Coke's "Move to the Beat" Olympic Anthem - Not TV as usual

It’s time to get a little closer to the Coke brand.  Over the next few months, I plan to dig a little deeper into this most formidable of marketing machines and assess some of its leading edge approaches to marketing and partnerships in particular.

iSportConnect reports that marketers at the cola giant are increasingly attributing revenue increases to successes with sponsorship.   Events, sources say, help the brand stay relevant to consumers.  In addition, reports Media Daily News, events are “DVR (PVR) proof” and can be easily buttressed with 360 degree campaigns.

There are notable exceptions to this of course.  Some shows like the Super Bowl and American Idol are invariably watched live and here the 30 second spot is still a viable communication tool.  On the whole however, “30-second spots on television (are) no longer the way to do it” said Coke’s CFO Gary Fayard at a results presentation.

Two of Coke’s main event motherlodes in 2012 are, naturally, the Olympic Games in London and European Championship soccer.  According to Fayard, links to integrated campaigns using social and digital media will be critical (as Coke did with Super Bowl ads this year) and marketers will focus on providing compelling content to drive frictionless sharing.

“Exhibit A” in this ambition is a series of (quite literally) anthemic ads for Coke’s Olympic campaign, unveiled at the Brit Awards in February as part of its “Move to the Beat” campaign. 

But these were no ordinary ads.  They were born, first and foremost, out of a highly aspirational event for teens featuring the musical genius of English DJ phenom Mark Ronson and singer Katy B.  The event, which also featured a host of renowned Olympians from around the world, was a fusion of great music, movement and technology which participants were encouraged to share in as many ways they could using their mobile devices.  Footage was then used to make the ads themselves.

Sanjay Guha, marketing and Olympics director for Coca-Cola Northwest Europe and Nordics, said: “We approached our London 2012 campaign in a bold new way in order to create stories that teens would love and that they would want to share. 

This is not the first time Coke has employed “sonic watermarking” to capture the imagination of fans.  In 2010, the company took the musical high ground at the FIFA World Cup with K’Naan’s “Wave your flag” – a track that will hereafter be associated with the event.

"The number one passion point for teens is music," said Shay Drohan, Senior Vice President of Sparkling Beverages at The Coca-Cola Company. "Through ‘Move to the Beat’, Coca-Cola is inspiring teens around the world to move to the beat of London and come together in the biggest Olympic Games activation in our 84-year partnership."

“This wasn’t about shooting a television commercial. It was about inspiring teens to move and capturing the story from multiple angles and viewpoints in order to create pieces of film that could be spread across multiple media platforms.”

The ads are one part of an integrated marketing program which also includes in-store displays, out of home advertising, experiential programs, mobile and digital initiatives and builds on the brand’s “Open Happiness” platform.