Big Evil Corporation tries to bring positivity to Internet, gets jacked.

[Discuss Thrower]

Coca-Cola has been forced to withdraw a Twitter advertising campaign after a counter-campaign by Gawker tricked it into tweeting large chunks of the introduction to Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

For the campaign, which was called “Make it Happy” and introduced in an ad spot during the Super Bowl, Coke invited people to reply to negative tweets with the hashtag “#MakeItHappy”.

The idea was that an automatic algorithm would then convert the tweets, using an encoding system called ASCII, into pictures of happy things – such as an adorable mouse, a palm tree wearing sunglasses or a chicken drumstick wearing a cowboy hat.

In a press release, Coca-Cola said its aim was to “tackle the pervasive negativity polluting social media feeds and comment threads across the internet”.

But Gawker, noticing that one response had the “14 words” white nationalist slogan re-published in the shape of a dog, had other ideas.

The media company’s editorial labs director, Adam Pash, created a Twitter bot, @MeinCoke, and set it up to tweet lines from Mein Kampf and then link to them with the #MakeItHappy tag – triggering Coca-Cola’s own Twitter bot to turn them into cutesy pictures.

-more-

Say what you want about a company whose sole purpose is to enrich itself at the expense of the health of Americans' waistlines and tooth enamel, but I'm not so sure Gawker hasn't proved themselves to be bigger jackasses by gaming the Twitter bot's programming to look like the corporation had gone all NSDAP.

Maybe I'm just naive.

[Silock]

Thus proving why the campaign was needed in the first place.

Gawker is stupid.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

We live in a world where being nice, caring, or loving of others is considered corny.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

We live in a world where being nice, caring, or loving of others is considered corny.

This.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

We live in a world where being nice, caring, or loving of others is considered corny.

While I agree, Coke is just trying to sell Coke.

**** Coke and their fake carey bull$hit.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Numbah One

While I agree, Coke is just trying to sell Coke.

**** Coke and their fake carey bull$hit.

Given that Socrates himself couldn't put forth an argument to counter this line of reasoning: is any sort of corporate to make an effort to make a positive change in the world it operates in impossible even if they make such an effort with the guarantee it will earn them no more profit than had they done nothing?

EDIT: Also, obligatory "zomg filter evasion BAN HIS ASS

[DaneMcCloud]

What I've never understood is why Coca-Cola, Pepsi, 7-Up or Dr. Pepper even have to advertise.

Doesn't the product sell itself?

[Dante84]

This is why you do a SWOT analysis prior to a marketing campaign. You'd think the people of Coke would have run this through the "Threats" section prior spending millions on promoting a campaign.

[Dante84]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

What I've never understood is why Coca-Cola, Pepsi, 7-Up or Dr. Pepper even have to advertise.

Doesn't the product sell itself?

Soda sales are as bad as they have ever been, contrary to popular belief.

Numbers are way, way, way down.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

What I've never understood is why Coca-Cola, Pepsi, 7-Up or Dr. Pepper even have to advertise.

Doesn't the product sell itself?

Pretty sure that studies show when they see advertising people go get a Coke more often than if they do not.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Originally Posted by Numbah One

While I agree, Coke is just trying to sell Coke.

**** Coke and their fake carey bull$hit.

Shit. Same with McDonald's And their bullshit this month. My statement was just in general what the world looks like today.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Given that Socrates himself couldn't put forth an argument to counter this line of reasoning: is any sort of corporate to make an effort to make a positive change in the world it operates in impossible even if they make such an effort with the guarantee it will earn them no more profit than had they done nothing?

EDIT: Also, obligatory "zomg filter evasion BAN HIS ASS

Heh, shit's not filtered anyway.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Given that Socrates himself couldn't put forth an argument to counter this line of reasoning: is any sort of corporate to make an effort to make a positive change in the world it operates in impossible even if they make such an effort with the guarantee it will earn them no more profit than had they done nothing?

No. We live in a bullshit world filled with money-hungry corporations.

It extends to the media, too. People bitch about the media being liberal and saying stupid things and being as politically correct as possible, but they aren't doing it because they think it's the right thing to do or because they want to be nice.

They are simply catering to a demographic.

[Dante84]

This is from last February:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_4808978.html

In 2013, the average American drank somewhere around 38.6 gallons of soda a year, that's down from 42.1 gallons in 2008, according to IBIS world. Soda consumption peaked in 1998, when the average American drank about 54 gallons, according to the Associated Press.

The soda industry is certainly taking notice. Coca-Cola announced Tuesday that its profit slipped last quarter due in large part to a 3 percent drop in soda sales volume in North America. And after reporting struggling soda sales last week, PepsiCo, the second largest soda producer, is facing pressure to spin off its lagging soda business and focus on its better performing snack unit, Frito-Lay.

Americans are becoming increasingly aware that soda is bad for them, according to the IBISWorld report. Thanks to government, industry and media campaigns, we’re now constantly bombarded by messages about sugary soda’s relationship to obesity and diabetes and the possible risks of consuming diet drinks with artificial sweeteners.

"About a decade ago we saw a lot more people turning to diet soda, thinking that it's a healthier alternative to regular soda," said Hester Jeon, a food and beverage analyst with IBISWorld. "Really in the past five years, people have become more aware of consuming artificial sweeteners and overall soda sales are declining."

Since 1994, 33 states have introduced taxes on soda and if former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gets his way, New Yorkers won’t be able to buy large sodas anymore. These kinds of regulations can “significantly dampen” demand for soda, according to IBISWorld.

So what’s filling the void? In some cases, it's just plain old water. But sales of healthier alternatives like ready-to-drink iced tea, sports drinks as well as flavored and sparkling water have also taken off, the IBISWorld report notes. Sales of sparkling water jumped 8.6 percent between 2009 and 2011, for example.

Soda makers are scrambling to get in on this market, introducing their own lines of fruitwater and lower calorie sodas that taste like the full calorie version. Coca-Cola is even offering consumers the chance to make their own soda at home, in hopes Americans will opt for a product that allows them to adjust the levels of sweetener in their drinks.

It’s sales of these products that in many cases are offsetting soda makers’ losses on, well, soda. "A lot of beverages that are high calorie are down and people are drinking more water instead," Jeon said. "Healthier beverages like sparkling water, aloe drinks, kombucha, coconut water -- the demand for those beverages are growing -- but it really targets a small consumer group because not everyone is going to be interested in drinking aloe."

Another (infuriating) way soda makers are still making money? By taking advantage of brand loyalists like this writer, who will pay to get their Coke fix, even if the company raises its prices, IBISWorld found.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Originally Posted by DA_T_84

This is from last February:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_4808978.html

They're in the midst of a major price increase from what I've noticed that is going to hurt them further I think.