New Coca-Cola advert causes HUGE Twitter backlash

Remember way back in April when Pepsi had a bit of a shocker with that, frankly terrible, Kendall Jenner advert?

In the ad, Kendall was seen joining masses of protestors holding signs that call for 'love' and 'peace', offering riot police Pepsi's and ultimately saving the day...

Broadcast at a time of fraught political tension and tense race relations, to say it was just a tad off the mark is a massive understatement. And the internet was relentless.

At the time, we’re sure the guys and girls at Coca-Cola were sipping on a lovely cold, carbonated drink and watching the drama unfold from afar.

But now it seems as though they may have their own ad controversy on their hands, as a new commercial in the Middle East has divided opinion.

Coca-Cola’s ‘Change Has A Taste’ campaign aims to celebrate Saudi-Arabia’s recent removal of its archaic and sexist law banning women from driving – but some people think the advert trivialises the important human rights milestone.

The clip shows a Saudi-Arabian woman being taught to drive by her father, but struggling to get to grips with it. That is until she takes a lovely refreshing glug of Coca Cola and suddenly becomes the next Lewis Hamilton.

And Twitter had a few things to say:

Some made the reference to Pepsi’s blunder:

However, others thought the ad was a positive celebration of the historic law-change.

A representative from Coca-Cola defended the ad in a statement to the Huffington Post.

“Coca-Cola is continuing its legacy of celebrating positive social and cultural change in its advertising campaigns by releasing a topical and timely ad in the Middle East,” said public affairs director at Coca-Cola Middle East, Omar Bennis.

“The campaign touches on the brand’s values surrounding diversity and inclusion and aligns with Coca-Cola’s commitment to enable the economic empowerment of women."

Watch the ad here:

Pepsi must be sipping tea, right now....

NOW check out the other top stories from this week: