"Ad Age" reports that Alex Bogusky tweeted that CBS had rejected the Super Bowl spot he was working on for SodaStreamSodaStream International Ltd. (Nasdaq: SODA).
SodaStream is the first Israeli company to run an ad in the Super Bowl. The home soda-making machines manufacturer is in the midst of a global campaign in which it emphasizes its advantages over the bottled beverages industry.
"Ad Age" reports, "SodaStream has already run afoul of authorities in the UK for a Bogusky-crafted spot indicating its product is more environmentally friendly than established sodas; the spot shows branded bottles and cans of soft drinks exploding into thin air. For the Super Bowl, it hoped to up the ante with a spot depicting truck drivers clad in clothing with Coca-Cola and Pepsi marks on them, according to SodaStream's chief marketing officer."
"Ad Age" said, "The content of its planned commercial seemed to have concerned CBS because it was a direct hit at two other Super Bowl sponsors and heavy network TV advertisers: Coke and Pepsi.
"Ad Age" quotes Bogusky's tweet, "Bummed. CBS rejected the SodaStream Super Bowl commercial I was working on. But SodaStream is still in the game with an older spot we tweaked."
"Ad Age" quotes SodaStream chief marketing officer Ilan Nacasch as saying, "We really tried to comply with the standards" set by CBS, adding, "We were taking it to a new level, and that's the level where they apparently judged to be going too far." He said that a new version of the ad CBS rejected was being prepared to appear on TV in coming days - likely before the Super Bowl airs February 3.
"Ad Age" says that SodaStream denies that the story was a PR gambit, and a CBS spokeswoman said network executives declined to comment.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on January 27, 2013
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