Coke’s New Site Challenges Consumer to Create Bottle Film
The Coca-Cola Co. has relaunched its Web site around the theme of its latest global marketing platform for the Coke brand, “The Coke Side of Life,” and challenges consumers around the world to help it become a major content portal.
The site, at CocaCola.com, allows consumers around the world to drive content via a series of bi-weekly and monthly challenges posted on the site. The company aims to organically develop the site into a user generated content portal with three variations from other consumer marketing sites: First, visitors are given a theme/challenge to focus their creativity and are provided tools to develop their ideas. Second, the winners of the challenges are rewarded for their input. And, third, users gain access to a global community which is invited to judge their entries, the company said.
“Throughout Coke’s history, we have seen people use the brand, its icons and heritage as a creative source,” said Marc Mathieu, senior VP-global core brands, The Coca-Cola Co., in a statement. “In the 60’s, it was Andy Warhol, today it’s people all over the world on the internet developing their own interpretations of the brand. We believe the independent creative process is a vital part of our heritage. With this site we want to give a further opportunity for these imaginative minds to be part of our creative process.”
The first challenge calls for consumers to create a “bottle film” based on a personal interpretation of “The Coke Side of Life.” After the finalists have been chosen by their peers, a panel of experts from around the globe will judge the top entries and award the prize. First prize includes a computer, digital camera and editing software valued at approximately $5,000. This month’s challenge will be judged by experts from Wieden and Kennedy, who created the original “bottle films” for Coke.
“The site will differentiate Coca-Cola from traditional company sites in that it will consist primarily of user-generated content,” said Tim Kopp, VP-global interactive marketing for the Coca-Cola Co. “The company plans to populate the site by users rather than by agencies.”
The site will develop over time as new countries and areas area added. AKQA developed the new site in partnership with a team from Coca-Cola.
In a related development, the company has changed the URL of its corporate Web site to TheCoca-ColaCompany.com.
