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Why Has SodaStream Gotten So Aggressive All of a Sudden?

Maybe you’ve seen this newish SodaStream commercial that was banned in Europe but airs carefree in the U.S.? The one that features attractive people hitting the carbonating button atop their machines to make seltzer, but also thereby remotely detonating bottles of cola and orange soda in warehouses and bodegas, as if they were two-liter bogeymen?

Last month, the U.K. regulator Clearcast banned the ad for “denigrating the soft drinks industry.” The company insisted they didn’t mean to offend anyone, but, as stated in the commercial, using the appliance will spare the environment. “With SodaStream you can save 2,000 bottles a year,” they say. “Set the bubbles free.” After the TV spot was pulled, YouTube views went through the roof.

The Israel-based appliance manufacturer is now launching an expanded YouTube presence and announced it will advertise during the 2013 Super Bowl with an expansion of the exploding-soda gimmick.

And while nothing says “anti-establishment” like spending a few million dollars to advertise during the Super Bowl, or partnering with Kraft on a co-branded line of Country Time seltzer mix-ins, the company seems to be set to profit from its rad new ‘tude. “We are the anti-establishment brand,” chief marketing officer Ilan Nacasch tells Bloomberg. “We are challenging the status quo, conscious that moving to SodaStream is a big behavioral change for the consumer. We want to be seen as a rebel, and raise awareness of bottle and can pollution.”

We’re sure the people at Coca-Cola will have something to say about this, and we’ll all find out during half-time.

SodaStream Counts on Super Bowl Ads for Sales: Israel Overnight [Bloomberg]
Earlier: Not So Sweet: Board of Health Approves Soda Ban

Why Has SodaStream Gotten So Aggressive All of a Sudden?