After outrage in Hungary, Coca-Cola is changing its current #loveislove ad campaign posters featuring same-sex couples, the company announced in a press release. The ads taking over Budapest right after the start of Sziget festival will show rainbow-colored bottles, exclusively available at the music fest.

Recent posters in Coca-Colaʼs latest campaign feature gay and lesbian couples sharing the soft drink. The images appearing all over Budapest has angered many people in Hungary. An online petition has been launched asking for the posters to be removed. Most Hungarian pro-government media accused Coca-Cola of popularizing homosexuality with the aid of advertisements. István Boldog, a member of ruling Fidesz party even called for a boycott of the brand.

On Monday, Coca-Cola responded to the criticism stating that this year’s motto for the Sziget Festival is ‘Love Revolution’ which the company is happy to support as „equality and diversity are our core values”. This is what the “iconic” rainbow labeled bottles mean to represent.

In a later statement announcing the replacement of the posters, Coca-Cola implied they had not backed down after the criticism adding that their campaign simply entered its “second phase” and it had been planned this way.

Answering questions to liberal news site hvg.hu, the company wrote that they thought they were successful in conveying their values ​​through these posters:

With our campaign, we stand for values ​​and human rights, so in accord with our principles we support acceptance, and the approach that all people are equal.”

Asked whether the posters that had just been replaced would return after Sziget, they stated the campaign would last until the end of the festival in mid-August, as it had been originally planned.



Fidesz MP István Boldog has quickly responded to Coca-Cola’s decision of the poster replacement.

We won a battle! The fight continues! Coca-Cola has to end the LGBTQ propaganda in Hungary!”

he wrote on Facebook.

Featured photo via Facebook.