UK TV ad body Clearcast bans SodaStream ad knocking bottled fizzies – to protect who from what?
SodaStream was yesterday informed by Clearcast – the organisation that pre-approves UK TV advertising and is jointly funded by the UK’s major broadcasters – that its new global advertising campaign had been pulled from transmission and could not air in the UK market yesterday evening on ITV1.
This eleventh hour decision came ahead of the ad’s scheduled premiere during the ‘I’m a Celebrity’ break last night (Thursday 22nd November). Despite already airing successfully in the United States, Sweden and Australia, it has been deemed inappropriate for UK audiences.
UK bans ‘green’ TV ad to avoid upsetting soft drinks giants
Clearcast offered the following reasoning for the move:
“The majority decided that the ad could be seen to tell people not to go to supermarkets and buy soft drinks, instead help to save the environment by buying a SodaStream.
“We thought it was denigration of the bottled drinks market.”
Fiona Hope, SodaStream UK Managing Director said:
“This decision is absurd. We have neither named nor disparaged any of our competitors in the industry and cannot see how this makes any sense.
“Through the ad, we are simply displaying an alternative way to living more sustainably and illustrating one of our product’s benefits – the reduction of plastic bottle wastage. The consumer should be allowed to make their own decisions about how to live their lives and the products to chose. This decision appears to put the sensitivities of the world’s soft drinks giants ahead of concern for the environment.
We will continue to fight this decision with Clearcast and will push to reverse this decision.”