Coca-Cola Crinkles Its Logo To Encourage People To Start Recycling

Video screenshot via Ogilvy

Coca-Cola isn’t afraid to mess with its branding for a meaningful cause. After recognizing unauthorized graffiti logos as part of its identity, it’s now using the red to inspire fans to go green.

Feeling a little flat after finishing your favorite fizzy drink? The beverage brand has got a message for you: recycle that can! Its new Recycle Me campaign, initiated by WPP Open X, led by Ogilvy New York with support from Ogilvy PR, takes a creative approach, literally crushing the iconic wordmark to remind consumers to be part of the solution.

The creative team used a variety of techniques, including mechanical presses and vacuums, to physically crush real cans and capture the unique distortions. The result? A series of one-of-a-kind logos, each mimicking the different ways people crush their cans.  A documentary showcasing this process is set to launch later this month.

Out-of-home advertisements and social media posts feature the Coca-Cola logo transformed – contorted and crumpled as if it’s been through the recycling process. It’s a clever and eye-catching reminder that the responsibility lies in your hands.

Video screenshot via Ogilvy

This activation aligns with Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste strategy. The beverage giant aims to make all its packaging recyclable by 2025 and achieving a one-to-one collection and recycling rate by 2030. 

Video screenshot via Ogilvy

“Encouraging the world to recycle by ‘crushing’ the world’s most recognizable logo creates an important call to action. The logo is so recognizable that people instantly know what they’re looking at even when they see a version of it that looks like it has been ‘crushed’ as part of the recycling process,” notes Guillermo Vega, global creative network lead at Ogilvy. “It’s a real honor every day to work for Coca-Cola and I want to thank our brave partners for allowing us to keep pushing the design of such an iconic brand for this initiative.”

Coca-Cola leverages its iconic, globally recognized logo to inspire people to recycle in a new OOH campaign from WPP Open X, led by @OgilvyNY. pic.twitter.com/uy4h5p98qg

— Ogilvy (@Ogilvy) April 22, 2024

[via Ogilvy, images courtesy]