If the silence from the official sponsor of the Sochi Olympic Games concerning the Russian anti-gay law has some up-in-arms, its latest sales initative is unlikely to improve the situation. The "Share a Coke" marketing campaign organised in different countries has taken a new turn in South Africa. In addition to the list of more than 400 first names that can replace the brand's logo on the can, the South African version of the dedicated "Share a Coke" website allowed a virtual bottle to be customised with the inscription of your choice. However, some words such as "gay", "lesbian" or "homo" are refused by the platform and produce a strange error message. "Oops, let's pretend you didn't just type that. Please try another name".
This could lead you to think that only proper nouns or ones with no sexual connotation can be validated. However, the word "straight" ("heterosexual") comes up with no problem at all on the red and white label of the drink. Whilst the brand has since closed its virtual customisation service, it has still not explained these discriminatory restrictions. For their part, homosexual rights defence associations are calling for a boycott of the brand.
*Illustration from the Coca-Cola Facebook page : https://shareacoke.co.za
News in the same category
In November 2018, Morrisons' Folkestone supermarket caught fire, which caused a portion of the store’s roof to descend to the floor.
Belfast, like any other major city, will have plenty of coffee shops to choose from. However, some will be better than others.
Krispy Kreme is going to open a new branch in Cambridge and doughnut lovers will be able to enjoy more opportunities to grab their favourite selections after the store announced the second new shop opening, which will join the first one in the Grand Arcad
Berlin has just welcomed the first luxury grocery store exclusively for cats and dogs, with ready meals, grilled meat and small cakes. Newly arrived in Germany, this concept is now being developed in the United States.
