According to reports, Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has been forced to pull a Fanta marketing campaign after it was found to be breach industry guidelines designed to fight obesity advertising a product to children.
The Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) found a TV advertisement and tablet app in their latest campaign for soft drink Fanta called ‘Fanta Tastes Like’ was directed at children as it featured an animated Fanta Crew engaging in activities like catching fruit and landing in a bubble-filled pools.
However following a complaint lodged by The Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) with the ASB, Coca-Cola said the campaign was aimed at teenagers aged 15 to 17 and the animated characters were depicted as teens and also further noted the app was created at its US headquarters and was not for sale in the children's section.
The main issue the OPC had seemed to stem from the fact that parts of the animation in the app showed a Fanta bottle filled with oranges, which they said was suggestive of Fanta being a fruit drink.
In its original complaint, the OPC said the Fanta campaign was “a communication directed primarily to children; Fanta does not represent a healthy dietary choice consistent with established scientific or Australian government standards; and [CCA] does not promote healthy dietary habits or physical activity.”
Handing down its findings, the ASB noted that some of the TV ad and app elements of the campaign were "primarily" directed at children, which was a breach of Australian advertising guidelines.
According to the ASB website, the opening scene features six characters sitting on a lawn drinking Fanta…and is “a fun cartoon fantasy featuring animated figures talking about “what their Fanta tastes like”.
A Coca-Cola spokesperson said: “Coca-Cola South Pacific always works to localise and ensure our marketing campaigns are not only relevant to an Australian audience but also meet local regulations and guidelines."
"The findings of the Advertising Standards Bureau decision allows us to make positive adjustments to the campaign ongoing."