Soft drinks major Coca-Cola has decided to stop airing its controversial advertisement for Thums Up following the death of nine-year old Prabal Saha in Calcutta while trying to imitate the ad.
In a statement yesterday, Coca-Cola India confirmed that it has withdrawn the commercial which depicts a model bungee-jumping to pick up a bottle of Thums Up from all television networks. The company also extended its condolences to the bereaved family.
The unfortunate incident is the latest in a series of controversies related to Thums Up that have plagued Coca-Cola. Last year, Coca-Cola had briefly pulled the ad after a child took a fatal dive in Lucknow. The company then renewed airing the ad, after inserting a message warning that the model had received professional training and his actions should not be imitated.
Earlier this year, former Thums Up owner Ramesh Chauhan lashed out at Coca-Cola for mishandling the marketing of Thums Up. And now, Coca-Colas public relations have again plunged along with Prabal Saha. .Apparently inspired by the Thums Up ad, Saha attempted to perform the trick himself. Unfortunately, the cord slipped from around his waist to his neck, strangling him. He died on Sunday, after battling for his life for two days in a local hospital.
Ironically, the Thums Up ads for brands appear to be the only ones that spark off suicidal acts by viewers, even though several other television advertisements depicting equally dangerous acts abound. To name a few: Karate kid Akshay Kumar dangles single-handedly from a cable car before alighting safely to expound the inherent machismo of Red & White smokers. A Kawasaki Bajaj rider clad in the mandatory leather outfit slides under a gate a split second before it clangs shut. And a teenager levitates across a mountain chasm while mounted on a bicycle.
All these ads have a fairly high viewership and recall. But the Thums Up ads are the only ones that viewers have so far attempted to imitate in real life. A case of Cokes can of woes spilling over?
