SodaStream steps up fight with drinks industry

SodaStream has stepped up its fight against the soft drinks industry with a print advertising campaign highlighting its TV ad ban and asking people to get involved in the debate.

SodaStream

The provocative ad sees SodaStream drawing a link between the ruling against its ad and the amount spent by the soft drinks industry un TV advertising.

It states: “This week, our TV advertisement has been banned from being shown on UK TV because the major broadcasters have ruled it ‘denigrates the soft drinks industry’. This is the same soft drinks industry which spends £39m in TV advertising a year.

“For some this truth is uncomfortable, but should it be banned from being told?”

Consumers are invited to share their view on the brand’s Facebook page.

SodaStream’s appeal over Clearcast’s decision to ban its TV ad was rejected by the regulator earlier this week and the brand is now taking legal advice over how to proceed.

The ad ban for “denigrating the soft drinks industry” was upheld by the clearance body earlier this week. The TV spot claims that consumers could save 1,000 plastic bottles a year if they switched from buying bottled drinks to using SodaStream

SodaStream has also been running a ‘blackout’ ad on TV directing audiences to watch the video online through YouTube because the original ad was not allowed to air. It has achieved 1.2 million views so far.

SodaStream’s £11m campaign, which has already aired in the US and Australia, aims to take on the soft drink’s industry’s waste issues. It was due to air on UK TV at the start of November but was pulled by regulators hours before broadcast.

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