Updated: 16:09
THE GLOBAL BEVERAGE company Coca-Cola has found itself in hot water today after it was highlighted it had omitted a gay-marriage scene, which is part of a Europe-wide campaign, from an TV advert to be broadcast in Ireland.
The LGBT publication Eile.ie said that the ad campaign titled Reasons To Believe, leaves the scene out of the Irish version of the new advert.
Highlighting the differences between the Dutch, Norwegian and British versions the new Reasons To Believe advertisement for the other countries shows the scene where two men are getting married.
The Coca-Cola adverts do include different images in each advert depending on the country they are being shown in.
Coca-cola and @cocacola was trending on Twitter in Ireland today after people took to the social media site to voice their unease and question why in the editing process for the advert the scene was removed.
Others state that the same-sex marriage scene is replaced with an mixed-race marriage and that there is no issue.
Coca- Cola’s advert in Norway with the scene included can be seen below:
(Via YouTube/Coca-Cola Norway)
Here is the Irish version where the scene with two men getting married is left out of the sequence.
(Via YouTube/Coca-Cola Irleand)
In response to a query from TheJournal.ie, a spokesperson for the company said the advertisement has been tailored for each market where it will be shown and has been informed by consumer research in each individual market.
“The core objective is that the vignettes in the ad resonate with people in each country and that they are truly representative of cultural issues that they are familiar with and value,” they said. “You will note for example that the St Patrick’s Day scene is only included in the Irish version as it is only here that it is truly relevant from a cultural perspective.”
As you rightly say, the wedding images used in the ad for the UK and in other parts of Europe show two men getting married. The reason that this was changed for Ireland is that while civil partnership for gay people is legal, gay marriage currently is not. This will be the subject of a referendum (2015).
“We wanted each ad to be relevant and valid for its own market,” they added.
Eile.ie also gives a Hat tip to Wolfgang Schmitt for the story.
- With additional reporting by Michelle Hennessy.
First published 15:49
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