, anxiety, flushed face, nervousness, rambling thoughts and muscle twitches are the result.

Doses over 500mg “can be dysphoric (unpleasant) and can cause panic sensations, chills, nausea, and clumsiness” (Hanson, Venturelli, Fleckenstein (2015), p. 339).

How the heart and blood vessels respond to xanthines depends on the dose and previous experience.

Low doses (100-200mg) can increase, decrease or do nothing to the heart rate.

Higher doses (>500mg) increase the heart rate. Caffeine also causes minor vasodilation in most of the body, except the brain, where it causes vasoconstrictions. For most consumers the effect caffeine has on the cardiovascular system are minor, but for people with underlining heart disease it can be dangerous. Xanthines causes air passages to open and facilitate breathing.

Based on available information, there is no strong evidence that moderate caffeine intake leads to disease. In fact some even say that moderate caffeine consumption reduces the risk of degenerative diseases of the brain (e.g. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer). However, people with existing, severe medical problems may be at greater risk.

 

Following Hanson, Venturelli, Fleckenstein, caffeine causes limited dependence, the abuse potential is much lower and dependence doesn’t really interfere with daily routines.

However it can produce addiction in some people. When withdrawing they get headaches and 10% become depressed, anxious or fatigued without their 1-3 cups of coffee. Some even experience elements of withdrawal before they had their first cup in the morning.

 

In the end…

Coffee is a commonly used drug. Today, drinking coffee has become somewhat a ritualistic devotion for many: Drinking coffee first thing in the morning, or the coffee break.

Coffee – when drunk in moderation – doesn’t have any severe effects on the brain or body. Only people with underlining heart diseased or existing medical problems (e.g. psychiatric disorder), should be aware what they are at greater risk than others. But realistically coffee still has way less elements causing serious heath problems than alcohol or smoking.

One cup of Emmi Caffè Latte Macchiato has only 80mg caffeine (Emmi Deutschland, Produkte), so it is still under the threshold where alertness etc. effects are caused!

So I recommend drinking coffee, if you want. Be it in the morning as a part of your daily ritual or during the boring lecture you’re just enduring. Sure, there is a chance of addiction or dependence. But in most cases the dependence doesn’t influence our daily routines. Honestly, if we can’t drink coffee because there is a possibility of addiction or dependence, we as well can’t drink lemonade or eat chocolat, gums, fruits, meat,…. because in the end everything becomes addictive at some point.

 

References:

Hanson, G., Venturelli, P. J., & Fleckenstein, A. E. (2015). Drugs and society. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Scruzzi, D. (2015, April 06). Alkohol, Tabak, Kredite: Werbung mit immer mehr Verbotsschildern | NZZ. Retrieved October 17, 2017, from https://www.nzz.ch/schweiz/werbung-mit-immer-mehr-verbotsschildern-1.18516991

Bundesamt für Gesundheit (2015, May). Basisinformationen zur Tabakwerbung. Retrieved October 12, 2017 from: https://www.bag.admin.ch/dam/bag/de/dokumente/npp/tabak/basisinformation-tabakwerbung.pdf.download.pdf/2015_Basisinformation_Tabakwerbung_DE.pdf.

Emmi Deutschland. Über uns. Retrieved October 12, 2017 from: https://de.emmi.com/de/ueber-emmi/.

Emmi Deutschland. Produkte. Retrieved October 13, 2017 from: https://www.emmi-caffelatte.com/de/macchiato

 

 

-Noémie Monnet