Dark Bilious Vapors

A report in The Register claims that Coca-Cola's latest marketing stunt--placing tracking devices in some of their cans--has backfired, as various U.S. Air Force installations are screening the Coca-Cola cans to insure the tracking device enhanced cans don't make it onto the base. Understandable, if you remember the premise from the TV commercial (ok, this is the one I saw; there may be a different one out there you've seen), where the Coke swilling young lad takes his co-worker/girlfriend into the back room of the ice cream shop they both work at for some heavy necking (on company time no less; I'm sure that Bill Bennett doesn't approve). The boy, having activated the tracking device in the Coke can he's drinking from (well, was drinking from before the tongue wrestling match started), is interrupted mid-smooch as the Coke marketing promotion commandos swoop from the sky in helicopters with a brand new SUV he's just won. Quoth El Reg:

But surely, the real danger is to the airborne marketeers. Our assessment of the Coca Cola Company's military strength isn't quite up as comprehensive as we'd like it to be. The company has a history of using local proxies for its overseas campaigns. But descending on a US Air Force Base while the Homeland is in a state of Orange Alert is far riskier than any of its South American operations - and sure to end up with only one winner.

So if you hear a loud explosion this July 4 weekend, it may not be a firework. It may simply be Coca Cola marketing people dueling it with the USAF.

Len on 07.05.04 @ 08:43 AM CST