A new Coca-Cola advert has sparked online controversy for what some believe to be the company exploiting women's rights for commercial gain by suggesting women can drive if they drink Coke.

The 'Change Has A Taste' campaign celebrates Saudi Arabia's recent order to FINALLY overturn its archaic decades-old driving ban on women, but while some viewers praised Coca-Cola for recognising the milestone with a feel-good ad, others accused the drinks company of exploiting the historic ruling in order to turn a profit.

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The Saudi advert follows a father and his daughter on a driving lesson, which gets off to a rocky start, but the girl manages to eventually get the hang of it – seemingly with the help of a Coke.

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Taking to Twitter, one person wrote: "Apparently @CocaCola thinks the answer to the systemic oppression of women in Islamic countries is an ice cold Coke," while someone else sarcastically said: "Wait, what? Women are allowed to drink Coca-Cola? #progressive"

Another added: "It's not Christmas until you see the Coca-Cola advert, it's not women's rights until they've been tokenised for monetary or political gain."

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Despite being likened to Kendall Jenner's controversial Pepsi commercial from earlier this year, Coca-Cola claims the advert was created as part of its "commitment to enable the economic empowerment of women".

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Defending the advert, one social media user said: "But it's a celebration of positive social and cultural change," while another agreed, adding: "The commercial is about Saudi women getting the right to drive! It was about removal of oppression."

From: Digital Spy