Coca-Cola Has Got Your Back (This Time)

"Coca-Cola does not support any legislation that discriminates, in our home state of Georgia or anywhere else. Coca-Cola values and celebrates diversity. We believe policies that would allow a business to refuse service to an individual based upon discrimination of any kind, does not only violate our Company's core values, but would also negatively affect our consumers, customers, suppliers, bottling partners and associates. As a business, it is appropriate for us to help foster diversity, unity and respect among all people. We advocate for inclusion, equality and diversity through both our policies and practices. Coca-Cola does not condone intolerance or discrimination of any kind anywhere in the world." - Coca-Cola, in a statement released today.

RELATED: Coca-Cola was a major sponsor of the Sochi Olympics, spawning anti-Coke protests in New York City, London, and other major cities.

Coca-Cola Takes On Internet Haters With Super Bowl Ad Starring Michael Sam

Via AdWeek:

If you've spent more than three seconds on the Internet, you know it can be a pretty horrible place, swarming with cyberbullies and trolls who've turned comment sections into rotting hate-fests and people's own personal social pages into sources of despair. Coca-Cola hopes to change all that—or at least, steer things in a different direction—with its 2015 Super Bowl campaign. Four longer online videos will roll out this week starring teens and celebs who've experienced online negativity (racecar driver Danica Patrick and football player Michael Sam will star in two of these) or who are devoted to spreading happiness online (Kid President stars in the one of these.)

Other clips are at the link.

(Tipped by JMG reader Lynda)

From Red State Dems

Source. (Tipped by JMG reader Tod)

Glenn Beck Has The Coca-Cola Sadz

"So somebody tweeted last night and said, ‘Glenn, what did you think of the Coke ad?’ And I said, ‘Why did you need that to divide us politically?’ Because that’s all this ad is. It’s in your face, and if you don’t like it, if you’re offended by it, you’re a racist. If you do like it, you’re for immigration. You’re for progress. That’s all this is: To divide people. Remember when Coke used to do the thing on the top and they would all hold hands? Now it’s, have a Coke and we’ll divide you." - Glenn Beck, speaking today on his radio show.

Breitbart Has The Coca-Cola Sadz

"Executives at Coca Cola thought it was a good idea to run a 60 second Super Bowl ad featuring children singing America The Beautiful – a deeply Christian patriotic anthem whose theme is unity – in several foreign languages. The ad also prominently features a gay couple. Conservatives instantly lit up social media with objections, with many vowing to boycott the soda company's products. The lyrics of the song, written in 1893 by Wellesley College Professor Katherine Lee Bates, ask God to grant America 'brotherhood / From sea to shining sea.' As far as the executives at Coca Cola are concerned, however, the United States of America is no longer a nation ruled by the Constitution and American traditions in which English is the language of government. It is not a nation governed in the Anglo-American tradition of liberty. It is instead a nation governed by some all inclusive multi-cultural synthesis of the various forms of government in the world, as expressed by the multiple languages used in the Super Bowl ad to sing a uniquely American hymn that celebrates our heritage." - Breitbart columnist Michael Patrick Leahy, who claims to have organized the 2009 conference call that first organized the Tea Party. Those who (unlike me) have not yet been banned by Breitbart might consider dropping in to mention that Katherine Lee Bates was a lesbian.

Gay Family Featured In Coke Super Bowl Ad, Bigots Attack Over Spot's Music

Last night's Super Bowl ad from Coca-Cola included a fleeting shots of two men holding hands on a skating ring with a young girl holding the hand of one of the men. But it was that the spot's music, America The Beautiful sung in foreign languages, that has brought out the haters. So far.

TIME Magazine recaps the reaction:

Coca Cola’s entry into the Super Bowl ad campaign had a message that was, as it were, Coke Classic: it celebrated the many kinds, colors, lifestyles and origins of Americans who are nonetheless one. Over a scene of these many Americans, it played a patriotic song: not the National Anthem, but the more accessible, singable “America the Beautiful.” It showed us a panoply of American faces, young, old, brown, white, straight, gay (it included what are said to be the first gay parents depicted in a Super Bowl ad), in cowboy hats and hijabs, playing, eating, and exploring all-American vistas. It was that last aspect that unfortunately, brought out America the Ugly, at least on some parts of the Internet. “WTF?” asked one post on Twitter. “@CocaCola has America the Beautiful being sung in different languages in a #SuperBowl commercial? We speak ENGLISH here, IDIOTS.” Some of the vitriol may have been satire for all I know, but there was much too much for that to explain all of the “English or GTFO” sentiment–not all of it in impeccable English itself. To wit: “Dear @CocaCola : America the beautiful is sang in English. Piss off. #DontFuckWithUs.” (To be fair, not every Tweet brought up by a search on “Coca Cola English” agreed: “Coca Cola brings the commercial of the night: America the Beautiful sung in Spanish, English, Arabic, and other languages. Beautiful.”)

