I just purchased a can of Mountain Dew from the vending machine here at work, and there was something … upsetting about it.
It’s not wholly new, but I’ve never seen it this overt before. It’s shocking, and a sign of … disturbing things yet to come.
I had noticed last week when I bought a can of Mountain Dew that the new stretched-out-looking logo takes up only half the circumference of the can, the nutrition information takes up a fourth, and a smaller, top-aligned copy of the same MD logo was on the other 1/4 can. I noticed it because it seemed odd to me that the logo was not simply centered in the space or repeated twice at full size or … something that didn’t make an awkward waste of space, a rectangle below the smaller logo, abour 2″ by 3″ of empty green.
Today, that entire quarter of the circumference of the can is taken up by an ad/coupon for local waterpark admission. $6 off general admission on weekdays per person, one can per person, blah blah blah, and a tiny MD logo in the corner. There are now advertisements on the side of my can of soda for things other than the soda itself. Admittedly, there have been ads on soda cans in the past, but I’ve never seen anything so overt.
Putting a picture of Darth Vader on a can of Soda is significantly different from offering ad space to local businesses. This is just … uncanny.
