Coca-Cola – a thirst for real magic

This post is written in collaboration with Coca-Cola

Chinese New Year is a moment for real magic all over the world as families reunite to share intricate moments toasting to the promise of good health and prosperity. It is a time when differences are set aside, and luck and fortune are ushered in through unity and community.

This year, in celebration of Chinese New Year, Coca-Cola Singapore and Malaysia has launched its multi-faceted “Bring Home the Magic of Chinese New Year” campaign.

The campaign aims to celebrate the real magic of togetherness and community—highlighting how new beginnings are made more meaningful because of the connections we build and share with other people. As part of the campaign, Coca-Cola created a short animated film on the inherent and unbreakable connection between families.

Developed in conjunction with Unlisted and Ogilvy Shanghai, the short film follows a family of tigers preparing for a reunion dinner where a mishap over a bottle of Coca-Cola sets off the father and son tiger on an adventure. Throughout the journey, and accompanied by a bottle of Coca-Cola, the father and son rediscover the wonder of their relationship which helps them to eventually be reunited with their family and bridge the generational divide.

The film will be running on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, as well as in cinemas.

Explaining the concept to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, Rina Surya, frontline marketing director, Coca-Cola said, the idea came about as the brand saw a generational divide emerge between the youths and their elders, further provokes by the changing social norms.

“In Chinese culture, Chinese New Year is the biggest, most important festival. During Chinese New Year, families get together to reconnect, bond, and celebrate the beginning of a new year. However, amid modern society and changing social norms, the lack of common ground sometimes causes a generational divide between Chinese youth and their elders. With this context and based on this insight, the story unfolds to remind the audience of what’s important playing on the theme of the old mixing with the new,” she said.

With this campaign, Coca-Cola aims to bridge that gap. Beyond the heart-felt film, as a way to bond families together, the brand launched a ‘Coca-Cola Family Reunion in both Singapore and Malaysia where families are asked five simple questions to see how well they know their members and have the chance to win prizes. Surya added:

“The brand philosophy of Coca-Cola is simple—we believe that real magic is everywhere. We consider ourselves fortunate to have been given the opportunity to be part of every table and witness the real magic of human connections, especially during Chinese New Year season, whether these connections are made physically or virtually.”

Coca-Cola Singapore and Malaysia also released six new limited-edition can designs, showcasing a family of tigers throughout its “Rasa Asli” and “Tanpa Kalori” range in Malaysia. In Singapore, the limited-edition designs are featured throughout  its “Original Taste Less Sugar” and “Zero Sugar” range.

To engage consumers further, Coca-Cola also launched a 3D digital OOH animation at Pavilion Mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as well as an out-of-home (OOH), augmented reality (AR) activation at Wisma Atria in Singapore, where consumers are able to take and download photos of their friends and family featuring these tigers. The activation at Wisma Atria is open to all consumers until 13 February 2022.

Coca-Cola’s ‘Real Magic’ brand philosophy

Nonetheless, Coca-Cola isn’t a brand new to celebrating moments of magic and festive occasions such as Chinese New Year.

Towards the end of last year, Coca-Cola launched its Christmas campaign for the year which spread messages of inclusivity through the story of a young boy who tries to build a chimney made of cardboard boxes so that Santa may deliver his presents.

The boy's imagination and holiday spirit soon gains the support and goodwill of his neighbours, who join in to build a chimney that spans from the rooftop to all their homes. Everyone then comes together for a festive meal on Christmas Day, as they bond over their "shared moment of magic".

When asked how the brand keeps its ideas fresh, Surya shared that consumers are “at the heart” of all of Coca-Cola’s executions.  “We always place great importance on taking the time to listen carefully to our consumers, and ultimately this translates into campaigns that are able to engage and touch our consumers – from our storytelling to our marketing mediums,” she shared.

Truly listening to consumers and creating campaigns based on real insight, is also very much in line with the brand’s “Real Magic” philosophy. The positioning came about last year when chief marketing officer Manolo Arroyo said with every aspect of life being disrupted due to the pandemic, the company was presented with “with a once-in-a-generation choice to go back to a binary, black-and-white way of seeing the world or help make the world a better place”.

The direction of “Real Magic” was as such rooted in the insight that magic lives in unexpected moments of connection that elevate the everyday into the extraordinary—a timeless learning that feels more relevant than ever in today’s hyperconnected yet divided world. As such, “Real Magic” is about creating a movement to choose a more human way of doing things by embracing our unique perspectives. Beyond just a tagline, Coca-Cola hopes to make Real Magic become a brand philosophy that transcends advertising and embodies all that is special about the brand.

Surya added, “In an increasingly fast-paced and digital world, being able to reach our consumers even for a precious few minutes on screen is really important.”

Through unique and creative stories that are close to our consumers’ hearts, coupled with cutting-edge technology and visually stunning illustrations, we’re trying to make sure that messages like this are delivered to them anytime, anywhere – and in a way that really resonates.