Ohio Sentry
Your window into the political landscape of Ohio.

Coke Is Woke

In an era where identity and representation are hotly debated topics, Hershey's approach to International Women's Day has sparked significant controversy. Opting to feature a man in a dress as part of their campaign, the company has drawn criticism from those who feel that this choice undermines the very essence of a day dedicated to celebrating the achievements and addressing the challenges women face. Critics argue that such decisions by corporations not only misrepresent the intent of the observance but also fail to honor the real and substantial advancements made by women throughout history.
Recently, @Travis_4_Trump posted on X that the way Coke personalizes its cans and bottles is against Christian values and anti-Trump. Intrigued by this bold statement, we set out to investigate the situation further, with the aim of understanding how these personalization choices might align or conflict with various beliefs and viewpoints.

Trump vs Kamala

First, we conducted a comprehensive investigation to determine if the personalization restrictions were anti-Trump. We tested several names and phrases, including 'Trump,' 'Kamala,' 'Vote for Trump,' 'Vote for Kamala,' 'Trump Vance,' and 'Harris Walz.' Our thorough testing revealed that the results were consistently similar for all the names and phrases we tried.
When we tried to personalize cans with the name "Trump," it was not accepted, and we received a message saying that the name wasn't approved. The message explained that some names might not be allowed if they are trademarked, political, the names of countries, celebrities, or religious figures, or if anything could be seen as offensive. Sometimes, adding a last name might help. Interestingly, the name "Kamala" was also not approved. However, phrases like "Vote for Trump" and "Vote for Kamala" were accepted, as were "Trump Vance" and "Harris Walz," which shows that while individual names might face restrictions, certain combinations or phrases can still be approved.

Allah vs Jesus

Next, we wanted to see if the rules for personalizing cans were against Christian values. To check this, we tried using names and phrases like "Jesus," "Allah," "Jesus Loves You," "Allah Loves You," "I Love Jesus," and "I Love Allah." The results were concerning.
Both "Jesus" and "Allah" weren't accepted. "I Love Jesus" and "Jesus Loves You" were also not allowed, but "I Love Allah" and "Allah Loves You" were accepted, which suggests that Coke's personalization might not be against Trump but seems to lean against Christian messages.

Summary

Our investigation shows that Coke's personalization restrictions are not specifically anti-Trump. Still, they have some limitations regarding religious figures and messages. Understandably, a company like Coke would want to avoid any controversy or offense in its personalization options. However, this situation raises questions about freedom of expression and belief and whether companies should be more transparent about their policies surrounding these topics.