For advertisers seeking millions of eyeballs, there may be no greater arena than the Super Bowl. But for brands looking to maximize that publicity, there may be no better fortune than having your ad banned from the Super Bowl.
Such is the case for Sodastream, a company that sells soda-making machines.
SodaStream reportedly purchased ad space to air during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLVII. According to AdAge, however, the ad was banned because it directly challenged two other major sponsors: Pepsi and Coca-Cola.
"SodaStream’s newest spot dubbed 'Game Changer,' created specifically for the Super Bowl, was rejected last week by CBS," a SodaStream spokesman wrote in an e-mail statement to The Huffington Post. "Because SodaStream is a direct competitor of the Big Soda brands that tend to be ubiquitous during the Super Bowl, the rejection of one of the company's proposed ads, which takes aim at Big Soda, is perhaps not surprising."
CBS declined to comment.
SodaStream has since re-worked the ad and received CBS approval, Forbes reports, producing a spot that doesn't so clearly mention its competitors. In the meantime, the company has enjoyed a PR field day -- along with millions of free views of its original ad -- by publicizing the debacle far and wide.
This isn't the first time SodaStream has seen surprising success with a banned ad, either. In November 2012, U.K. broadcast company Clearcast banned a similar ad from the company that they said "denigrated other soft drinks."
WATCH the banned Super Bowl ad above.
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