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Walmart removes Coke display in shape of doomed World Trade Center

Thoreau72 said:
Government is not responsible for what, exactly?

May I offer some wisdom from Mr. Justice Brandeis, dissenting in Olmstead? "The government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example."

Regarding 911, the government is responsible for the coverup. That is, it is responsible for covering up the truth. And I'm sure you know the mainstream media and the government work hand-in-glove. That so many members of the 911 Commission spoke out about the investigation being compromised, about receiving conflicting reports and more, is a strong indicator of the cover up of the truth BY THE GOVERNMENT.
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And Walmart and Coke are related how?
 
Thoreau72 said:
As one company sells the other company's products, they are business partners.
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Oh, so you're going to talk about the thread topic now. :lol:
 
HonestJoe said:
There’s nothing wrong with remembering 9/11. There’s everything wrong with using it as a marketing gimmick.
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Maybe so, but this...I don't find it tasteless at all. The alternatives, of course, being:

1) display a banner with the WTC buildings engulfed in flames; or,

2) display a banner depicting the new One World Trade Center.

I think the former would have been more offensive to shoppers because seeing the buildings in flame would have brought back some hurtful memories indeed. But the display in the OP w/the banner...I found nothing inappropriate about it.
 
Middleground said:


Hey OP... is this insensitive/tasteless or am I just a lefty crybaby?
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Come now...what did GWB tell us to do right after 9/11? "Go out and spend money!" Or more subtly, don't stop living your life. Maybe if the mattress company had pledged to donate a portion of their 9/11 mattress sales to some 9/11 charity they wouldn't look as if they're trying to profit off of that tragic day. But as time goes on, I'm sure we'll see more and more of these "memorable" promos pop up.

Tacky...yeah, just a bit but hey...it could've been worse. They could have called it a "fire sale". :shock:
 
Ikari said:
I don't think this was actually a way of honoring anyone, but rather a way to sell Coke by appealing to emotions.
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IMO, the only tacky part of it would have been if customers treated the display like a giant game of Jenga where customers pulled case after case from the display and the towers were allowed to topple over as they became more unstable.

I think it was a good marketing strategy myself. Nice display as well.
 
Objective Voice said:
IMO, the only tacky part of it would have been if customers treated the display like a giant game of Jenga where customers pulled case after case from the display and the towers were allowed to topple over as they became more unstable.

I think it was a good marketing strategy myself. Nice display as well.
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Obviously it wasn't a good marketing strategy because it had to be yanked down within days of being put up because of the backlash it caused.

Using tragedy to hock wears is lowbrow at best.
 
Crosscheck said:
Remembering 911 should be a respectful act. This stacking of sugar coated syrup is just not there. It is tacky as having a display of Snicker bars reenacting the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima.
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Let's examine that for a second...

Support it were Baby Ruth candy bars instead since the wrapper is red, white and blue. And let's suppose that instead of making a flag display on Memorial Day or Veteran's Day it was done on Flag Day instead. Would you still be offended?

To me, what this is really about is the perception that companies aretrying to capitalize on a tragic event in our nation's history. But don't they already do that on Memorial Day - a day that's suppose to be in remembrance of our nation's fallen soldiers? When we BBQ are we really celebrating their lives, their sacrifices? Or is it just another day off to add to watching a weekend of sports?

I'm not saying I don't BBQ on that day - I'd be lying if I said I haven't done so. But I have an annual tradition for this day - I watch nothing but war movies, i.e., Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, Born on the 4th of July, Pearl Harbor, Tora! Tora! Tora!, Hamburger Hill, Bridge Over River Kwai - just about any war movie I can find. And that's pretty much all I watch (with the exception of maybe a military documentary or two). Kinda drives my family nuts, but it's what I do. Occasionally, I'll even go to our local Veteran's Memorial and pray for the fallen and just look over the name plates and try to image what it was like for them in their final hour.

How about you?

Anyway, I can understand why people would take offense to these consumer marketing gimmicks, but I think you just have to take it with a grain of salt and kinda accept it for the capitalistic adventurism that it is or just ignore it altogether. Of course, if it really offends you make your voices heard directly to management OR share your thoughts on social media like consumers did against AT&T and rest assured you'll get the results you want quick!
 
Ikari said:
Obviously it wasn't a good marketing strategy because it had to be yanked down within days of being put up because of the backlash it caused.

Using tragedy to hock wears is lowbrow at best.
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To each his own...:shrug:

Had Walmart done this the first couple of years after 9/11 I'd agree with you more adamantly. But 15 years after the fact...I think we can cut companies a little slack. Again, for me, I didn't see the display in poor taste. Clearly yourself and others did. Maybe someday we can stop being all butt-hurt over the simplest things. I'm sure when people first saw a beer display on Veteran's Day they were offended, too. But as the saying goes, "This, too, shall pass."
 
Objective Voice said:
To each his own...:shrug:

Had Walmart done this the first couple of years after 9/11 I'd agree with you more adamantly. But 15 years after the fact...I think we can cut companies a little slack. Again, for me, I didn't see the display in poor taste. Clearly yourself and others did. Maybe someday we can stop being all butt-hurt over the simplest things. I'm sure when people first saw a beer display on Veteran's Day they were offended, too. But as the saying goes, "This, too, shall pass."
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I think even more so because it's 15 years after the fact, that it's obvious that they are just trying to use tragedy to hock wears. It's lowbrow. But it's not about being "butt-hurt", rather consumers pushing back against something they'd rather not see done. Just good ol' market pressures.
 
Objective Voice said:
Maybe so, but this...I don't find it tasteless at all. The alternatives, of course, being:
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The supermarket doesn't need an alternative at all. There is no need for a commercial organisation to put up any kind of public display and no reason for them to do so other that marketing. 9/11 (and events like it) are remembered via memorials, ceremonies, historical documentation and whatever private and personal ways individual affected wish to do so.
 
American said:
You were off topic, and I was just jabbing you. Strange you couldn't see that.
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I suppose I'm guilty as charged, off topic. I take solace knowing I am not the Lone Ranger in that regard. :cool:
 
Objective Voice said:
IMO, the only tacky part of it would have been if customers treated the display like a giant game of Jenga where customers pulled case after case from the display and the towers were allowed to topple over as they became more unstable.

I think it was a good marketing strategy myself. Nice display as well.
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Say one of your loved ones died that day. Would you feel the same?
 
Ikari said:
I think even more so because it's 15 years after the fact, that it's obvious that they are just trying to use tragedy to hock wears. It's lowbrow. But it's not about being "butt-hurt", rather consumers pushing back against something they'd rather not see done. Just good ol' market pressures.
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I get irritated going to a hockey game and being inundated with branding.
 
HonestJoe said:
The supermarket doesn't need an alternative at all. There is no need for a commercial organisation to put up any kind of public display and no reason for them to do so other that marketing. 9/11 (and events like it) are remembered via memorials, ceremonies, historical documentation and whatever private and personal ways individual affected wish to do so.
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I can agree with that. Well said.

Middleground said:
Say one of your loved ones died that day. Would you feel the same?
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While I can sympathize with their lose, I can't empathize because while I have lost loved ones none were due to such a tragic event like 9/11. So, I honestly can't say how I'd feel about it until it happens to me personally. This somewhat falls in that category of "...until you've walked a mile in my shoes".

I guess what this boils down to is whether or not people believe Walmart (and Coca Cola, Co. since they were the sponsors behind the banner) was being insensitive to 9/11 survivors and/or the families who lost friends/family members that day or those who are still hurting from the tragedy. To that, see HonestJoes' post above and my reply to same.
 
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