Coca Cola Oasis Cactus Kid ads banned for teenage pregnancy & water rejection

The Coca Cola owned Oasis drink brand campaign about "Cactus kid" and his pregnant girlfriend has been banned by the ASA in the UK.

The ending to the story was chosen by Cactus kid fans at www.runcactuskidrun.com and aired the 22 August during the Big Brother show in the UK - making this a toothless ban indeed since the campaign has already officially ended anyway. This ad, it seems, was the final straw - the campaign received 32 complaints, which is apparently enough to get something off the air. It does make sense to kick Oasis a little for acting as if it is a replacement for regular water. That ain't healthy.

Oasis – Cactus Kid part one (2008):30 (UK)

Oasis - Cactus kid / Diner (part two) - (2008) :30 (UK)

Oasis - Cactus kid / Motel (part three) - (2008) :30 (UK)

Watch the final ad inside, after the jump, folks!

ASA raps "offensive and inappropriate" Cactus Kid ad

Among the 32 complaints, eight viewers said the girl appeared to be a minor and therefore the ad condoned underage sex, eleven said the ad condoned teenage pregnancy and another six objected that the ad had been inappropriately scheduled because it could be seen by children and young people.

Ten objected that the ad suggested Oasis is a substitute for water and disparaged good dietary practice.

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The advertising watchdog, upholding all complaints, says viewers are likely to see "Cactus Girl" as in her early teens due to her youthful appearance and voiceover and therefore reference to her pregnancy is "offensive and inappropriate", adding the ad could be interpreted as condoning underage sex and teenage pregnancy.

The ASA adds the line in the first ad "don’t mess around with no water" suggests water is being rejected and, while acknowledging the ad did not suggest Oasis was healthier than water, it does imply the drink could be a replacement for water.

In its judgement on the second ad, the ASA says it did show a rejection of drinking water and therefore suggests Oasis, a drink containing sugar, could be a replacement for water. The watchdog concluded the ad is irresponsible and could discourage good dietary practice.

BBC news has a quote from Coca-Cola who have a hard time hiding their dissapointment:

A spokesman for Coca-Cola GB said: "We are disappointed that the complaints against the Oasis Cactus Kid campaign have been upheld by the ASA as the content-rich campaign has been a huge hit with the target audience.
"We ensured that advertising standards were met as we planned the campaign and the ads were approved by Clearcast, in line with their guidelines.
"The subsequent media buying was highly targeted towards an adult audience and fell within Ofcom restrictions."

Cactus kid final twist