Driving south on 65 on my way in to work not too long ago, I took note of a car on the shoulder, one side jacked up to facilitate the changing of a tire. If you drive from Spring Hill to Franklin every morning, this is not an uncommon site (there were at least 3 separate cars in the same situation when I took that route this morning). However, this particular scenario caught my attention because of the car parked in front of the impaired vehicle. I noticed a woman standing by watching (presumably it was her vehicle) and a man kneeling on the ground in typical tire-changing position. How nice, someone had stopped to help her. There are still good Samaritans in the world, I suppose. But then I noticed the car that I assumed belonged to the chivalrous passerby. It was covered completely in Coca-Cola advertisement. Being the analyst that I am, I had to wonder how this scenario came to be.

  1. Was the man a friend or relative of the woman who just happened to drive a coca-cola car?
  2. Was the man a stranger who was an employee of the coca-cola company and just felt bad enough to stop and help the stranded young lady?
  3. Was the man a mechanic or the employee of some sort of roadside assistance service that was clever enough to seek an endorsement from coca-cola, knowing that thousands of people would see their mobile advertisement on his vehicle as he was out on calls all day?

Personally, I don’t drink Coke. I don’t really drink soda of any kind- I don’t like the fizz and the sweetness of the beverage is not refreshing to me. I will take unsweet tea or water, thanks. However on this particular day, I actually thought to myself  “maybe I’ll buy a coke”… and then I thought WHAT IN THE WORLD I DON’T EVEN LIKE THE STUFF!

The power of suggestion? A testament to the effectiveness of good advertising? Im not sure… I do know this, as a person who is driven to help people, and often find myself  frustrated with my lack of ability to do so in the way I want to or as much as I would like to, I love the idea of purchasing products that contribute to the greater good. I.E., I get the product I need, and that company in turn supports a cause I subscribe to. Tom’s shoes for example. I saw their commercial on TV- for every pair of shoes you purchase a kid in a third world country gets a pair of shoes. I get the shoes I need, and I help someone at the same time. I went and looked at Tom’s shoes this weekend- $50, kind of ugly, but might be comfortable enough. Probably not my first choice, but Im pretty sure that next time I buy a pair of shoes, I will be shopping Tom’s because I believe in what they are doing. I can make do with a pair of less cute shoes because in doing so Im able to provide for someone else.This concept isn’t just attractive to Christians, by the way. People everywhere are interested in doing things that make them feel like they are doing their part to contribute. Often times the people who have donated the biggest to the projects I’ve solicited money for have been those who don’t share my faith, but are looking for a way to feel like they are doing something good.

So back to coca-cola guy changing stranded lady’s tire. I don’t know if Coca-cola was smart enough to figure out that if we associated random acts of roadside kindness with coca-cola, people like me would think twice about purchasing their product… but I did. I just wonder how I can work harder to put myself out there in the same way. Im not suggesting painting a large cross on my car and then seeking out flat tires to change. Im just thinking that I noticed the guy helping the stranded woman and thought it was good, and then after that I noticed that he is (somehow) associated with a certain brand and my mind automatically connected that the brand he was displaying was also was as good as that guy who was willing to help. That man made coca-cola look good to me, someone who dislikes fizzy sweet beverages. There are so many people out there who have been so burned by religion and the church, seen the hypocrisy in it, felt too much law and not enough love. It left a bad after-taste in their mouth, and they may be quite content to stay away from it all together.  I just hope I can be like the coca-cola tire changer, so that when I do things- random things that I may not think anyone notices- I make my faith in Jesus look good, look practical, look like something maybe someone should try, or even just consider trying again even if past experience says you don’t really care for the taste of it.