Coca-Cola’s Olympics Advertising Puts Athletics to Music

The Coca-Cola Company on Wednesday is set to give a first glimpse of the Olympics advertising campaign for its flagship soda, Coca-Cola. The theme will be “Move to the beat,” under the Coca-Cola brand slogan of “Open happiness”; the centerpiece will be a song, “Anywhere in the World,” written by Mark Ronson and Katy B, which is to serve as an anthem for Coca-Cola’s Olympic sponsorship efforts.

The campaign is the latest for the Coca-Cola brand to have music at its heart. For the 2010 World Cup, the brand’s campaign used a remixed version of “Wavin’ Flag” by the Canadian rapper K’naan, and the version heard in Coca-Cola commercials became a hit in many countries.

The reliance on music, particularly for campaigns based on sports sponsorships, is intended to intensify the appeal of Coca-Cola to younger consumers with a passion for sports and music.

The idea is to reach “a generation of teens and young adults,” said Shay Drohan, global senior vice president for sparkling brands at the Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta.

The campaign represents “the coming together of pop culture, music, sport and celebrity in London,” he added.

On the celebrity front, Mr. Ronson, known as the producer of the late Amy Winehouse, and the British singer Katy B also appear in the commercials, performing “Anywhere in the World.” Also seen in the spots are five athletes who hope to compete in the Summer Games, whose athletic exertions are incorporated into the song.

In addition to the commercials, he added, an hour-long documentary was filmed in which Mr. Ronson travels to “five corners of the earth to record athletes” for use in the song.

Mr. Drohan said there are also plans for Mr. Ronson and Katy B to perform live in London during the Summer Games.

The commercials will start running on television this month in Europe and then appear in other countries on a rolling schedule between now and July 27, when the 2012 Summer Olympic Games are scheduled to begin.

Date – February 2012

 

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