Look at the picture of the coke can. Do you notice the bubbly-looking rings? They are meant to be a stylized version of the Olympic rings. And it makes sense as Coke is an Olympic sponsor. The Olympics has long been a brand-building platform for the Atlanta-based company, stretching back to the 1928 Amsterdam Games. And as Coca-Cola planned for the Beijing Olympics it came across and interesting trivia. When the brand was first introduced in China, its brand name in the Mandarin dialect was translated as “Delicious happiness.” They thought of taking maximum advantage of that history—and the phrase—in a digital program, “Design the World a Coke,” that focuses mainly on the social-networking space.
Says Kevin Tressler, director of Coke s worldwide sports and entertainment marketing that a social-media focus was important because, “We know the world is becoming smaller around teens and young adults in the way that they interact with people and form social groups to chat (with) and have fun,”. Digital is a core component of that larger strategy—and social networking by its very nature helps Coke connect with the “unity” theme of the Games and reinforce its positive message of happiness and refreshment.
“Design the World a Coke,” which launched a month ago and runs through September, invites consumers to glam up virtual Coke bottles, working by themselves or co-creating designs with friends. Consumers can build their own bottle artwork galleries; showcase their designs inside a larger Coke gallery; vote for their favorite designs; and post their creations on their personal Web pages. As Coke s iconic bottle is “core to the DNA of the brand,” its use here seemed a natural application, Tressler said. Coca has also created a program called WE8—which stands for “West/East” and adds the number eight, a symbol of good luck in China.
For WE8, a series of 8 limited-editions highly stylized, Coca-Cola aluminum contour bottles designed by China s 8 leading graphic artists to create different designs based on themes such as perseverance, happiness and health. Eight musicians from around the world then composed songs around each design. Those songs and designs will feature prominently in a music tour that will play in eight global cities, including London, Paris and Rio de Janeiro. (The shows will visit numerous U.S. and Chinese cities, too.)
Consumers who visit a dedicated WE8 microsite can read about the musicians, such as New York-born pop artist Lucas Prata and Italian electro-music artist Benny Benassi. They can download the music as ringtones and the graphic creations as wallpapers.
The Olympics provide an unassailable dais to drive inspiration and brand engagement. Coca-Cola also says that the strategy extends beyond the 17 days of the Beijing Games and that it’s more about how to bring inspiration to people’s daily lives and how they can drive everyday relevance off of those values.
Via Brandweek
Tags: Beijing, Beijing Olympics, Brand, Coca-Cola, Coke, Coke bottle, Design, Kevin, Kevin Tressler, Tags: Olympics, Tressler, WE8
[...] Coca-Cola design planned for the Beijing Olympics [...]