"Croc kills wildebeest" (Coca-Cola)

180 complaints

ASA verdict - Not upheld

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What the ASA said:

A vicious attack by a crocodile on an unlucky wildebeest who’s travelled thousand of miles to reach a watering hole attracted complaints from viewers who found this ad offensive and distressing because is depicted the violent death of an animal in a trivial way. Some complaints also objected that their children were frightened by the ad. The ad, which was for the soft drink Oasis, was cleared for broadcast after 7.30pm.

We considered the ad was likely to be seen as a light-hearted spoof of nature documentaries and noted there were no graphic images of the animal being struck or bitten. We considered the post 7.30pm restriction was reasonable to ensure it was not seen by children unsupervised and therefore unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence.