A short video commercial for Mitsuya Cider, a Japanese carbonated drink, was pulled by its manufacturer Asahi Soft Drinks after numerous viewers complained that it was “too dangerous.”
We’ve heard of similar marketing flops before from brands who, in an effort to make viral ads, get criticized by their target market for insensitive or poorly thought-out executions. (*cough* Pepsi *cough* Kendall Jenner *cough*)
To be honest, though, it took us a while to understand why the Mitsuya Cider commercial was considered “dangerous” by viewers. Here’s the ad:
And this was us after watching, trying to figure out what made it dangerous:
An article on a Japanese news blog explained what people were complaining about:
“It could be said that surprising someone from behind while they are holding a heavy metal object against their mouth tends to cause said mouth to slam against the thick metal mouthpiece, lips and teeth be damned. It also then becomes likely that the trumpet – which in Yoshine’s case is held over the edge of a rooftop – will be dropped and damaged.”
Asahi Soft Drinks released the following statement after receiving a stream of negative comments:
“At this time, we have received a lot of opinions from our customers about Mitsuya Cider’s new commercial, Bokura no Naka Hen. We deeply apologize for our lack of consideration. We take your feelings seriously and have decided to cancel the ad. We would like to take this moment to sincerely apologize.”
What do you guys think? Do you think the ad deserved to get canned? Leave a comment and let us know! /PAR