Earlier this year, a royal decree issued by King Salman ended the ban on women driving in the Middle-Eastern country, bringing it one step closer to the rest of the civilized world.
There was plenty to celebrate for all the young girls and women as this would grant them a level of freedom that was unimaginable before, particularly since public transport in the main urban areas is lacking and the cities aren't exactly designed to be pedestrian-friendly.
However, the ruling won't go into effect immediately. Those wearing a burka who want to jump behind the steering wheel of a car would have to wait until mid-way next year, which means they have plenty of time to get ready.
Some clever people in the Coca-Cola marketing department figured that out and decided to launch a commercial aimed directly at these young girls. For the first time in the country's history, showing a woman driving a car wasn't an act of defiance anymore, but a sign of the future.
The ad features an old Mercedes-Benz (the legendary W123, the other vehicle next to a Toyota Hilux that can claim the "invincible" description), a father and his daughter, and the barren desert for as far as eyes can see. Not sure if this is meant to suggest just how much the father trusts his daughter's emerging driving skills, but it sure makes for a very safe environment.
The lesson isn't going great. The car is moving, but the girl is too hard on the clutch and brake pedal. The father gets an idea, pops open a bottle of Coca-Cola and puts it on the dashboard. With a sweaty face and looking more at the bottle than the road (well, desert), the girl does her best to satisfy her father's weird teaching techniques.
For some unexplainable reason, she swerves to the left violently, testing her father's reflexes as he catches the falling bottle. But instead of scolding her, he's somehow proud and hands her the bottle. The girl drinks. She then goes for a second sip. With the bottle half-empty, she's a lot more confident. Or maybe the Coke has a secret side-effect of teaching you how to drive?
Coca-Cola isn't leaving its blatant association with this historical moment in Saudi Arabia's history at that. The catchphrase reads "Change Has a Taste," which isn't just very good, but also leaves no room for other brands to tag along.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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