Clearcast turns down SodaStream ad appeal

By Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith, campaignlive.co.uk, Tuesday, 04 December 2012 12:34PM

SodaStream is considering legal action after Clearcast turned down the brand's appeal against its decision to block the broadcast of its new TV campaign, because it "denigrated" the bottled-drinks market.

SodaStream: Clearcast dismisses brand's appeal against ad ban

Clearcast upheld its original ban, claiming the ad (above) "could be seen as telling people not to go to supermarkets and buy soft drinks, instead help to save the environment by buying a SodaStream".

Fiona Hope, SodaStream managing director, said she was "extremely concerned" about the final decision and claimed the brand was seeking legal advice following today’s news.

The ad, created by Alex Bogusky and Rob Schuham at Common Agency, featured batches of unidentified soft drinks in plastic bottles, spontaneously combusting every time someone pushed the top of their SodaStream machine.

It was pulled hours before it was due to air in the UK, despite already appearing on TV in the US and Australia as part of an £11m global campaign.

SodaStream then hit back with a new ad called "blacked-out bubbles" that showed a black screen, save for the words, "If you love the bubbles set them free," directing viewers to the original ad on YouTube. It has been viewed more than 1.2 million times on the site.

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This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk