7up pulls prison spot

The little old ladies from... prison? strike again.

from brandweek: Human rights group Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR) said Friday that 7UP has agreed to pull its "Captive Audience" commercial off the air after the beverage company received complaints from SRS and "nearly 100 organizations" over the ad's content.

In the spot, from Young & Rubicam, the 7UP spokesman distributes cans to prisoners, but refuses to bend over when he drops one. In the concluding scene, the 7UP guy is seen in a cell with another man's arm around him.

The spot has aired on network and cable, including MTV, UPN, FOX, and the WB, along with other ads in the campaign, such as "Supporting Youth Hockey" and "Not Another Swimsuit Calendar."

However, the "Captive Audience" spot was still available for viewing at 7UP's Web site as of Friday afternoon.

"This commercial was perpetuating the kind of callousness that allows sexual abuse to continue in so many prisons virtually unchecked," said Lara Stemple, executive director of SPR, Los Angeles. "We're very glad to hear that 7UP has decided to stop sending out the message that it's okay to laugh about rape when it involves people in prison. No corporation would make jokes about rape outside of the prison context."

Anyway, the offending spot, 7up captive audience* is here.