Brutally refreshing? Or a dreadful exercise in slut-shaming?

Coca-Cola has ignited a firestorm on social media after its latest advertising campaign for soft drink Sprite in Ireland, under the theme, “brutally refreshing”, which seems to be intended as a backlash against political correctness in advertising.

With slogans such as: “She’s seen more ceilings than Michelangelo”, and: “You’re not popular, you’re easy”, or: “We all have one tight friend” and “One dip is never enough”

The company said it was “celebrating those with guts to tell it like it is”, but the multinational sparked a massive social media backlash.

The campaign used the hashtag #BrutallyRefreshing, but it backfired spectacularly, with the drinks giant eventually apologising and pulling the ad.

The only reason Irish people drink @Sprite is when there's no 7up available #BrutallyRefreshing enough for ye?

— Sheena (@sheena4one) August 3, 2016

@CocaCola How about "May give you diabetes, but it tastes great!" #BrutallyRefreshing

— Mark Cook (@Bookmarkcre8ve) August 3, 2016

Someone actually approved this awful, misogynistic advertising campaign? @CocaCola @Sprite #BrutallyRefreshing #notbuyingit @EverydaySexism

— Dr Emma Turley 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏳️‍🌈 (@DrEmmaTurley) August 3, 2016

A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said: “We’re sorry for any offence caused by the #BrutallyRefreshing Sprite campaign in Ireland, which was intended to provide an edgy but humorous take on a range of situations.

“Since its introduction in Ireland, Sprite has been associated with individuality and self-expression and we have always been committed to ensuring we deliver the highest standard of advertising.

“We recognise that on this particular occasion the content did not meet this standard and we apologise. The campaign has now come to an end and the advert in question will not appear again.”