In a culture in which it’s basically impossible to imagine anyone disliking an avocado, it’s hard to find someone or a brand who’s willing to say something even remotely negative about the fruit. So it’s not exactly shocking to learn that when one company dared to make fun of it, they received some backlash. This time, though, it seems that avocado lovers have gone a little too far. Coffee company Costa Coffee had to pull a radio ad because it insulted people and lead to complaints, and, yup, it was about avocados.
According to The Guardian, Costa had broadcast the ad on the radio in June. The ad jokingly suggested that bacon sandwiches were better than avocado toast for breakfast. The voiceover stated, “There’s a great deal on ripen-at-home avocados. Sure, they’ll be hard as rock for the first 18 days, three hours and 20 minutes, then they’ll be ready to eat, for about 10 minutes, then they’ll go off.” (Which, honestly, TRUE.) The voice went on to suggest that you would be better off snagging a bacon roll or egg muffin at a Costa near you.
The joke might seem harmless, but a few people in the United Kingdom felt like that it was crossing the line, and they decided to do something about it. They took their complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), saying that the ad “discouraged consumers from selecting fresh fruit.”
Costa obviously fought back on the claims, saying the ad was just a joke about how it takes a long time for avocados to get ripe. Avocados DO take a really long time to get ripe and then they go bad far too quickly — so, come on, people!
The ASA wasn’t feeling the joke either, apparently, because they ruled in favor of the two (yes, two) insulted people. The United Kingdom’s code of broadcast advertising prohibits any ad that suggests non-fruits or vegetables are healthier choices than actual fruits and vegetables, and so they ruled that the ad was indeed doing just that. Costa was forced to pull it.
As nice as it is that the U.K. is so strict about being healthy, this feels like a little much.
