Britain's ad watchdog dropped its mighty ban hammer on a Mountain Dew spot this week, following complaints that the digital video was unsuitable for young people. The ad, which ran in gaming apps and social networks, shows someone snowboarding down an escalator and on train tracks, eventually injuring himself as the text “Don’t Dew this at home” appears onscreen, followed by a group of extreme-sports bros high-fiving and spraying soda on each other. The ad has actually been on YouTube for years, originally posted in 2009. But now that it has surfaced again, four complainants have made the case that the ad sends a bad and physically dangerous message to children, and the Advertising Standards Authority sided with them. Parent brand PepsiCo defended the BBDO-created spot, saying it did not feature minors and was not targeted at them. Obviously, the ASA disagreed and ruled that it should not run again in its current form. I guess stopping kids from hurting themselves is good, but seriously, that stupid pun in the tagline gets a pass? I don't understand this world.