AmericaBlog also has some of the ugliest tweets. The second clip below is Coke's behind-the-scenes recap of the making of the clip. At the 2:25 mark a gay man speaks briefly about discrimination over shots of his family on the skating rink. Is Coke doing some Sochi damage control?

Coalition Of Human Rights Groups: Sochi's Top Corporate Sponsors Must Speak Out

A coalition of 40 human rights groups have issued a joint letter to the top ten corporate sponsors of the Sochi Olympics which demands that they denounce Russia's abuses against LGBT people. Via press release:

Corporate sponsors of the Sochi Winter Olympics should act now to urge Russia to halt the rising tide of discrimination, harassment and threats against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, 40 of the world’s leading human rights and LGBT groups said today, in an unusual joint open letter. The letter to all of the leading sponsors of the Sochi Olympics asks them to use their leverage as underwriters of the 2014 Winter Games in a variety of concrete ways.

The groups urged sponsors to speak out against Russia’s anti-gay “propaganda” law, which violates the Olympic Charter’s principle of non-discrimination, and to ask the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to undertake systemic reforms to monitor and prevent human rights abuses in future host countries. “Time is running out for the sponsors to take a clear stand in defense of Olympic values,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch. “These companies are sponsoring an Oympics marred by ugly discrimination and serious rights abuses. They should speak out forcefully for equality and human rights.”

The joint letter is addressed to the 10 TOP Sponsors of the Sochi Games (members of “The Olympic Partner” (TOP) Program)--Atos, Coca Cola, Dow Chemical, General Electric, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, and Visa. The Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights Watch and several other groups have engaged with the sponsors for nearly a year to urge them to act on abuses.

Among the groups in the coalition: Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Human Rights Campaign, Athlete Ally, GLAAD, Family Equality Council, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Including in the requests for action, the letter asks that Sochi's top corporate sponsors address LGBT rights in their Olympic advertising.

Coke Pulls Web Promo

Towleroad reports that Coca-Cola has apologized for the social media campaign created by its South African division. When users attempted to add the word "gay" to their image of a Coke can, the response was "Oops, let's pretend you didn't just type that." Here is Coke's statement:

"We are aware that the Share a Coke promotion we are running in South Africa has generated an unintended outcome. We apologise for any offence caused. The Share a Coke programme was created to allow consumers to take the iconic “Coca-Cola” script and replace it with their name on the can. In South Africa, the digital version of the Share a Coke promotion did not properly limit the customisation to individuals’ names. We’ve taken down the site and are in the process of revising the digital tool immediately...As one of the world’s most inclusive brands, we value and celebrate diversity. We have long been a strong supporter of the LGBT community and have advocated for inclusion, equality and diversity through both our policies and practices. Again we apologise for any offense this has caused."

Thanks to activist and #CheersToSochi campaign hijacker Scott Wooledge, Queer Nation and many LGBT bloggers, mockeries of the "Share A Coke" campaign have dominated Twitter and Facebook in recent days.

NOTE: Coca-Cola has a 100% rating from the Human Rights Campaign and (largely through their Diet Coke brand) the company has sponsored Pride events and advertised in gay media since 2004. LGBT employees of Coca-Cola and their spouses/partners enjoy every protection and benefit that they should. It must, therefore, be very frustrating for a company that had so far done all the right things to be faced with an avalanche of criticism over the Sochi Olympics. Case in point, yesterday's headline from Britain's Daily Mail tabloid.

UPDATE: Queer Nation has reacted to today's apology.

Coke Classy

Coke's robot agent isn't very helpful. Via Queer Nation.

Share A Coke With...

In the growing campaign to shame Olympic advertisers, activists are using the website of Coca-Cola South Africa, where you can personalize a Coke can and click to share it on social media. I used the above message and added the McDonald's hashtag #CheersToSochi.  (Tipped by JMG reader Mark)

NOTE: If you try to type the word "gay" you get this message: "Oops, let's pretend you didn't just type that." But the word "straight"? That works just fine.

Queer Nation Tweaks Coca-Cola Ad

BRITAIN: Activists Crash Coke Event

Anna Leach reports at Gay Star News:

Protestors gate-crashed a Coca-Cola Christmas PR stunt in London's Covent Garden today, in opposition to the global brand's sponsorship of the Sochi Olympics. The gay rights activists, including Peter Tatchell, tried to climb on the roof of the Coca-Cola truck parked in the center of London on one of the busiest Christmas shopping days. They were pulled down by security guards. 'Coke is sponsoring the Sochi Winter Olympics, without even a murmur of unease at the anti-gay and repressive policies of the Putin government. It is shameful acquiescence with oppression,' said Tatchell, coordinator of the protest.

Coke has issued a statement: "We have long been a strong supporter of the LGBT community and have advocated for inclusion and diversity through both our policies and practices. We do not condone intolerance or discrimination of any kind anywhere in the world. We believe a more positive impact can be made through continued involvement [in the Olympics], rather than by sitting on the sidelines."

