Controversy bubbles over

SodaStream is no stranger to controversy—and, in quintessential challenger brand style, no stranger to directly confronting the big drinks companies it competes against. It had its first major brand ad pulled in the UK for being “too disparaging towards soda manufacturers” and its Super Bowl spot from last year was rejected by CBS because it showed truck drivers in clothing featuring Pepsi and Coke logos (in the end, it ran a tweaked version of the UK ad). There’s obviously a fair bit of PR value in having your ad banned from the Super Bowl (and these banned ads often live on in the online world) and, surprise surprise, this year SodaStream’s ad featuring ambassador Scarlett Johansson, who utters the the line ‘sorry, Coke and Pepsi’, has also been knocked back.