Brandlicious Blog

Who says the soda industry is so boring?  There’s actually a lot of things going on and as usual, I love it!  It’s so General Hospital-ish minus the silly vampire twist.  Here’s the latest story.  Apparently, SodaStream, the maker of do-it-yourself soda machines, is entangled in an episodic with key soft drink competitors Pepsi and Coke, as well as CBS network, which broadcasted the blackout-hyped Super Bowl this year, also known as the Beyonce concert to some.

SodaStream aired an ad during the SuperBowl, but it was an edited version of the original commercial.  CBS rejected the original ad for reasons we, and 20 other Law and Order TV shows can speculate.  (Insert sound effect here).  So here’s the original commercial CBS did not air:

Okay, now that you’ve seen the ad.  Any thoughts?  Well, let me offer my thoughts since you’ve asked!

My first thought is, Why did CBS reject the ad?  Hmm. I hate to wear my Dan Brown hat on, but I smell something fishy here.  The original commercial uses comparative advertising, which is legal in the United States, so there should be no legal ground to reject it.  I can’t help but think there was a political play here i.e. CBS playing favorites to Pepsi and Coke.  But why?  The New Yorker published a piece tackling the  possible hypotheses for the network’s action, but all I can think of is Jerry Maguire screaming, “Show Me The Money!“  Of course CBS would favor Pepsi and Coke here because, well, we all know why.  If I were SodaStream, I would focus on grassroots marketing and slowly kick the Goliaths of the soda world.  They have a history of tapping music folks and alternative-types like the band Garbage.  Shirley Manson wrote the song Get Bizzy with the Fizzy (see video below) based on the product’s jingle.

Anyways, all I can say is, I can’t wait to see what happens next.  DUH-RAMA!!!

*Thanks to my friend, Andie for the tip!