Coca-Cola and the Mexican National Team Celebrate 30 Years in New Marketing Campaign
Soccer passion and long standing partnership brought to life in TV spot
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Passion. Pride. Love. That's what Mexican soccer fans feel for their team. Each match brings millions of people together year after year, generation after generation. Coca-Cola shares that same unconditional commitment, captured in a new Hispanic marketing campaign that celebrates the passion for the sport, the fans and the 30-year relationship with the Mexican National Team (MNT).
The campaign includes a new television commercial titled “Wave,” that speaks to fans who share the love for the sport and the traditions that bring people together match after match.
“Seventy percent of the 52 million Hispanics in the U.S. today are Mexican or of Mexican descent, and many continue to follow their team,” said Lauventria Robinson, VP Multicultural Marketing, Coca-Cola North America Group. “Coca-Cola’s involvement in this campaign hits very close to home because we understand the feeling, the excitement, the hope, and the need to cheer and follow the Mexican National Team.”
Mexican soccer matches in the United States can be considered home games for the MNT. Coca-Cola understands that passionate 'home field' advantage for Mexico – even against the United States – and the importance of passing it on to future generations.
Shot on location in Mexico City’s fabled Estadio Azteca, “Wave” shows Mexico fans’ unrelenting support for the Mexican National Team. The film starts in 1986, when an avid fan accidentally starts a wave, or “Ola,” after a near miss by Mexico. The wave then travels around the stadium, and also through time. We follow it as it goes through all the decades, taking us into the future, to 2014, where we reconnect with the avid fan from the beginning. Only this time, the fan has his son with him, keeping the support alive. They celebrate a goal with an ice-cold Coca-Cola as it ends with the message, “never stop believing.” “Wave” was created by Ogilvy & Mather.
Coca-Cola has been a proud supporter and partner of the MNT for more than 30 years in Mexico and 10 in the U.S. as part of the Mexican National Team’s annual tour. With Mexico’s triumph at the London Olympics 2012 and the excitement building up around the 2014 FIFA World Cup, passion is at an all-time high for soccer fans, while expectations from both the team and the brand have increasingly grown.
“Coca-Cola has always been part of our fans' soccer viewing events - it’s simply a natural element of their soccer celebrations,” said Anali Cabrera, Brand Director Multicultural Marketing, Coca-Cola North America Group. “This new spot highlights our commitment to the Latino community, letting them know that we have and will continue to celebrate and support their team.”
The creative will premiere July 1 on Univision Deportes. “Wave” hits billboards July 15 and print Aug. 14. The “Wave” spot is available for viewing at http://youtu.be/B_ko1hZ0Kog.
Coca-Cola will activate “Plaza Coca-Cola,” a year-round events-driven program during MNT tour matches across the U.S., and a summer retail program that includes point of sale, My Coke Rewards experience and sweepstakes for Coca-Cola fans.
Before the U.S. tour matches, Coca-Cola will also bring to life Club Balón Rojo, experiential soccer workshops aimed to motivate teens to engage in physical activity, and provide them with educational tools to gain access to higher education and empower their communities.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world's most valuable brand, our Company's portfolio features 16 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of more than 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo or check out our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com.
The Coca-Cola Company
Melina Baetti, 404-676-1533
mbaetti@coca-cola.com
or
Eva
Mejicanos, 305-961-7606
Eva.mejicanos@newlink-group.com
Source: The Coca-Cola Company
Released July 1, 2013