News Release
COCA-COLA NORTH AMERICA DEBUTS NEW "COKE SIDE OF LIFE" ADVERTISING FOR THE HOLIDAYS
"At The Table" And "Around The Table" Join Popular "Artic Beach Party" As Coca-Cola Ushers In The Holidays
ATLANTA, November 20, 2007 -
Coca-Cola is helping to kick off the holiday festivities this year
with new advertising that highlights the special times that family
and friends share with loved ones and Coca-Cola around tables throughout
the world.
"Coca-Cola has been a part of celebrations with
family and friends for more than 120 years, and these new ads honor
those special moments with loved ones that people all around the world
cherish," said Hendrik Steckhan, president and general manager,
Sparkling Beverages, Coca-Cola North America.
A new television ad, called "At The Table," will make its
global debut, airing during select family programming such as ESPN
and ABCs college football broadcasts during Thanksgiving weekend,
and on ABCs broadcast of "The Polar Express" on November
30th.
Shot in Uruguay by La Negra (Buenos Aires, Argentina), the ad is
the latest addition to the critically acclaimed "Coke Side of
Life" campaign created by Wieden and Kennedy. The visually rich
and inspiring new spot opens with a family setting up a table and
chairs in preparation for an outdoor meal. They are soon joined by
other people, who bring their own tables, chairs, food and Coca-Cola
as well. The growing table continues to wind through city streets
and rural landscapes around the world as more and more people join
in the meal and take seats at the ever-growing table, sharing their
meals and their Coca-Cola too. The ad, which will be
used by Coca-Cola divisions around the world, makes its
global premiere in the U.S. this week.
The new ad builds on other recent efforts by Coca-Cola
to highlight the importance of family meal time. Another new spot,
titled "Around The Table," is currently running in several
local U.S. markets and features the family dinner table as the literal
focal point of the spot. An array of different families seemingly
come together around the same table to celebrate what the dinner table
was originally designed for -- the family meal. The 30-second ad will
begin airing nationally in January.
"Coca-Cola has always brought people together.
Each of these 'Coke Side of Life' ads is about friends and families
connecting and sharing," said Katie Bayne, chief marketing officer,
Coca-Cola North America. "There is now considerable
research that shows the tangible benefits of sharing meals together.
We understand and believe in the value of coming together -- during
the holidays and every day."
Research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
at Columbia University consistently finds that the more often children
eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke,
drink or use drugs. Their 2007 The Importance of Family Dinners IV
report found that compared to teens who have five to seven family
dinners a week, those who dine with their families fewer than three
nights a week are: three-and-a-half times likelier to have abused
prescription drugs; three times likelier to have tried marijuana;
more than two-and-a-half times likelier to have tried cigarettes and
one-and-a-half times likelier to have tried alcohol. More information
about the 2007 The Importance of Family Dinners IV report can be found
at www.CASAFamilyDay.org.
The popular "Arctic Beach Party" ad returns for 2007 as
well. In the spot, the Coca-Cola polar bear family is
awoken by the sounds of a party and while investigating the noise,
the polar bear cub slips down a snowy hillside into a group of dancing
penguins. As the penguins and bears eye one another, a small penguin
appears and offers the cub a bottle of Coca-Cola, signaling
the bears to join the holiday celebration. Over the years, the bears
have come to represent the fun and togetherness that friends and family
share, especially during the holiday season. In addition to the Coca-Cola
polar bears reappearance for the holidays, the famous Coca-Cola
Sundblom Santa will begin appearing in out-of-home advertising in
cities around the U.S. this week.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. Along
with Coca-Cola®, recognized as the world's most valuable brand,
the Company markets four of the world's top five nonalcoholic sparkling
beverage brands, including Diet Coke®, Fanta® and Sprite®,
and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light beverages,
waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees, energy and sports
drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system,
consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages
at a rate exceeding 1.4 billion servings each day. For more information
about The Coca-Cola Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.
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