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

1408 replies

MrsRickman · 16/07/2010 17:58

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!?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
MrsY · 19/07/2010 19:49

SoftlyWalking - you don't need to watch a film to know what is in it, especially if that film has a Wiki page, or can be Googled - which is exactly what MrsRickman's 14yo daughter tried to do.

Thank goodness she has a good ISP that blocked the search results.

dittany · 19/07/2010 19:51

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FellatioNelson · 19/07/2010 19:51

The thing is, the internet is such an important and integral part of 21st century life, such an important part of educationa nd communication (not just entertainment) that to police every single thing your children read or type is just not feasible, and most filters available are actually too sensitive to the point where they cannot access perfectly innocent stuff as they get a little bit older. We have to give them some rope, and have faith that it will be OK. We don't listen in to all of their phone calls at 14 years old, do we? Hoping they won't search for sick depraved stuff is one thing - having it delivered to them on a plate by companies they identify with/admire is another thing altogether.

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MrsY · 19/07/2010 19:57

Have people seen this from the techradar website? I don't have time to join and comment to put out point accross, because I fear our friend jimbo has got their first with his!

MrsY · 19/07/2010 19:58

our point

diddl · 19/07/2010 19:58

SoftlyWalking-if somebody saw the phrase & didn´t know what it meant then they should have found out!

If they didn´t know & let it through, that´s just as bad as knowing & letting it through!

StrawberrySam · 19/07/2010 19:58

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piprabbit · 19/07/2010 19:58

Hurrah for Justine....

Very sad that all IT people are assumed to view and defend porn as part of their jobs (thanks for that Drew) - 16 years in the industry as Tech Specialist and I have never, ever had to view or defend porn as part of my day job.

Drew's response implies that to work in IT is to without a moral compass. V.v. wrong.

FellatioNelson · 19/07/2010 20:01

I really don't think we need worry too much about him trying to warn people off MN He sounds deeply wounded,and a bit fed up, like someone sent to his room by his mum for being cheeky, TBH, bless him.

SoftlyWalking · 19/07/2010 20:01

I think people have also over looked that fact it could have been a hack job on the promotion. Those things do happen, a lot.

This has made a good topic of discussion with my own daughter.

Jimbo1531 · 19/07/2010 20:02

I just want to see how the debate continues, so many people that agree with each other without any competition from anyone else can be a dangerous thing, and I'd like to see where this goes.

Jimbo1531 · 19/07/2010 20:03

Thanks fellationelson, arguing with so many Mums does bring back memories of being told off by my own Mother. I am after all only 24 and still capable of being told off!

MyNeighbourTotoro · 19/07/2010 20:04

My opinion is in line with the rest of the thread, however can we please stop attacking Jim just because he doesnt agree.

Cococola obviously agreed as they withdrew the campaign. I imagine there are heads rolling behind the scenes and the negative PR associated with this wont help them.

It should serve as a reminder to us all to keep track of what our kids are trying to access - just as MrsRickman did, and subsequently acted upon.

ISNT · 19/07/2010 20:05

If it was a hack job then I'm sure coke would have been quick to distance themselves.

The presence of other statuses talking about masturbation indicate a certain tone to this promotion, ratehr than this particular status being a one-off or a hack (even though it is worse than the others).

ISNT · 19/07/2010 20:07

Jimbo, presenting 2 girls one cup to a 14 year old girl as part of a soft drink promotion aimed at 14yo up, and encouraging them to set their profiles to public, is bad, isnt it? Surely you can see that?

If you went up to a 14yo on the street and started talking to her about masturbating with a cucumber and suggesting she look up 2girls you'd expect to be nicked, right?

StrawberrySam · 19/07/2010 20:08

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NetworkGuy · 19/07/2010 20:12

SoftlyWalking - I guess you cribbed the bit about "Finding out your mom has actually seen the film 2 girls 1 cup and knows exactly what it is" from some other site.

It's a sad state of affairs when a concerned parent becomes the target of a tiny group of vociferous net users with the combined IQ below that of an Amoeba, simply for expressing concern that a status on her daughter's Facebook page has changed to include some vile filth.

It's quite sad that anyone feels it "appropriate" or funny to have referred to the "2 girls 1 cup" video clip, and even sadder that there are some Facebook users complaining about the early closure of this advertising campaign with comments like "gutted" and "I miss all the funny status messages".

It is good riddance to some puerile comments. Whoever included the line(s) in the full knowledge of the target audience should not only get their P45, but be banned from advertising forever, and locked up for at least 5 years.

As for Coca-Cola, I can accept that in among perhaps 200 or more lines of "embarrassing" (crass toilet humour more like) messages, some will have slipped past, either because of the way they may have been presented, or just the monotony of having such a list to check.

Indeed one could argue that paying an advertising agency to manage the campaign, at perhaps 2 or more times the cost of the actual prizes, they could expect to have a professional managing it for them within the agency, who could be sure that it was suitable for the target audience.

Maybe they had some lad on a week's work experience who sneaked in an extra message "for a laugh". Whoever included it, I put more blame on the advertising agency than Coca-Cola, and it seems hardly surprising that whether Coca-Cola will ever use LMFM again is in question. Seems to me there has been a massive loss of trust in their ability to do a good job. Maybe other companies will pull their advertising, once they know this has gone public and Coca-Cola are under the spotlight for this error.

StrawberrySam · 19/07/2010 20:13

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NetworkGuy · 19/07/2010 20:15

Thanks loulou77 - I stand corrected.

I'd still, however, expect a professional jon from the "creatives" who presumably came up with the idea as to how it would work and put it forward to Coca-Cola, and then took their money...

strandedatsea · 19/07/2010 20:16

Yes I hope Jimbo stays too. It's good to hear the opinion of people who are "not like us". We may not agree with him but he is perfectly entitled to his opinions and if it weren't for the likes of him we might have all just come on this thread, said "right on Mrs R, go for it" and that would be that.

I also think Jimbo might be working through some of his own issues with the way he was brought up. Perhaps in between watching this thread he's been off for a look round MN for some advise.

theyoungvisiter · 19/07/2010 20:19

"MumsnetTowers RT @vtraveller: To me, Mumsnet is an inspiration of putrid vile for bad parenting."

HA! Genius. I think Mumsnet should have that for their new banner.

It's a lot zappier than "by parents, for parents" or whatever the real shoutline is.

SoftlyWalking · 19/07/2010 20:20

Why would you allow your child to do a promotion that required them to lower their privacy settings? Wouldn't it make more sense to teach them to not join things that required this? I've tried to look up the promotion but it seems to have been removed promptly so it's hard to say if you had to be 18 to participate. Most promotions do require you to be 18 unless you have your parents permission.

I am by no means saying it was appropriate - but I am realistic enough to realize the internet and printed/tv ads are far from the same thing and these things do slip by without people knowing. If it turns out this was a hack job and people were slipping in statuses at least the company will be more aware of security issues with their applications.

dittany · 19/07/2010 20:21

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theyoungvisiter · 19/07/2010 20:21

So, I don't have sky - could someone give me the breakdown of what happened?

Did Justine wear Boden?

Did Coke wear egg?

StrawberrySam · 19/07/2010 20:24

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