Not the ad that Coke is rumored to be running.
In an effort to spin their way past protests over their sponsorship of the Sochi Olympics in Russia, Coca-Cola has contracted to place an ad in the Super Bowl touting its commitment to diversity. Described as a Benetton's style feel-good "we are the world" commercial, reliable sources say the media purchase was only for the United States market.
Coke's PR team must be putting in some very long nights these days. An Olympic sponsor social media protest movement has sprung up, causing enough trouble to catch even the attention of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Initially the property of McDonald's, the #CheersToSochi hashtag has been hijacked and now is also being used against Coke and evolved into an all-purpose Olympic sponsor protest tag.
And then there's the spoof video of the classic "teach the world to sing" 1970s commercial posted on YouTube. The updated ad mixes images of arrests and assaults of LGBT Russians, while Coke-sipping hippie teenagers sing about the world coming together in perfect harmony. It has surpassed 80,000 views in over 160 countries.
Please read below the fold for more on the Coca-Cola controversy.