Coca-Cola Nordic Services ApS 60 Strandvejen DK-2900 Hellerup Denmark Number of complaints: 1

Date: 15 October 2008 Media: Television Sector: Food and drink Agency: Grey (Copenhagen)

Ad
A TV ad, for Coca-Cola Zero, appeared on TV6, an Ofcom licensed channel broadcast in Sweden.  As a car drove up to an American diner, on-screen text stated "The break up".  Inside the diner, a waitress opened a bottle of Coca-Cola Zero and gave it to a man sitting with a woman at a table. The woman asked "What's wrong?".  The man replied "I don't know how to put this but ...". He took a mouthful of the drink and, to a background of noises the screen rapidly changed colour as the drink took effect. A voice-over, in the style of a film trailer, said "From the makers of Coca-Cola Zero comes 'Break up as it should be'". Dance poles, with scantily clad women attached, appeared from the ceiling. As the women danced around the man and one fondled his chest, the woman at the table said "So you want to break up? You don't want to be with just one woman? Just call me when you want to have fun". The man was seen leaving the diner and driving off on a motorbike. The voice-over said "Real taste. Zero sugar. As it should be".

Issue
A viewer believed the ad was inappropriate to be shown at 8pm when children were likely to be watching TV. She also believed the portrayal of women in the ad was offensive.

BCAP TV Advertising Code:	6.1;7.4.1;7.4.7
BCAP Rules on the Scheduling of TV ads:	4.2.3

Response
Coca-Cola Nordic Services (Coca-Cola) said the ad was part of the Swedish launch of Coke Zero, a no sugar cola.  They said it showed a young man dreaming about how life should be and, similar to the concept of enjoying full-taste cola without sugar, how to break-up with his girlfriend without suffering any pain or regret.  They believed the ad was clearly humorous and unrealistic in the style of Hollywood fantasy adventure films.  They did not believe the exaggerated storyline would be seen as offensive to women and believed that children, familiar with the type of film parodied, would recognise the humour and the caricature intended.

TV6 said they did not believe that the ad was offensive to women because it was clearly a parody of a stereotypical male fantasy of a perfect relationship break-up. They said the women were fully clothed and the dancing was not particularly erotic or provocative especially for the time of day the ad was broadcast.  They said the ad was in English, with Swedish subtitles, and believed that young Swedish children were unlikely to understand the conversation or be able to read the sub-titles and older children would understand the ad to be a parody and that it did not reflect reality.  TV6 said there was no nudity in the ad and believed that, because they would not understand the context of the ad, young children were unlikely to interpret the dancing as provocative.  TV6 believed 8pm was a suitable time for the ad to be broadcast.

Assessment
Not upheld
The ASA considered that the ad was clearly a fantasy, albeit based on a stereotype, of a young mans idea of a relationship break-up.  We noted the women were fully clothed and considered that the dancing was no more provocative than the type seen in many music videos broadcast at that time of day.  We also noted the ad was broadcast at 8pm, when young children were unlikely to be watching TV alone.  We considered that the ad did not contain any images that were inappropriate for the time of day it was broadcast, and viewers were likely to consider the ad to be a humorous fantasy rather than offensive or demeaning to women.

We investigated under CAP (Broadcast) TV Advertising Standards Code rules 6.1 (Offence), 7.4.1 (Children - moral harm) and 7.4.7 (Use of scheduling restrictions), and CAP (Broadcast) Rules on the Scheduling of TV Advertisements 4.2.3 (Treatments unsuitable for children).

Action
No further action necessary.

Adjudication of the ASA Council (Broadcast)