Coke goes flat!

"Our Cage eco-exhibit was scheduled to be taken down on 8 July and that is what we did last night, confirmed SodaStream SA's managing director, Francois Dippenaar yesterday. "It is clear that Coke realised that it simply does not want to own its garbage which is filling up landfills and strangling oceans."

"We are also delighted with the positive response of consumers around the world to these bullying tactics. After the threat of legal action, SodaStream International launched an on-line virtual cage, the Cage Challenge, where we invite people to post pictures that illustrate the impact of empty plastic bottles and cans on the environment. Within one week the Virtual Cage Challenge gained in excess of 100 000 fans! http://www.facebook.com/TheCageChallenge. This unprecedented response certainly illustrates the fizzle of Coke's sizzle!"

SodaStream South Africa is also running an on-line pledge on its SA Facebook page to help free the world from bottles: www.facebook.com/sodastreamsa.

Dippenaar reiterated his initial statement that SodaStream will not compromise on its environmental strategy neither will it be silenced or intimated by Coca-Cola. "We are investigating future sites in South Africa for The Cage and internationally we are planning at least 30 new sites in 30 countries in the months ahead. The threat is real and we will continue telling the story that plastic is destroying our planet."

For more:

• Coca-Cola cry-baby
  
• The art of brand war