The red-and-white logo for Coca-Cola is quickly recognized by people around the world.
It uses those colors in advertising and promotional messages.
Here’s a message about “Back to the Future Day” in October 2015. It uses those iconic colors and logo.
Because riding around on a hoverboard is thirsty business. #BackToFutureDay pic.twitter.com/QZpbzr84d8
— Coca-Cola (@CocaCola) October 21, 2015
Here’s another promotion around Daylight Saving Time.
Today you have 60 more minutes to do whatever you like. #DaylightSippingTime pic.twitter.com/2E8CC4EeI7
— Coca-Cola (@CocaCola) November 1, 2015
So when Coca-Cola posted a message to VKontakte, Russia’s most popular social network, it included a map of Russia. And it was only expecting good will.
Unhappy new year for Coca-Cola as it upsets first Russia, then Ukraine https://t.co/B4lmyjJ923
— The Guardian (@guardian) January 5, 2016
But the map did not include the contested Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea. It also did not include two islands.
And Coca-Cola’s social media followers let the company know.
Russia says the Crimean peninsula belongs to it. Russians complained that the map was not accurate.
So Coca-Cola re-drew the map, including the missing islands and peninsula. The company wrote “The map has been corrected! We hope you will understand,” along with an apology.
But then people from Ukraine got upset. Ukraine says the Crimean peninsula belongs to it. Ukrainians wrote posts on social media with the hashtag #BanCocaCola.
So many people were upset about this, that the Ukraine embassy in Washington discussed the map with Coca-Cola and the State Department.
The conversation elicited an official apology letter from Coca-Cola’s chief public affairs officer.
The "Coca-Cola" Company expressed its official apologies for the publication. https://t.co/YpHH0Qa8Ze pic.twitter.com/uwKBJAozFO
— UKR Embassy in USA (@UKRintheUSA) January 6, 2016
“We clearly missed the mark with this holiday greeting,” it said.
I’m Dan Friedell.
Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. His report was based on stories in The New York Times and The Guardian. Kathleen Struck was the editor.
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Words in This Story
contest – v. to challenge, question, push back, disagree
elicit – v. to get a response
peninsula – n. a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water and is attached to a larger land area
complain – v. to say or write that you are unhappy, sick, uncomfortable, etc., or that you do not like something
iconic – adj. something widely known
logo – n. a symbol that is used to identify a company and that appears on its products
