“I suspect Fox didn’t want to upset Coke and Pepsi” – SodaStream’s marketing chief hits back at Super Bowl ad censor

However, Fox, the network airing the Super Bowl this year, has censored the final line and insisted that an edited version play during the fourth quarter of the big game on Sunday 2 February.

“We were very surprised and disappointed when we heard from Fox that they were rejecting that line. This ad is perfectly fine to be aired in the US,” said Nacasch. “We’re mentioning our competitors in a fun, light hearted way. Everybody knows that for many years in the US there has been competitive advertising, not just mentioning the competition but doing comparative advertising.

“Coke and Pepsi themselves should remember that for many years they have been attacking each other with their advertising, including during the Super Bowl. So there is something wrong and shocking in the decision of Fox to not allow this line to be said during the Super Bowl. It raises a lot of questions. Would this have happened if Coke and Pepsi were not two of the biggest advertisers during the Super Bowl day? I don’t know exactly. But I suspect that Fox didn’t want to get Coke and Pepsi upset.”

The unedited commercial has been released on the brand’s YouTube page and has already pulled in over 1.2 million views. Nacasch explained that SodaStream has no plans to stop using the line in future.

He said: “Nobody will shut us down. At SodaStream we’re not afraid of anybody and we’re telling our message. Since we haven’t been able use that line during the Super Bowl we’ll use it any other day of the year.

“We will pitch it to other all the other networks who I hope will not be afraid of airing that copy because that commercial is perfectly fine to air in America.”

The advert was created by Alex Bogusky and forms part of SodaStream’s ongoing campaign to establish itself as a credible alternative to traditional sodas.