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By Marni Rose McFall
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Oatly, a Swedish food company that sells alternatives to dairy products, has faced online backlash to its new advert, with social media users calling it "suspect" and "tone deaf."
Newsweek has reached out to Oatly via email for comment.
Why It Matters
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Oatly is a key player in the alternative milk market. Its products are available in over 60,000 retail stores and 32,200 coffee shops worldwide. As of July 2023, 50 percent of alternative milk consumers in the U.S. were aware of the brand.
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What To Know
The advertisement at the root of the complaints was shared to Oatly's TikTok account in early January and has been viewed 63.7 million times as of reporting.
In the clip, a person in an all-black outfit has miniature cartons of Oatly oat milk strapped to their belt. Opening one of the cartons, the person then pours the oat milk into an espresso martini. The clip is advertising the brand's new single-serve oat drinks, which are designed to be added to tea or coffee.
The clip has been met with swift backlash online, as some social media users believe the imagery in the video is evocative of drink spiking.
The top comment on the TikTok video, which has been liked over 40,000 times as of reporting, reads: "I don't think this is the best marketing approach." Another comment, liked over 20,000 times, reads: "Looking a bit suspect adding secret liquid to a drink in a bar." Another comment said: "I thought I was witnessing a crime."
Oatly has also received more detailed criticism from the account Girls on The Go.
Girls on the Go describes itself as a "health and wellness community based in the UK."
The Manchester chapter of this group, which often posts about issues relating to women's rights and female empowerment, shared the Oatly ad on its Instagram page, criticizing it.
A post shared by gotg — weekly events for girls in manchester (@girlsonthegomcrr)
In the Instagram reel that has 36,000 views at the time of reporting, it wrote: "This ad made us realise that NOBODY takes women's issues seriously enough."
It continued: "Intentional or not – this Oatly ad is literally someone spiking a drink and the atmosphere feels so dodgy. Why did no one in the room think: hmm isn't this a bit tone deaf. HOW is this allowed this isn't okay."
Drink spiking is a serious issue, particularly among students and young people. Though comprehensive national statistics are limited, a survey from Alcohol.org, an American Addiction Centers (AAC) resource found that forty-four percent of men and 56 percent of women said they'd "unknowingly" had their drinks spiked at one point in their lives. Of those groups, 37 percent said they'd had drinks spiked "multiple times."
Though there has been a significant amount of backlash, it is not universal, and some social media users have seen no problem with the advert. One user commented :"Why're y'all hating??? I love this."
Responding to a negative comment, the Oatly account wrote: "It's literally just oat drink."
What People Are Saying
Stephanie Barney, CEO of Girls On The Go, told Newsweek in an email: "At Girls On The Go, our entire mission is built around fostering community and safety for women—because we know how often women's concerns, especially around safety, are dismissed. We've spoken to hundreds of women who have experienced spiking, and we know firsthand how terrifying, disorientating, and traumatic it is."
"Whether or not Oatly intended for their ad to resemble drink spiking, the reality is that it does—and the thousands of comments calling it out prove that people are deeply uncomfortable with it. What makes this even worse is their dismissive response. Rather than acknowledging the harm caused, Oatly has chosen to reply with sarcastic comments like 'it's literally just oat drink'—completely ignoring the valid concerns of those affected by spiking.
"This reaction makes it painfully clear that they don't take spiking seriously—yet again, another primarily female issue being brushed off and ridiculed... A responsible company would take this seriously, listen to their audience, and issue an apology."
Oatly, responding to a comment on TikTok: "We wanted to find a way to bring oat drink on the go and here it is in action. That's it, that's the thought process."
What's Next
Oatly has not commented on the backlash publicly at this time.
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