Who bought Coca Cola company? Was it Russia and will that change anything.?!
Cola pulls ad as Russia believers see redReuters Thursday January 10 2008 +
By Conor Sweeney
MOSCOW, Jan 10 (Reuters) - 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.
Russia's tolerance towards Western influences has lessened, with the Kremlin's political rhetoric notably hostile to the United States, the birthplace of Coca-Cola.
"I would assure people that we used these images to promote Russian culture and not to offend anybody's feelings," the spokeswoman said on Thursday, confirming the company's decision.
"This incident in Nizhny Novgorod is regrettable."
She said it would take some time to remove the offending images from hundreds of outdoor sales refrigerators.
"We are strictly adhering to our principles of ethical marketing, which means we are taking into consideration local community demands. We took the decision to remove the image of the church."
A similar campaign has passed off without incident in the Russian cities of St Petersburg, Moscow and Ufa, she said.
Local prosecutors last month said around 440 people had backed the formal complaint in Nizhny Novgorod objecting to religious images inside a picture of a large Coke bottle on the side of the refrigerators.
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co is the world's second-largest bottler of Coca-Cola drinks. Coca Cola's representative office in Moscow declined comment and said it was a matter for Coca-Cola Hellenic. (Editing by Giles Elgood)
Nizhny Novgorod offended by Coca-Cola adsDecember 22, 2007, 11:30
Coca-Cola wars: American icon vs Russian icons
A group of Christians in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod have called a recent marketing campaign by Coca-Cola 'blasphemous'. The believers are indignant at the way the company is using religious images in its ads across their city.
The fuss began after the Coca-Cola Company launched a marketing campaign, showing images of church domes and other cultural sites on outdoor refrigerators on the city's streets.
Many of the town's residents say they want to put an end to the campaign.
"The company doesn't really understand that Coca-Cola is associated with the American way of life. You know bubble gum, free love and so on. Such advertising is discrediting our church," a Nizhny Novgorod citizen claimed.
More than 400 citizens sent a formal appeal to the local prosecutor's office, demanding that the city authorities take action against the manufacturer. They say Coca-Cola is damaging Russians' national pride.
"This is outrageous. Sacred images like icons, cathedrals, and crosses, and words used to denote them shouldn't be used in advertising and trade. If this were to happen in any other country, it would immediately lead to serious action," a local priest said.
Coca-Cola disagrees and believes the ads don't offend anyone. In fact, it says the images were an attempt to promote Russian culture.
Moreover, the slogan "The Value of Tradition" clearly shows Coca Cola's desire to preserve Russia's heritage, the company says.
But it's not just the images inside the Coke bottle that have sparked the outrage. The believers say that the images showing the bottle upside down resemble the Satanic symbol of the inverted cross and many of Nizny Novgorod's residents share these concerns.
The authorities have until January 12 to decide whether the believers' case has any legal grounds.
Meanwhile, Russia's fourth-largest city is preparing for New Year and Orthodox Christmas.
Answers: I do know that Warren Buffet owns a large portion of the Company; however, the deal with Russia - not as sure...I did find this though
Cola pulls ad as Russia believers see redReuters Thursday January 10 2008 +
By Conor Sweeney
MOSCOW, Jan 10 (Reuters) - 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.
Russia's tolerance towards Western influences has lessened, with the Kremlin's political rhetoric notably hostile to the United States, the birthplace of Coca-Cola.
"I would assure people that we used these images to promote Russian culture and not to offend anybody's feelings," the spokeswoman said on Thursday, confirming the company's decision.
"This incident in Nizhny Novgorod is regrettable."
She said it would take some time to remove the offending images from hundreds of outdoor sales refrigerators.
"We are strictly adhering to our principles of ethical marketing, which means we are taking into consideration local community demands. We took the decision to remove the image of the church."
A similar campaign has passed off without incident in the Russian cities of St Petersburg, Moscow and Ufa, she said.
Local prosecutors last month said around 440 people had backed the formal complaint in Nizhny Novgorod objecting to religious images inside a picture of a large Coke bottle on the side of the refrigerators.
Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co is the world's second-largest bottler of Coca-Cola drinks. Coca Cola's representative office in Moscow declined comment and said it was a matter for Coca-Cola Hellenic. (Editing by Giles Elgood)
Nizhny Novgorod offended by Coca-Cola adsDecember 22, 2007, 11:30
Coca-Cola wars: American icon vs Russian icons
A group of Christians in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod have called a recent marketing campaign by Coca-Cola 'blasphemous'. The believers are indignant at the way the company is using religious images in its ads across their city.
The fuss began after the Coca-Cola Company launched a marketing campaign, showing images of church domes and other cultural sites on outdoor refrigerators on the city's streets.
Many of the town's residents say they want to put an end to the campaign.
"The company doesn't really understand that Coca-Cola is associated with the American way of life. You know bubble gum, free love and so on. Such advertising is discrediting our church," a Nizhny Novgorod citizen claimed.
More than 400 citizens sent a formal appeal to the local prosecutor's office, demanding that the city authorities take action against the manufacturer. They say Coca-Cola is damaging Russians' national pride.
"This is outrageous. Sacred images like icons, cathedrals, and crosses, and words used to denote them shouldn't be used in advertising and trade. If this were to happen in any other country, it would immediately lead to serious action," a local priest said.
Coca-Cola disagrees and believes the ads don't offend anyone. In fact, it says the images were an attempt to promote Russian culture.
Moreover, the slogan "The Value of Tradition" clearly shows Coca Cola's desire to preserve Russia's heritage, the company says.
But it's not just the images inside the Coke bottle that have sparked the outrage. The believers say that the images showing the bottle upside down resemble the Satanic symbol of the inverted cross and many of Nizny Novgorod's residents share these concerns.
The authorities have until January 12 to decide whether the believers' case has any legal grounds.
Meanwhile, Russia's fourth-largest city is preparing for New Year and Orthodox Christmas.
Would let you in a little secret, but I don't want to be investigated and fired tomorrow, I need a roof over my head. Sorry.
No one bought Coke. It is a publicly owned company, and it is HUGE. They uy other companies, like they did with Minute Maid.