Coca Cola launches offensive in Baghdad

The Cola Wars have joined up with the real ones…



“Coca-Cola has returned to Iraq after an absence of nearly four decades, triggering a cola war in a lucrative but potentially hostile market.
Coke ended its 37-year exile last week by setting up a joint-venture
bottling company to compete with Pepsi for 26 million consumers.

The upsides for Coke include a thirst-inducing climate and burgeoning
Islamic conservatism which has banned beer and other alcoholic drinks in much of the country.

The downsides, besides Pepsi's head start, are a raging insurgency and
banditry which threaten supply routes, and a perception that Coca-Cola is linked to Israel and "American Zionists".

Coke withdrew from Iraq in 1968 when the Arab League declared a boycott because of business ties to Israel, leaving Pepsi to dominate the Middle East market for soft drinks. The boycott ended in 1991, but sanctions and wars kept Coke out of Iraq.

After a trickle of Coca-Cola imports from neighboring countries, the
company is attempting a proper comeback by launching a joint venture with a Turkish company, Efes Invest, and its Iraqi partner HMBS, which will reportedly bottle the Coke in Dubai and distribute it across Iraq.

"A local bottling company will employ local people to do this," a Coca-Cola spokesman said yesterday. "This happens in most of the 200 countries in which we operate around the world, despite the perception of us as an American company."

The response in Baghdad yesterday was mixed. One drink wholesaler, Abbas Salih, said the initiative was doomed. "Coca-Cola does business with those who are shooting our brothers in Palestine," he said. "How can we drink it?"

Abu Ream, a shop owner in Baghdad, repeated a widespread conspiracy theory: "If you hold up a Coke can to the mirror, the writing says 'No Allah'," Mr. Ream said. "Or maybe 'No Mohammad'. I can't remember which."...


At least they will employ up to 200 Iraqi’s…

The whole deal over there is work in progress with much left to accomplish so that this country can stand on its own goverment and security forces.......and yet while this is going on Coke and Pepsi are fighting for market share?

Now that's a problem we have in this country...............seems everything we do in the World anymore is for corporate market share, regardless of its impact on the country we are fighting in or what impact it has on our national security............all for the reason of profit that goes to feed the campaigns of the powerful and so the cycle continues.......

want another example?............can you say China?

The whole deal over there is work in progress with much left to accomplish so that this country can stand on its own goverment and security forces.......and yet while this is going on Coke and Pepsi are fighting for market share?

Now that's a problem we have in this country...............seems everything we do in the World anymore is for corporate market share, regardless of its impact on the country we are fighting in or what impact it has on our national security............all for the reason of profit that goes to feed the campaigns of the powerful and so the cycle continues.......

want another example?............can you say China?

Hell, Pepsi will win, AGAIN!!!! They always win, Crapa-Cola sucks.

Easy campaign, just put a picture of a Jew drinking Coca Cola up and there you go, no sales in Iraq, or anywhere else in the ME.

Or better have Al-Jazeera(sp?) run a commercial...

A Jew walking down the street with a gun. Shoots some tounds off, hear Arabic in the backround about "My baby, he shot my baby!" and such. Then...
"After a long day of killing the holy ones, I like to quench my thirst with a nice Coca-Cola. Makes the taste of Arabic blood go down so nice." Couple more shots, more screaming in the backround.


Also, I don't think American Law applies, so Pepsi can follow it up with the Coca-Cola symbol. No point in linking yourself to it, right?

Speaking of coke....

FYI,
Americans and Europeaners pay WAY too much for coke products.

How much is a 20ounce now...like $1.50 right. In many other countries I can by a 20 case of 20 ounce bottles for what equals 4-6 USD in whatever currency.

That's pathetic. Also, ever heard of Fanta? Well it's the same for them too...Fanta is even owned by Coke.

Coke is literally everywhere......Middle East, Asia, even weird arse countries like Azerbaijan, Ouagadougou , Burundi....all over the place.

[edit on 6/7/2005 by SportyMB]

Wow, im a avid coke drinker and i think its cool that its actually comming back but like someone said coke is everywhere nowadays also i cant resist lol

nice to know that iraqi citezens will beable to have a refreshing coke instead of that nasty crap called pepsi. as i have said for years now "coke is it pepsi is (censored). ever notice how pepsi tends to have to have specials and heavy advertizing all the time? why doesn't coke need to do this? the only time i tend to see a coke comercial is at christmass. guess when one has a superior prodduct you don't realy need to advertise it.

Lets hope they get better quality then India
www.corpwatch.org...

Cola is flith, profit before health!

[edit on 6-7-2005 by 7th_Chakra]

well, im a coke fan, that probably stems from my grandparents as they are ww2 generation and they tended to be avid coke drinkers. In the arly days of cola wars pepsi competed because you could by 40 oz of pepsi for like a nickel compare to the 8oz bottles. (pepsi used to fill old liquor bottles). We do however pay way to freaking much for coke and it has made me search for alternatives, best one being Mountain Dew! When are we going to get baja blast in stores?

[edit on 6-7-2005 by XphilesPhan]

I like Coke better too, but you have to admit if you look at the writing sideways on a can in a mirror it does look like arabic

but seriously, is now really the right time to launch a cola war in Iraq?
I mean Iraqis have to struggle to stay alive on a daily basis and worry about water and electricity, choice of cola shouldn't be an issue or one of the liberties that this war should have brought them.


[edit on 7-6-2005 by worldwatcher]