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!?

Fellatio - you've made my mistake They put it on the child's page.

Good Lord MrsRickman. This is massive really isn't it. Perhaps you need a lawyer? Theatre tickets. I mean really.

Forgot a for HalfTermHero. MN skills seem to be unhinged tonight. Caffine rush

Oh they realised houseofcrazy.
And they know they've messed up - hence the theatre tickets.

They just don't really get how badly they have messed up do they - I mean theatre tickets - how utterly insulting. I am fuming on your behalf OP

OP; is it really true? did it really happen? it seems impossibly outrageous.

It is not even a situation where any compensatory corporate hospitality measure will come close. They have committed a criminal offence. The child is underage. End of.

Take a screen shot, save it and print it. You might need proof it realy happened

Omg. I'm livid for you mrsr

please pursue it and let us know what happens.

Personally i'd be going the police.

I had no idea what that meant and I wish I still didn't as I am about to put dinner out. I'm not sure what you can do but I think the ASA would be a good place to start. Only a grovelling apology from the head honcho at Coca Cola would do for me. It's completely unacceptable for them to hide behind a claim that the agency is to blame.

That is outrageous, disgusting and Coca Cola / Dr Pepper have made a massive error here. Also, the updates are supposed to become more outrageous the longer you stay in the "game" - thereby giving you more chances to win the cash prize. So what other status updates has your daughter had on her FB page - or was this the first??!

The agency details are outlined in this article www.brandrepublic.com/news/998746/Lean-Mean-Fighting-Machine-lands-online-Dr-Pepper-task/

Ok, scanned the thread now - am I getting this right? Coca-Cola actually put this on someone's FB page?

Also, is FB supposed to be for over -18's like Bebo et al? They can get round all sorts by saying that minors shouldn't be on there anyway.

My ds and all his friends have had the dr pepper status takeover thing ..never seen that status

I am having trouble believing it because surely no one at Coca Cola could be ignorant of the fact that Facebook is used by under-18s. And that, in marketing and advertising, campaigns are poured over in minute detail and go through layer upon layer of presentations, approvals, veto-ing, and so on. How could all the people who were working on this not had a little moment of doubt about that status?

Shocking.

Googled the phrase and now feel physically sick.

It would be inappropriate even if used by over 18s - signing up for a soft drinks promotion is no excuse for sending people references to this type of material whatever the age of teh people involved.

Yes but did they actually send it?

Did it have the dr pepper symbol next to it?

Ok people. I have (not very succesfully) cropped the screengrab of the status update and uploaded to my gallery. Frankly I am quite sad anyone thinks I would make something like this up .

Don't feel sad. You have to admit it is so shocking it seems impossible.

Where is your gallery?

Did trhe Coca Cola marketing manager know it meant or did you have to explain it to them?

That is not acceptable even if the person is over 18 - on taste and decency grounds for starters - plus friends of the person can read it - and those friends may be 13-18 years old.

I assume she did some research after my initial email to find out what I was so upset about.

How are you going to prove it was the dr pepper/coke people who posted this status?

That might be a sticking point with all of this?

OP, you have not addressed those of us (inc me) saying to go to police. what are your thoughts on this?