Coke No Longer Labeling Cans To Spread An Awesome Message

If there’s one logo we know and recognize above all others, it’s the white, cursive script on a metallic red can for Coca-Cola. To us, the letters symbolize happiness and nostalgia, and when we see that label, we know we’re about to experience some cold, crisp, sugary goodness that brings us back to the days of school lunches, field trips, and backyard sports. Although many of us have a fondness for that label, we also use it for judgment – we compare it to and hold it above the blue Pepsi can, or we look at it in distaste when compared to the calorie-free silver Diet Coke can, and just as we judge the labels, we judge each consumer by which label they choose. Even though we’ve always been told not to judge a book by its cover, we’ve never taken it literally until now, when Coca-Cola has made the bold move to completely remove their labels from their cans to erase judgment.

One side of Coke’s new cans will be completely blank, with no branding whatsoever. However, when you turn it over, you’re met with the reason behind the name being erased – the other side of the can reads “Labels are for cans, not for people.”

These new Coke cans will be distributed throughout the Middle East this month during Ramadan. When asked why they chose to make this bold move, Coke told Business Insider:

In a time when equality and abolishing prejudices is a hot topic for discussion around the world, how does one of the leading brands like Coca-Cola join in the conversation? In the Middle East, during the month of Ramadan, one of the world’s most well known labels has removed its own label, off its cans, in an effort to promote a world without labels and prejudices.

In a time when we still judge each other by the labels on the things they consume – soft drinks, clothes, cars – and judge people by their attributes – skinny, blonde, fat – it’s incredibly encouraging to see a major corporation stand up for equality and begin to tear down the labels that we use to define each other. Although Coke is only erasing a side of their cans, hopefully removing one label will serve as a baby step for us all to continue to remove the labels that surround our lives..

[via Business Insider]

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