What Are You Gonna Drink With Your Iftaar?
Posted by AbdelRahman - 08/28/08 at 08:08 amCheck this out, I thought it was kinda cool:
Coca-Cola plans to celebrate Ramadan this year by decorating cans with a crescent moon and star – a widely recognized Islamic symbol.
The moon and star can be found on at least 11 flags of Muslim countries, and now it will be featured on packaging in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Morocco, Tunisia and other Islamic countries during the Sept. 1-30 Muslim holiday, blogger Bob McCarty reported.
That’s pretty awesome, I’ve got to admit. Apparently Coca Cola is a Muslim-friendly company as well:
In 2006, Coca-Cola released a statement about its recognition of Ramadan.
“In a globalizing world, Ramadan presents an opportunity to showcase the true values of Islam and what it stands for,” it said. “Because no other brand is as inclusive as and no other company is as diverse as Coca-Cola, we have a unique opportunity to play a valued role as an international bridge-builder and facilitator of dialogue during Ramadan.”The company’s statement also revealed its policy of supporting Muslim employees in their faith.
“In addition to the focus on Ramadan and Eid, the Coca-Cola system has also implemented policies and programs to meet the needs of Muslim employees, such as providing halal food in cafeterias and organizing special prayer rooms at company facilities,” it said. “Several bottlers have also funded employee pilgrimage initiatives.”
The question arises: is this a genuine sign of good will or just a marketing ploy to increase sales during Ramadan? Either way, I think it’s cool that they’re adding some Islamic representation out of respect to Ramadan. Nice work, Coca Cola.
Taken from a WorldNetDaily article.
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Hahahaha thats great! I would think the sheer fact that they would market to us in itself is a sign of “good will”?
Comment by fais — August 28, 2008 #
Although not a good idea to drink coke with your iftaar but i guess its okay. By the way, saudia arabia does not have a crescent???
Comment by interesting — August 28, 2008 #
theres really no such thing as a “sign of goodwill” from a company. everything is done with a bottom line in mind. coca cola must have just figured that if they appear to be nice to muslims wed look favorably at them and buy more coke than bebsi. not a bad marketing idea, but doesnt necessarily mean that coca cola will start building masjids all over the place…
Comment by Firas — August 28, 2008 #
Yaaaaay coca cola!!!!
:) 
Comment by Ayesha — August 28, 2008 #
Ramadan Mubarak to all.
I guess it doesn’t hurt that they’re at least trying to gain good will from some of their customers. I’d rather have them trying to get on our good side then trying to get on our bad side.
I think it worked. I think I’ll drink a Coke with my dinner tonight after breaking fast Inshallah.
BTW, I live in Atlanta (Coke’s headquarters). Any idea if these cans will be available in the US or only in Muslim countries?
Comment by Abu Ibrahim — September 4, 2008 #
neo-colonialism at its best
Comment by Fadouma — September 13, 2008 #
a can with a cross or without
I ll stick to my milk and dates, eventually water and fresh juices
surely more healthy
and everything that ll change the image of a company for a more “muslim friendly” would be done
specially with such a controversial product like coca
that is a pure symbole of americansation and like someone said before neo colonialism :/
Comment by unpacified — September 26, 2008 #