A Facebook post from Dr Pepper has people talking, and some of those talkers are angry.

It started Wednesday afternoon when the soft drink company posted this picture to its Facebook page, along with the comment: “Now that’s progress.”



Within a matter of hours, the image drew more than 15,000 “likes” as well as thousands of comments—some of which were critical of the brand.

“I love this drink so much!!!” One commenter explained. “But can’t drink it anymore!” Another said: “Well, there goes my support for the company.”

The post also spread to Reddit, where people defended the brand and evolution.

Ultimately, this might be manufactured outrage. The vast majority of the comments approve of the image or criticize Christians for rejecting it; however, there are only a smattering of negative remarks and the most vitriolic seem to be made in jest.

A couple of visitors to the Facebook page weighed in on the PR aspect of the post: “Well I think someone’s going to get fired in the marketing dept after this. Prepare yourself for the battle of the FB posters and trolls.”

Another said: “This is a controversial image ... Why risk the backlash?”

The answer to that question is obvious: The post went viral within hours. In fact, it seems someone in the marketing department might be getting a raise.

This summer, Oreo faced a boycott over a Facebook image of a rainbow colored cookie it created in honor of Gay Pride month, while Chick-fil-A stirred emotions when its president expressed support for traditional marriage.

(via Business Insider)

(Image via)