Coke's iconic polar bears sharing a coke. Will they be sharing them with the voters of Georgia in defiance of Georgia's new law? Or will they be standing with Georgia's Jim Crow governor and legislature? Boycotted or defiance?
It began with a tweet.
But then in today’s world, what doesn’t start with a tweet? Rachel Maddow had another tweet.
So @CocaCola has a choice. Be boycotted for not standing up to Georgia’s new Jim Crow laws or stand in public defiance by siding with ALL the voters of Georgia and declare today that no voter in the state of Georgia need be concerned about standing in line to vote for hours and not getting liquid refreshment. It’s literally that Black and White.
They could run a national campaign using all their Coke Icons; Their Santa, the Polar Bears, Mean Joe Green could make a Coca Cola comeback, but instead of taking a Coke from a kid he’s offering them to Georgia voters. And not just Georgia voters. Let the Georgia voters and Georgia’s new Jim Crow laws be a stand-in for all the new voter suppression laws coming from GOP controlled state legislatures.
Coca Cola has over 500 brands under their banner.
Talk about building intergenerational brand loyalty. Here’s a golden opportunity. Coca Cola has the choice of loosing the Black and Brown communities of color as they become the dominant demographic or gaining their trust and loyalty by standing with them and against all of these discriminating laws.
Oh and hey @Pepsi where are you?
Georgia has other national brands based there, banks, restaurants and DIY home improvement stores. One prominent brand that has managed to get constant negative publicity for some of their previous positions is @chickfila. Where stand you Chic-fil-A? Will your cow be handing out chicken nuggets with Coke’s Polar Bear and Mean Joe Green?
Hey Donny Deutch! Which one would you advise?
Coke has a choice right now. Waiting to see how things work out is also a choice. Silence is complicity. Coca Cola’s recent statement was seen as bland, weak and obtuse. Now is not the time to be obtuse. Obtuse gets you Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow laws lead to an authoritarian country.
Stacey Abrams and other Voting Rights supporters and organizations will be out there fighting this law and all the others, will Coca Cola be there? Marc Elias as already filed one lawsuit, he’s prepared to file more. Corporations don’t have to file law lawsuits to stop these kinds of voter suppression laws, they just have to let state legislature know which side they’re on. And remember your silence speaks volumes.
Coca Cola’s Board of Directors. Note this current Board of Directors doesn’t include people like Sam Nunn or Warren Buffet as previous Coca Cola BoDs.
The Coca Cola Company’s Political Engagement Policy.
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