From www.news.com.au- COCA-Cola has been forced to can a TV ad which authorities say suggested women should be available for sex whenever men want it.
The Advertising Standards Bureau found the advertisement, though light-hearted, was inappropriate to be on TV when children were watching.
It was the second embarrassment in a month for the soft drink giant, after it had to admit correct health claims in print ads featuring actor Kerry Armstrong.
The latest controversy erupted over a Coke Zero ad, titled “Break up as it should be”.
In the ad a “hero” man who is breaking up with his girlfriend at a roadside cafe is suddenly surrounded by pole dancers.
His dumped girlfriend acknowledges the man doesn’t want to be with just one woman, then offers: “Just call me when you want to have fun”.
A series of complaints to the advertising watchdog argued the ad degraded women and promoted casual sex for men.
But Coke said the production, targeted at young men, was “an exaggerated look at a very common fantasy” and designed to be light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek.
“We certainly did not mean to cause offence,” Coke said in a statement to the bureau.
The company pulled the ad from television but asked permission to continue screening it on the internet and in cinemas.
However the bureau ruled the ad needed to be discontinued or modified.
While accepting while most of the community would view the ad as lighthearted and humourous, it was ruled the ad “did not treat sexuality with sensitivity to the audience and timezone within which is was shown”.
The board noted noted it suggested “men should have multiple partners and that women should make themselves available for sex or ‘fun’ whenever the man wants.”
In early April Coca-Cola was forced to debunk its own “myth-busting” ads after an investigation by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
In the ads, Armstrong claimed to expose myths, including that Coca-Cola “makes you fat” and “rots your teeth”,
But after an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission investigation, the agreed to place ads admitting that “all kilojoules count” and “all products containing sugar . . . have the potential to contribute to the risk of tooth decay and erosion”.
Coca-Cola spokesman Kelly Brooks said the company had taken complaints from the community very seriously and withdrawn the ad several weeks ago.
“The ASB upheld the complaint based on the timezone in which the ad was placed, not on content, acknowledging the ad’s intent to be humourous, over-the-top and tongue in cheek,” Mr Brooks said.