Advertisers and brands push the envelope with sexy commercials during the Super Bowl every year, but one starring actress Scarlett Johansson has already stirred controversy. The ad, done for SodaStream, was rejected, not because of her sexy black dress, but because of a line slamming Coke and Pepsi.
In the 30-second spot, Johansson talks about how great and healthy Sodastream is. “Sorry, Coke and Pepsi,” she says, just before the end. The ad has been seen over 1.3 million times already.
USA Today reports that Fox has rejected the ad and SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum is convinced that it’s just because of that line about its competitors.
“What are they afraid of?” he told USA Today. “Which advertiser in America doesn't mention a competitor? This is the kind of stuff that happens in China. I'm disappointed as an American.”
SodaStream could be using the GoDaddy tactic, taking advantage of the buzz about a censored ad. But Birnbaum told USA Today that it never intended on doing that. The company’s Super Bowl ad last year was also rejected by CBS.
Birnbaum said that they will delete the line, just to make sure that the commercial airs. “If I could get my money back, I'd be happy to be out of that deal,” he said.
Johansson was hired as the SodaStream Global Brand Ambassador last week. The Israeli company came under fire for reportedly taking advantage of Palestinian workers at its West Bank factories.
image: YouTube screenshot