Yet another ad campaign has used the exhausted concept of demeaning women to try to sell a product.
This time it’s Sprite, whose “brutally refreshing” campaign fell totally flat thanks to its blatant sexist undertones. The ad was featured on Irish website JOE.ie. before it was pulled earlier this week, and features such sentiments as “She’s seen more ceilings...than Michaelangelo,” “You’re not popular, you’re easy,” and “A 2 at 10 is a 10 at 2!”
Backlash to the ad was swift, with many people calling the company out for its tone-deaf campaign.
According to the BBC, Coca-Cola issued a statement apologizing for the attempted “edgy but humorous” campaign as well as promising to remove it completely:
We’re sorry for any offence caused by the #BrutallyRefreshing Sprite campaign in Ireland, which was intended to provide an edgy but humorous take on a range of situations.
Since its introduction in Ireland, Sprite has been associated with individuality and self-expression and we have always been committed to ensuring we deliver the highest standard of advertising.
We recognise that on this particular occasion the content did not meet this standard and we apologise. The campaign has now come to an end and the advert in question will not appear again.
On top of apologizing for the ad, perhaps there’s another way Coca-Cola can make up for the marketing blip: try bringing on some employees who don’t rely on misogyny to sell a product.
H/T BBC