Multiple complaints against two versions of Coca-Cola’s “Taste The Feeling” re-brand have been dismissed by the Advertising Standards Board (ASB). People complained a poster implied fellatio and a TVC was too sexually graphic for prime time.
Poster
The complaints against the above poster include:
- Seriously if Coke can’t sell its sugar without resorting to making a beautiful young women suck off a coke bottle, they should give up.
- This is part of a new campaign by coke called taste the feeling; they have a few models. The equivalent young guy is a shirtless dude with a guitar sucking back a coke with a refreshed look on his face. The girl, however, looks like she is about to commit an act of fellatio on her bottle.
- I am not a prude and have no issue with fellatio, but this is just such blatant sexism it’s wrong.
- It’s also not doing wonders for young girls’ self esteem.
Coca-Cola South Pacific (CCSP) responded with: “We consider that most members of the community viewing the Coca-Cola advertisement would see a beautiful woman holding an icy-cold bottle of Coca-Cola, without any sexist or highly sexual connotations.
“There is nothing in the advertisement which indicates that the woman depicted is subject to unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature.”
The ASB ruled in favour of CCSP: “The Board noted that the woman is holding a bottle of Coca-Cola in her hand and considered that it is clearly the advertiser’s product and is not intended to represent a penis. There is no obvious reference to any sexual activity, including fellatio, in this advertisement.”
TVC
https://youtu.be/-AmKP9VE2Ms
The complaint was that the TVC was too “sexual and graphic for prime time television when my kids are awake and watching. Inappropriate.”
Coca-Cola South Pacific argued “the moment in the commercial that the viewer expresses concern in relation to appears at approximately eight second and lasts for approximately three seconds. It shows a young couple in the library kissing passionately.
“It does not use sexual appeal in a manner which is exploitative or degrading to either the guy or the girl”.
The ASB ruled in favour of Coca-Cola, noting the ad had been rated “W” by the Commercials Advice for Free TV Ausrtalia which means the ad complies with a General classification.
