South Africa, Nov. 14 -- Socially harmful

A consumer complaint argued that the phrase trivialised behaviour that is illegal, socially harmful, and a major contributor to South Africa's high rate of road fatalities. The complainant noted that even though Switch is a non-alcoholic drink, the wording is universally understood to refer to drunk driving.

Said the complainant: "The explicit wording normalises and makes light of drinking and driving, which is universally understood as referring to alcohol consumption before driving."

In the ad, a TV anchor interviews a competition winner who repeatedly blurts out that "drinking and driving is awesome" after drinking a Switch Energy Drink and winning a new car. Although the reporter immediatel...