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!?

Good article here www.socialtimes.com/2010/07/coca-cola-pulls-facebook-promotion-amid-porn-complaints/?utm_source=twit terfeed&utmmedium=twitter&utmcampaign=Feed%3A+socialtimes+%28SocialTimes.com%29&utm_content=Twitte r

Also if you search on twitter "facebook coca-cola" it is getting a lot of mentions

reported that fb page. People who support exposing children to porn scare me, I can't believe they actually exist apart from sick paedos.

Well got to page 7 of this thread and disgusted as a mother of two I've changed my status iodate to:-

Warning to parents with teenage children on facebook coke-a-cola are running a campaign under Dr Pepper brand urging people to install it's automatic status updated the campaign is basically embarassing statements there have been pornographic messages on this status's the sign up age is 14 and they aren't removing the campaign - boycott of Coke's products fore in support of those with teenagers who have had their status changed to an innapprioate status!

I have quite a few friends with teenage children so want to warn others x

I hope that Coke drops LMFM like a hot potato and then the imbecile who did this will most likely get their comeuppance when he has no account to work on.

Good work MrsR.

What with last week's Raoul Moat debacle is this another nail in the coffin for FB? I truly hope so.

If someone from mumsnet is going on sky news tonight, please please make reference to Dr Pepper also encouraging teenagers to make their profiles open (and the dangers associated with that). And also to refer to it as scatalogical porn and not just porn.

I wish I could see it but we only have 5 channels.

Butterscotch- the facebook promotion has already been pulled, if you read the thread.

I would not have know what "scatalogical porn" meant before yesterday - why not say porn involving the eating of faeces - otherwise lots of people are just not going to get it are they!

Reported FB page.
MrsR, I have the utmost respect for what you have done/are doing. Have had to do a double-take comedy eye-rub to make sure I was really reading support for children to be exposed to hardcore pornography. Your daughter must be very proud to have a mom like you.

good point tabouleh.

I think I was just thinking they wouldn't say something like that on the telly. But if you can then that's better.

hi there, i havent read this whole thread, only the first page, and i am totally shocked by this. it is absolutely disgusting that your daughter was exposed to this. bad enough from an adults perspective. as i said i havent read the whole thread so maybe somebody else has suggested this, but perhaps if you werent comfortable with the press or the police, maybe watchdog? im sure they would be able to find the correct people to complain to on your behalf from an objective POV??

facebook are just as in the wrong here too. you are allowed a facebook account from the age of 13 (i think) so her friends possibly as young and youger than your DD could have been exposed to this status too. and if the parental controls on their pc werent as up to scratch as yours there could be many young children left googling and seeing these explicit pornographic images.

utterly disgusting how angry you must feel xx

Scatalogical is the correct adjective to use in a formal context - it has other more innocent usages, for instance elephant 'scat' is the usual term for their dung.

The last two articles mentioned are much better.

Can someone feed/tape/record/link to the sky stuff when it happens? Who is it going to be and at what time?

I thought scat was a jazz term?

I think the jazz scat has a distinct etymology.

I have been lurking on this thread. I have reported the FB page also.

Just posting to add my support and to second the utter horror and revulsion expressed by so many here.
Really, it's beyond belief

...
Disgusting :/
What is happening? Who is on Sky News and when? Would like to see what is said.

Just caught up with this again, and I can see it's all kicked off. good for you MrsR - jolly well done. CocaCola must be cacking themselves and will be running around like headless chickens trying to hush this up and do a damage limitation thing as we speak. I hope to God they don't succeed - our children are bombarded cynically with enough advertising as it is, but this is really beyond the pale. I can see a case for for criminal charges for corporate negligence to be brought against them to be honest. These huge powerful companies who think they can do anything need to be brought down a peg or two, and taught a sober lesson.

You've handled this fantastically MrsR well done again.

Also Scatophagious is a person who like to play with poo.

Hmm. Just tried to complain to the ASA but this is apparently not in their remit.

So that's it then for Coca-Cola/Leanmeanfightingmachin. A bit of bad press which has been largely downplayed and no doubt forgotten in a couple of weeks? I don't think they're quaking it at all.

Has the FB hate page gone? I just looked for it and couldn't find it.

But on the ASA website it says "The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the UK's independent regulator of advertising across all media, including TV, internet, sales promotions and direct marketing. Our role is to ensure ads are legal, decent, honest and truthful by applying the Advertising Codes.

How was this campaign not within the remit of internet and sales promotion?