Fanta ad falls flat before the Advertising Standards Board

Coca-Cola has been forced to remove advertisements for Fanta after the Advertising Standards Board found that the promotions breached the Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative, a voluntary code on responsible food marketing to children.

The rulings came after the Obesity Policy Coalition laid three complaints about the ‘Fanta Tastes Like’ campaign, which included ads during prime time TV programs, a website, and a tablet application. All three promotions featured the Fanta Crew, an animated group of teenaged characters, who engaged in activities like catching fruit, riding roller coasters, and landing in a pool filled with bubbles.

Coke, who owns Fanta, argues that it does not market any of its products to children under 12 years of age, and that the Fanta Crew characters were designed to represent 17 year olds and to reflect older teen culture. However, the Advertising Standards Board held that the characters were more likely to appeal to younger children who aspire to be teenagers, rather than being of interest to teenagers themselves, and therefore were most strongly directed to children in the 9-11 year age bracket.

Considering the overall effect of the themes, visuals and language used in the ads, the Board held that the app and the TV promotions were directed primarily to children under 12 years of age, particularly considering the simplicity of the app’s games, and the depiction of the Fanta Crew on roller coasters and jumping into a pool filled with bubbles in the television ad.

Given that Fanta was not a ‘healthier dietary choice’ that was suitable for marketing to children, the Board upheld the complaints in relation to the app and the TV ad. However, it dismissed the complaint about the website, holding that key elements were designed to appeal to adults, including the factual descriptions of the product flavours and the inclusion of nutrition information.

These decisions represent a solid win for the public health community, despite the Board dismissing the third complaint. Of particular note is that the Board held that an app fell within the scope of the Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative, despite apps not being explicitly included in the wording of the code.

However, it is relatively rare for the Advertising Standards Board to uphold complaints under the Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative, because of the numerous loopholes in the code’s terms and conditions. For example, the complaints tested whether Coke breached the code by placing the Fanta ad in prime time television programs, including My Kitchen Rules. However, the Board held that these programs were not directed to children because they did not have an audience share of more than 35% children (as per the code’s rules), despite My Kitchen Rules being one of the most-watched programs by children under 12.

Other critical problems with the code include a lack of independent oversight and enforcement, inadequate reporting on compliance, and limited membership. These complaints show that it’s time to junk industry self-regulation of food marketing to kids, and implement stronger restrictions that put children’s interests before those of the food industry.