Bad News For Mexicoke Fans

Via the New York Post:

“Mexicoke,” the Mexican version of Coca-Cola that’s become a cult favorite north of the border may go the way of New Coke thanks to a Bloomberg-style “fat tax.” Arca Continental, the second largest Coca-Cola bottler in Latin America, has indicated it may drop a key ingredient, cane sugar, after Mexico’s congress last week passed a levy of an extra peso — about 8 cents — per liter for soft drinks sold in the country. Instead, the firm said it may switch to cheaper corn syrup to stay profitable.

Mexicoke is carried by many NYC bodegas, but few major retailers do.

ATLANTA: All Out Activists Drive Billboard Trucks Past Coca-Cola Headquarters

Via press release:

Today, All Out demonstrated outside Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Coca-Cola is one of the largest Olympic sponsors and has the longest continuous Olympic sponsorship history of any of the sponsors. All Out called upon Coca-Cola to continue their strong tradition of support for the lesbian, gay, bi and trans communities by calling for an end of the anti-gay laws now.

All Out members funded three large trucks pulling huge billboards around the Coca-Cola global headquarters to encourage the company to respond to over 140,000 emails from All Out members asking Coca-Cola to do the right thing and condemn the anti-gay laws. In August, All Out members delivered more than 300,000 signatures to the International Olympic Committee headquarters. Members also urged the International Olympics Committee to speak out against Russia's anti-gay law ahead of the 2014 Winter Games.

Last month the IOC confirmed Principle 6 of the Olympic charter includes protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, but as long as the anti-gay laws are in place during the Sochi Games the Olympic charter is unenforceable. In September, NBC reported record advertising revenue for the 2014 Games, with more than $800 Million already committed. NBC predicted the total could approach $970 Million before the games. Coca-Cola has been a sponsor of the Olympics since the 1928 Games in Amsterdam.

Photo source.

Petition Of The Day

Over 300K signatures. (Tipped by JMG reader Birdie)

Queer Nation Takes Aim At Coca-Cola Over Sponsorship Of Sochi Olympics

Today Queer Nation launched Tell Coke, a website that directs visitors to email Coca-Cola executives to express objections to their "multi-billion dollar investment in Russia" and their sponsorship of the Sochi Olympics. Hit the link to send the prepared messages.

Queer Nation Responds To Coca-Cola

Yesterday Coca-Cola issued a statement declaring their support for the LGBT community after Queer Nation staged a protest in Times Square and denounced the company's sponsorship of the Sochi Olympics.  Today Queen Nation responds to Coca-Cola's statement via press release:

Coca-Cola made a horrendous error when it sponsored the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany. This company knows better and it must not sponsor any Olympic Games in Russia as long as Russia’s anti-gay laws remain in force. We also commend Coca-Cola for its Global Mutual Respect guidelines. Unfortunately, they are just that — guidelines. They are not binding. The guidelines close as follows:

“The Company reserves the right to amend this policy at any time. Nothing in this policy says or implies that a contract exists between the Company and its employees or that participation in this program is a guarantee of continued employment with The Coca-Cola Company.”

Coca-Cola’s U.S. non-discrimination policies and benefits packages are binding, and they are to be praised. That is why we demanded that Coca-Cola implement those policies worldwide. The LGBT community has won respect on its own since the 1969 Stonewall Riots. What we demand is equality before the law in every nation around the world. Coca-Cola cannot provide that, but it can and must extend its non-discrimination policies and benefits packages to all of its employees around the world.

And so we reiterate our demands.

Among those demands is a call for Coke to withdraw from sponsoring the Sochi Olympics and for the company to "publish and publicize its LGBT employment policies on its Russian website in Russian and on physical bulletin boards and websites at all Coca-Cola owned and operated facilities."

Coke Responds To Sochi Complaints

Coca-Cola published a press release today in response to criticism over their sponsorship of the Sochi Olympics, which was protested this afternoon in Times Square by Queer Nation.

As one of the world’s most inclusive brands, we value and celebrate diversity. We have long been a strong supporter of the LGBT community and have advocated for inclusion and diversity through both our policies and practices. We do not condone human rights abuses, intolerance or discrimination of any kind anywhere in the world.  As an Olympic sponsor since 1928, we believe the Olympic Games are a force for good that unite people through a common interest in sports, and we have seen firsthand the positive impact and long-lasting legacy they leave on every community that has been a host.

We support the core values of the Olympic Movement – excellence, friendship and respect – and are proud to continue our role in helping to make the Olympics a memorable experience for athletes, fans and communities all around the world. We are engaging with the International Olympic Committee on this important matter. We believe a more positive impact can be made through continued involvement, rather than by sitting on the sidelines.

The press release goes on to catalog numerous actions taken by the company in support of the LGBT community.  Queer Nation has responded to today's message with the below image.

At The Coke Protest In Times Square

My pal Scott Wooledge is live-tweeting photos and I'll add more to this post as they come in. Unfortunately there's a thunderstorm rolling in, so give our folks extra snaps for being there.

Wednesday In Times Square

Details. (Via Memographs)