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Coke's criminal conspiracy

Coca-Cola has recently started airing a commercial whimsically encouraging " sip stealing"—surreptitiously drinking at the self-serve machine and refilling when the owner is distracted. It is a lighthearted, fun ad ... or is it? (Adland subscription required to watch the ad).

It seems so innocent and imbiber-friendly, as if Coke is your friend—a cuddly, corporate Abbie Hoffman—encouraging you with a wink and a nudge to steal from them. But they aren't really asking you to steal from them at all—they're asking you to steal from convenience stores! When customers steal sips, stores have to buy more syrup from Coke. Pretty crafty, huh?

Which isn't to say that I haven't been sip stealing for years.