It must be hard working at a soda company’s marketing department.
After all, there are only so many ways you can tell people “drink our sugary beverage, it’s better than other people’s sugary beverages.”
I found this old Goose Tatum Coca-Cola ad. This man is a legend! #theworldneedscolor pic.twitter.com/3NRN6lM1bK
— Black Santa (@blacksanta) March 6, 2017
And ever since Coca Cola’s famous “Buy the World a Coke” ad that featured a group of singing multicultural teenagers, companies have been eager to jump on the “social progress” bandwagon.
Now Coke is at it again, but the reception is mixed.
Earlier this month, Coca Cola broadcast a commercial in Saudi Arabia capitalizing on the nation’s recent decision allowing women to drive, New York Post reports.
The ad, which has over 80,000 views on Youtube, depicts a Saudi father teaching his hijab-clad daughter how to drive on a dirt road in the middle of the desert.
The girl has a hard time working the accelerator at first, but quickly finds her groove with the help of a trusty bottle of ice-cold classic Coke.
Sounds innocent enough, right? Many people praised the one-minute TV spot for its representation of women’s rights and families.
Coca-Cola gets it right in
a new ad in Saudi Arabia. Loved it. pic.twitter.com/nFB0IWPj0d— kaveri (@ikaveri) November 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/holzhueterkatie/status/927885581979455494
Others were not so pleased.
https://twitter.com/RoseyTrooops/status/927805545070948352
It’s that stupid Coke ad with a Saudi woman driving a car, the idea is that Coca-Cola is “part of change” but it’s just BS to sell products.
— Amina Awartani (@AminaAwartani) November 7, 2017
I prefer momma and baby polar bears. Politics isn’t always good for business ,even when you’re a global brand. See nfl univ of Missouri
— Franzk53 (@Franzk531) November 7, 2017
Next up, the Diet Coke ad where he shows her how to drive through the gates and explode her vest once she’s inside the compound. Kidding :-)
— Tony Tony (@Tadkins17) November 6, 2017
Celebrating “women’s rights” by showing a woman in a niqab? That’s misogynistic.
— Mac (@bigapplefritter) November 6, 2017
Subtitle translation: “Spilling this Coke may result in honor killing”…
— MAGAMan (@mr_maximus357) November 7, 2017
They dont show the suicide vest.
— Rune Hansen (@rune_hansen8) November 6, 2017
You have one job. Make soda. What the hell were you thinking
— Chuck O (@ChuckOj) November 7, 2017
Another ass kissing company showing they’re PC.???Friggn idiots!! ??
— City Slicker (@YoMammyin203) November 6, 2017
That BS falls under the Community service burden on companies,
They’d rather pay for ads. that promotes that then to support initiatives— Nazar Salim N Salim (@NazS2) November 7, 2017
I’m gonna be PC from now on too. As in Pepsi Cola.
— The Other Paper (@TheOtherPaper1) November 6, 2017
Some viewers even compared the Coke ad to Pepsi’s controversial famous “protest” commercial featuring Kendall Jenner.
The @COCACOLA_ME ad on the most symbolic moment for #Saudi #women is a #fail; as bad as #kendel #Pepsi protest https://t.co/CQksvkp6LI
— Muna AbuSulayman منى (@abusulayman) November 4, 2017
The Pepsi ad faced harsh criticism for depicting a large protest (reminiscent of the #BlackLivesMatter and #Resist movements), which comes to a happy conclusion when Kendall Jenner grabs a Pepsi can and hands it to one of the policemen overseeing the gathering.
Pepsi went so far as to pull the ad from the internet.
https://twitter.com/tourejansari/status/915091280052359168
Secret Service arrests man in DC, on his way to White House to ‘kill all white police’
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