Coca-Cola Celebrates 30-Year Soccer Relationship

Atlanta — The Coca-Cola Co. refreshed its 30-year partnership with Mexico’s national soccer team last summer by launching a multifaceted campaign that included in-store and out-of-home activities.Anchored by a TV spot titled “Wave” from New York-based Ogilvy & Mather, the campaign leveraged the 30-year bond with a variety of activity that includes a sweepstakes, print ads, billboards, radio spots and social media activations. The retail program, which leverages the My Coke Rewards loyalty program, includes P-O-P support in-store.Coca-Cola continues to support the Mexican team through its various events – from the 2012 London Olympics, where it won a gold medal, to the current five-game U.S. tour, to the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. “We want to show we are loyal,” says Jose Torrens, brand manager for Coca-Cola’s multicultural marketing team. “It’s about connecting with the consumer.”Since 2011, the company has set up Plaza Coca-Cola celebration areas outside the stadiums where the team plays. Meant to emulate the central-location gathering of fans during and after Latin America national team games, the plaza features a replica of the Mexican symbol of independence, the statue known as El Angel. There is live music, giveaways, sampling and interactive games. Coca-Cola also stages Club Balon Rojo (Red Ball) experiential soccer workshops designed to motivate teens to engage in physical activity and provide them with educational tools to gain access to higher education and empower their communities, says Torrens.That is the foundation on which the new campaign is built. Filmed in Mexico City’s Stadio Azteca, the TV spot shows a fan at a game in 1986, then follows him at games through the years until 2014, when he celebrates a goal with his son. The tagline is “Never Stop Believing.”Torrens says the retail campaigns with Kroger and Walmart promote Powerade sports drinks and Dasani bottled water as well as Coca-Cola soft drinks. The manufacturer promised a World Cup soccer ball (via Catalina code to be entered on a Coca-Cola microsite) to shoppers who made required purchases, such as two 20-packs of 12-ounce cans of Coca-Cola product. Digital activity included a banner ad mentioning the offer on Kroger.com.Social media activity occurred on Twitter and Facebook, where the Mexican team’s page (and its 2 million fans) and Univision’s page helped boost awareness, Torrens says.The convenience-store activation included a text message sweepstakes for team merchandise. P-O-P materials included shelf talkers, neck tags, shippers and collectible cups with qualifying purchase of a pair of 2-liters. The shopper marketing agency was Visual Latina, Atlanta.Based on research from Chicago-based Elemento L2, Coca-Cola says that the combined efforts of the Mexican team and Coca-Cola have produced 80 million media impressions, with 1.7 million unique members joining My Coke Rewards.

Coca-Cola Celebrates 30-Year Soccer Relationship

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