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!?

Don't think I had spotted this blog but interesting to see someone in advertising with a balanced view.

Gross - the general pornification of our culture is shocking!

Whatever happened to the values of integrity and modesty! I weep for the world my children will face as teens in 10 years time or so!!!

I know Im sounding like Mary Whitehouse even though Im under 40 but please lets try and halt the moral decline!

Hello, big bad world - life isnt all about sex!!!!

Rant over, I guess Im preaching to the converted!

Why don't you manage and control your child .. its not the PR firms fault your child posted what they did .. it is yours. Your child your responsibility ..get over it!

yawn another "Just thought I'd join MN and add my cents in"

telnform. What a particularly unhelpful post.

You have got the wrong end of the stick.

The OP's child did NOT post this. The Dr Pepper application took over her facebook status and posted it.

Try reading the OP.

Jesus, which particular bit of woodwork are these people crawling out from?

You'd think if they were motivated enough by the topic to join MN especially to get stuck in and have a row, they would at least have a basic handle of the story so far? Or is that just me then? Idiots.

Well, I personally find the implication of wanting to eat sh!t after watching others doing it offensive no matter who it´s aimed at.

I took part in this competition and found it very funny. I thought some of my status takeovers embarrassing, but that was the point of it. I saw this status on other peoples pages, but I didn't know what it meant so i ignored it.

I agree, having now found out what it means, that it should not have been included in the competition.

I also think that the Op's daughter should not have been taking part. I haven't managed to read the entire thread, but a fair amount of it, and I think that some people are being hysterical. It was a bit of fun with a risque, embarrassing element to it. Under no circumstance should children have been exposed to any of it, but Facebook is full of things children should not be exposed to. The competition should only have been open to adults.

Having said that I did find my updates amusing and my friends reactions and comments more so.

OPs daughter is well within her rights to be on FB-so perhaps the competition should not have been on there?

There's embarrassing/silly and then there's embarrassing/degrading/with the huge potential to offend. Anyone, not just a minor.

I'm sure had CocaCola thought this through properly they would have realised that. Also, there is no doubt that they would be largely aiming a product like Dr Pepper at the younger end of the market. FB is open to anyone 13+ - There was a distinct lack of care and responsibility shown in that regard. It just isn't good enough to say that kids can find offensive stuff online of their own free will. We all know that, but it's hardly a reason to hand it to them on a plate, is it?

So is that the fellatioNelson who came in half cock to the thread and also missed the point that SOMEONE else had posted the status??!!!!

Why shouldn't she have taken part? The competition was open to 14+ and she was 14.

The examples used were:

Mildly Embarrassing: Lost my special blankee, how will I go sleepies?

Embarrassing: Seriously what's wrong with peeing in the shower?

Properly Embarrassing: Just used to cardboard bit of the bog roll. Not nice.

She couldn't know from those examples that they were going to get so pornographic.

Good article www.marketingpilgrim.com/2010/07/coca-cola-gets-slammed-for-vulgar-facebook-campaign.html

Interesting it is mainly only the marketing press picking this up.

Another interesting article, with pretty limited sympathy for the agency:

www.blackweb20.com/2010/07/21/marketing-gone-wrong-ad-agency-loses-2-coca-cola-accounts-with-1-porn- reference/

I also said that I think the competition should only have been open to adults, that is why i think the OPs daughter should not have been taking part.

But it wasn't, it was open to 14+ and therefore should have been run like that. In fact a status message is the most public part of your profile so it should have been run with 13+ in mind!

it certainly should, I haven't disputed that but I keep my status private and don't have any children on my friends list.

mumwhatnothing - glad you found it very funny. I suppose the OP's daughter was just a bit more puzzled than you and decided to find out (or try to) what that status message actually meant, while you didn't bother to.

As for "It was a bit of fun with a risque, embarrassing element to it. Under no circumstance should children have been exposed to any of it," you need to remember

1. Facebook is open to anyone from age 13

2. Dr Pepper aimed this campaign at teens

(indeed, teenagers were primary target, as reported by Brand Republic in the "What's the worst that could happen?" campaign)

Seems that you could not have spotted the eligibility requirements in the competition's Terms + Conditions, concerning age.

Adults were not the prime target, but some (such as yourself) equally innocent about the meaning of some messages. Undoubtedly some might be offensive to some (a reference to swimming pools springs to mind) without hinting at bondage, fetish 'fun', etc, etc.

A quick look on Wikipedia via a search engine, will find a description, and I've no doubt one might find the video clip. Personally wasn't interested so have not sought it out.

But wasn't one of the conditions for this that your status had to be public? And even if you have no children on your friends list, all it takes is for one of your friends to comment on your status & any children on their list will see it.

You keep your status private? I thought you said you played???

If you keep your status private, I assume you had no expectation to score any points, or win 1,000 pounds. Perhaps it was just some fun for you and the competition element was ignored.

I keep my status private at all times, I did not realise it would make my status public. Also, only my friends can see any comments made not friends of friends or anyone else.

Also, all status's have been removed from facebook now and it was always removeable if you found it offensive etc. The only reason to keep the status on your page would be to win the competition. Also, while £1000 would be nice, I am not fussed about winning any money. I only joined because it was amusing to me.

Part of the requirements of winning was that your profile was kept public and removing the status was also cause for disqualification.

Thanks MNTotoro - an interesting link.

Seems the author is a little out of touch with the Coca-Cola marketing person's views ("light a fire" etc), and how this digital campaign for Dr Pepper has used the line "What's the worst that can happen?"

I assume it was just Cynthia's happy memories of the "Sign of Good Taste" campaign (was she involved?) that gave her this slant on the present day vulgarity. I guess peeing in the shower isn't something nice girls do, and therefore even that has sufficient shock value to get her attention...