Tropicana apologises after criticism over ad depicting parents drinking mimosas from secret fridges

Juice brand Tropicana has issued an apology after a recent ad encouraging parents to “take a ‘Mimoment’” for themselves and have a mimosa sparked backlash.

In a press release for the campaign, which has since been deleted, Tropicana referenced its study of 1,000 parents, which found that 87 per cent reported parenting to be so chaotic “that sometimes they just need a moment for themselves”.

“And nearly all parents agree that this year more than ever, they look for ways to create small moments of brightness in their days,” the release said, according to Yahoo.

To help parents “find those moments,” Tropicana announced it was creating “incognito mini-fridges filled with the makings for mimosas to provide moms and dads with the ultimate ‘Mimoment’ for themselves”.

As part of the campaign, which featured celebrities including Gabrielle Union, Jerry O'Connell and Molly Sims, Tropicana showed the mini fridges, filled with orange juice and champagne, hidden in places such as a bathroom cabinet or the garage, with the juice brand encouraging parents to share their own “mimoments” on social media.

Shortly after the campaign was released, it was met with criticism, with many accusing Tropicana’s ad of being “dangerous” and “normalising” addiction by encouraging parents to drink in secret.

“On the phone with @Tropicana in regards to their ‘mommy needs to hide in the bathroom and drink mimosas in the morning’ ad,” one person tweeted. “This is dangerous and I am HORRIFIED. Moms need a break, not to be drinking at 8am in the bathroom.”

Another said: “Normalising sneaking into a bathroom or closet to drink alcohol alone is incredibly irresponsible and shows how deeply alcohol abuse is ingrained in our society.

“And yeah, I’m talking about the baffling new @Tropicana ad campaign about parents drinking mimosas in the bathroom.”

Someone else wrote: “I’m not mincing words here. This message is exceptionally dangerous and is counterintuitive to increasing awareness about addiction. @Tropicana is encouraging stressed out parents to cope by increasing alcohol consumption. During the day. While parenting kids. Do better.”

Following the backlash, Tropicana deleted marketing materials associated with the ad campaign from its social media and issued an apology, in which the company said it did not mean to “imply that alcohol is the answer”.

“We want to apologise to anyone who is disappointed in or offended by our recent campaign,” the brand tweeted Tuesday. “The intent behind it was in no way meant to imply that alcohol is the answer or make light of the struggles of addiction.

“While we believed we were bringing the #TakeAMimoment program to life in the right way - through a message of positivity and balance mixed with a bit of levity - we hear the feedback that for some we’ve missed the mark.”

Adding that it had ceased “any further activity in support of the campaign,” the juice company concluded: “We value the comments and perspectives that have been shared and will use it as a lens for evaluating future campaigns.”

The Independent has contacted Tropicana for comment.