Coca-Cola’s main Russian bottling distributor has removed religious images from its drinks refrigerators after a group of Russian Orthodox believers accused it of blasphemy, a spokeswoman for the firm said on Thursday.
Local people in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, 400 km (250 miles) from Moscow, complained to the prosecutor’s office last month about pictures of an orthodox cross and onion-shaped church domes on the outdoor refrigerators.
At the time, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co. said it would not drop the marketing campaign and there had been no negative reaction in other Russian cities where similar images were used on the sides of the refrigerators.
“Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co. said it would not drop the marketing campaign and there had been no negative reaction in other Russian cities”
When objecting to advertising, money (i.e., the prospect of lost profits) speaks; all other protests merely provide additional publicity.
I’d have to see the pictures to comment properly.
The BBC has a picture here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7153840.stm
I suppose that the offending picture might appear pretty mild to Western eyes. And maybe the Nizhny Novgorod protestors might seem to be overreacting, but maybe, when people know just how much it can cost to be a member of the Church, some of them might be expected to be just a little bit touchy about using its images to sell flavored sugary water.
Father Dean A. Einerson
Rhinelander, Wisconsin
It makes me wonder what products might be advertised using ‘Episcopal’ images.