Cola Stars
Surprise: Coca-Cola Co. will bring back Harry Potter for a holiday 2002 campaign.
But that’s not all: A separate continuity campaign brings in long-time partner Delta Airlines for a fourth-quarter launch likely to tuck airline miles into cases of Coke.
Meanwhile, rival Pepsi-Cola Co. puts Britney Spears, Major League Baseball, and NASCAR on the same stage with a Take Home the Tickets summer sweeps; a separate campaign pairs Mountain Dew with Sony Pictures’ Men in Black II.
Atlanta-based Coke is still developing its tie-in to the holiday release of Warner Bros.’ sequel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The promotion will feature a sweeps sending four winners to London for a “House Cup” celebration similar to scenes depicted in the corresponding novel. Coke products are expected to carry “Potter” trading cards; details are still being negotiated with Warner Bros.
“We’re trying to work it out so consumers can see, touch, and feel something from the second movie,” says Coke managing director-national consumer programming Mike Jones.
The soda giant is working with Delta on an on-pack program that will include Coke Classic, Diet Coke, Sprite, and Cherry Coke. Also on the list is Vanilla Coke, which launched May 15 with TV, print, outdoor, and a slate of promotions marking the company’s biggest launch in 10 years.
Tickets to Ride
Coke launched its tent-pole summer program May 15 with three music-themed flights spanning a record number of brands and packages. MusicCash puts a $5 voucher on 12-packs and two- and three-liter bottles redeemable at 40 retail chains (and 14,000 total stores) for discounts on CDs. Individuals can collect up to $30 in discounts. At the same time, 20-ounce and one-liter bottles carry ConcertCash messages under the cap: Winners get $3 to $10 discounts on concert tickets at venues owned by Clear Channel Entertainment or for bands booked by the entertainment conglomerate. (Coke signed a five-year partnership deal with Clear Channel in December 2000.)
The third arm is an under-the-cap sweeps for Sprite giving away five grand-prize trips to Sprite & Def Jam University in New York City this fall; the two-day clinic teaches winners (and guests) how the music business works. Smaller prizes are RocketCash (redeemable at 100-plus online retailers) and free product; all packages carry prizes. Momentum North America, St. Louis, handles all three efforts; Burrell Communications, Chicago, hosts Def Jam University.
Meanwhile, Pepsi, Purchase, NY, runs Take Home the Tickets May 13 through June 23. The eight-brand effort (including Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and Pepsi Twist, but not Mountain Dew) puts instant-win messages under the cap on 12- and 24-packs; players call a toll-free number to learn what they’ve won. Grand prizes are trips to a Spears concert, the Pepsi 400 NASCAR race, and the MLB All-Star Game; smaller prizes include MovieCash tickets. P-O-P displays depict giant “tickets” bearing Spears, baseball star Ken Griffey Jr., and driver Jeff Gordon. Tracy Locke Partnership, Wilton, CT, handles.
At the same time, sister brand Mountain Dew puts Sony’s Men in Black II on- and in-pack with a sweeps giving away a grand-prize home theater system and MovieCash. Dew will also leverage last year’s success of Code Red with Diet Code Red, on shelf this month with promos planned for June and July.
Pepsi also launched Starbucks DoubleShot last month. The canned espresso-and-cream drink gets event sampling, radio, and outdoor ad support. That follows the mid-May launch of SoBe Mr. Green ginseng-flavored pop, which Pepsi hopes will match Code Red’s performance (including a five-percent volume boost for single-serve soft drinks in c-stores and grocery stores). The SoBe extension gets sampling, Internet, and pricing support.
