Washington ferries will pause ads, at least until Coca-Cola controversy fizzles

October 27, 2023 / 5:20 pm

caption: A Coca-Cola ad painted onto the front of a Washington State Ferry on the Seattle-Bainbridge Island route in early October 2023.

You may have seen the bright red Coca-Cola advertisement on Washington state’s iconic green and white ferry riding the waves of the Puget Sound. The Tacoma’s bow and stern were painted with a bright red advertisement promoting the company’s recycling campaign.

This led to heated online controversy and complaints to the Washington State Department of Transportation. According to the Seattle Times, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, also a ferry rider, raised an eyebrow himself. In fact, the uproar was enough to prompt a pause in advertising on the exterior of state ferries.

“Half the people are really upset. They say it's like putting an advertisement on the Statue of Liberty or something,” explained Ian Sterling, director of communications for Washington State Ferries. “Other folks say this is another form of transportation. It's like seeing advertisements on the side of the bus or stadium.”

Sterling said supporters see this as revenue for the ferry service and a way to help offset the cost of running the ferries for taxpayers.

For now, Sterling said, Seattleites will not see the ad, as the Tacoma is in the shipyard. Sterling acknowledged that although the boat and the campaign was sailing for a few weeks, the public is talking about it.

“People really got fired up about it on both sides, both pro and con for advertising,” Sterling said. The Coca Cola red will stay on the boat until the contract finishes, on Nov. 19. After that, ferry officials say they will pause the sale of ads on the exterior of their ships.

There is a sporadic history of the state’s ferries acting as floating billboards, but mostly for nonprofit causes, at least in recent years.

During Seattle’s 1962 World Fair, a large Century 21 logo was painted down the side of an entire ship.

More recently, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health paid to have a large blue mask on the front of the ferries. Additionally, the nonprofit Movember placed mustaches on the outside of the boat to raise awareness of prostate cancer.