High-definition televisions, fingers greased with buffalo wings, and body slams. It’s that time of year again. For many, the Super Bowl is the epitome of their existence as die-hard football devotees. While for others, it is a time of true hometown pride. Last year, it was reported that over one hundred eight million viewers tuned in to watch the festivities. While football games typically have high viewer ratings, this startling number tremendously supersedes the ratings of even the most highly anticipated season and post-season sport events. This jump in ratings can be justified by one captivating and extremely lucrative factor: Super Bowl commercials.
This year there is an extra reason not to change the channel after the referee blows the whistle. The highly popular products of the Israeli company SodaStrem International Ltd. has new representation: the alluring Scarlett Johansson. The advertisement features Scarlett Johansson highlighting the usage of the SodaStream machine. In the second half of the commercial, Johansson reappears wearing a revealing dress while sipping her israeli-made soda. However, Fox, the network host of this year’s Super Bowl, did not like the advertisement. And not for the obvious assumptions that may be associated with an advertisement starring Scarlett Johansson turning a cup of seltzer into a an object of her affection.
The Fox network initially banned the commercial for consumerist technicalities. At the end of the commercial, Johansson holds her cup of SodaStream seltzer and proclaims four short problematic words, “Sorry, Coke and Pepsi”. Although it may have seemed like a simple utterance, Fox network officials worried that this short statement could potentially insult their major network benefactors. Although a Coca-Cola representative insisted that the corporation did not coerce Fox to ban the advertisement, the SodaStream representatives disgruntledly dropped the short line to please the network.
The shimmying antics and consumerist propaganda aside, the commercial has stirred controversy long before the utterance of those measly four words. When word had spread that Johansson would be the new spokeswoman for SodaStream, she received major backlash from Palestinian activists and BDS supporters. SodaStream International Ltd. is a factory based corporation located in Maale Adumim, a settlement in the West Bank of Israel. The opposing activists are preaching that the SodaStream company is breaching the international law which prohibits trade in the settlements of Israel, in addition to making baseless claims that the SodaStream corporation is contributing to ongoing violations of human rights in the West Bank.
Although many celebrities would strive to maintain a positive reputation during such controversy, Scarlett Johansson has not compromised her values in the face of opposition. Prior to her role as SodaStream spokeswoman, Johansson acted as an ambassador for the anti-poverty group Oxfam for eight years. However, upon hearing of her deal with SodaStream, Oxfam was displeased with Johansson’s decision, stating that the two groups have conflicting interests. While SodaStream manufactures goods in the West Bank, Oxfam has spoken out strongly against the existence of settlements. In correspondence to the similar agenda of BDS, Oxfam insists that the inhabitants of the West Bank blatantly violate human rights and are obstinate rivals in their mission against poverty. Despite Oxfam initially considering Johansson’s supportive statements defending SodaStream, on January 30th Johansson decided to end her longstanding reign as their ambassador.
Despite all of this backlash, the commercial will air during the Super Bowl. Of all the controversial talk surrounding the commercial, the only amendment that will be made is the removal of the short line that seemed to bash Coke and Pepsi. This commercial symbolizes an achievement beyond the notable showcase of Israel’s economic feats. This year, during Super Bowl XLVIII over one hundred million expected viewers will watch as they are introduced to a resilient new friend of Israel, Scarlett Johansson.