Need help with a very sensitive complaint against a massive multinational!

[MrsRickman]

Ok, here goes.
Coca Cola are running a promo via their Dr Pepper brand just now on facebook. It is called 'status takeover' and involves the application putting an embarrassing or funny status on your FB page.
My 14 yo dd participated and I was HORRIFIED to log into FB and see that her status read - 'I watched 2 girls one cup and felt hungry afterwards'. For anyone who doesn't know what this means, please stay ignorant, for those who do, you can imagine how I felt. This was compounded later on when a quick search through dds internet history revealed she had tried to find out what it was for herself. Thankfully, our ISP has a wonderful child filter!!
So, after various emails and phonecalls to CocaCola marketing I have been offered (quite offensively) as way of compensation, a night in a hotel and theatre tickets for the West End. Fat lot of use to me, we live in Glasgow.
So, how do I proceed? ASA? I am absolutely fizzing with rage and disgust, and want a full apology and explanation. CocaCola are saying they use outside marketing teams for different brands and it's outside their jurisdiction. Help!?

The marketing company responsible for this appear to be called "Lean Mean Fighting Machine"

This came up on a Google Search and the only comment appears to be detailing the same concerns.

www.leanmeanfightingmachine.co.uk/blog/2010/05/the-status-takeover/

Looks like they are based in London

www.leanmeanfightingmachine.co.uk/everything%20else/contact

Good job getting in touch with the BBC - I'm shocked that Coca Cola would associate them selves with filthy pornographic content of this nature.

Hope you get a resolution on this.

Just posted on the Metro website in reply to some truly knob-end comments posted there.

Has anyone posted anything about this in the Comment is Free section of the Guardian? I am really shocked that Dodd's article was not only inaccurate, but was shunted into the backwater of the Business section (who the hell reads the Grauniad for business news anway? ). Could we not start a debate over there?

The Guardian article is crap, isn´t it?

And the headline "Coca cola forced to...."

Forced to???

They should have been blöödy well falling over themselves to pull the thing as soon as it became apparent that there were references to porn.

It´s not embarrassing or funny but downright offensive imo.

Interesting. The ad company responsible for the app blogged about it in May. One individual commented, alerting them to the fact that it went against FB rules and the app would probably get pulled. Shouldn't ad agencies be all over accusations like that?
click

Been watching this thread with horror MrsR.

Have reported the fb group (for targetting me or a friend - fellow MNetter wasn't on there, but I hope it counts )

This campaign has made me ashamed to work in marketing. And the bloody meeja response? Don't get me started. Never have I seen anyone miss the point so completely.

I really hope this runs and runs. And that a reporter some where will break this properly.

I have reported the FB page too Mrs R. Morons.

Have reported it too.

Adding my support MrsR, have also reported the FB page.
I noticed a few status similar to those mentioned appear on my home page last week, because I was viewing on my phone I had no idea it had anything to do with the app! I just thought people were posting some rather strange things.
The fact that this app was aimed at children is disgusting, I wouldn't sign up at my age if I knew what may be posted never mind being 14!
Can you imagine using this app and your granny logging in?!

Also reported.

Reported by me too.

apologies if you've all already seen this (in a rush and not read properly through all the thread) but looks like they've pulled the campaign due to this thread
Coca Cola pulls Facebook campaign

Can we not flood that page with support for MrsR? I know it will mean 'liking' it, but even if it means 1 person realises, surely that is something. Plus, I don't like the fact it is being left unchallenged.

oh right, I'm a day late - sorry.
the Guardian piece about it

I've reported it as well MrsR
Horrible it's taken this kind of turn. Facebook does scrape the bottom of the barrel.
Have you had any communication from seniority at Coca Cola yet?

What would Professor Tanya Byron have to say on this? Does anyone know how to contact her.

Don't publish the poor woman's mobile phone number on here....

I saw the fb hate group earlier and reported it straight away. Be interesting to see if fb take it down, and how long that takes.

Sorry you are experiencing this MrsRickman.

Get the coke lady's phone number deleted!

Agree you shouldnt publish her mobile no on here.

I sent a link to the email address on Tanya Byron's website yesterday - but no response - they probably thought it was spam!

Marketing Week has now posted on the story - I quote "Coca-Cola is considering dropping Lean Mean Fighting Machine, the agency behind the disastrous Facebook campaign for Dr Pepper."

www.marketingweek.co.uk/news/lean-mean-fighting-machine-under-threat-after-dr-pepper-porn -uproar/3015996.article

if you search Twitter for 'dr pepper', you'll see the PR bunnies are enjoying the debacle no end.