The spot is part of a new campaign for Diet Coke and focuses on the beauty of a pregnant woman. The intent, Coke said, was to depict the woman's husband as a Diet Coke drinker. The spot is ambiguous, though, and viewers could interpret the ad as a pitch to expectant mothers.
Some doctors tell pregnant women to avoid caffeine and artificial sweeteners.
Trade publication Beverage Digest reports that Coke won't use the ad, lest it attract criticism. The company plans to either dump it altogether or reshoot it to make clear that the husband is the Diet Coke consumer, the Digest reports. Ad critic Barbara Lippert, however, likes the idea of a commercial that highlights the attractiveness of pregnancy. The voice-over in the spot gushes about the woman's sexiness. Last year's Coke Classic campaign, featuring people who turned crabby when they didn't get their Coke, was panned.