State-owned tea firm fined 220,000 liras for ‘insulting ayran’ in ads

Erdinç Çelikkan - ANKARA

Turkey’s Customs and Trade Ministry has fined a state-owned firm 220,000 Turkish Liras for “insulting ayran” in an advertisement for iced tea.

In addition to the fine, the ministry also decided to halt advertisements of Didi, an iced tea product produced by the state-owned Çaykur. 

Turkish rapper “Ceza” appeared in the controversial Didi advertisement, rapping “I’ve tried Ayran, it makes me sleepy.” 

The ministry said ayran has been “insulted without reason and consumers were given a wrong message aimed at decreasing the consumption of ayran.” It also said that the advertisement marked “unfair competition against companies that sell ayran.”

Ayran is a popular yoghurt-based chilled refreshment, which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared was Turkey’s “national drink” when he was prime minister back in 2013.