Coca-Cola Accepts Unofficial Street Spins Of Its Logo—Each One Of Them ‘Welcome’
Video screenshot via VML
Coca-Cola is a globally recognized icon, and the homages poured onto walls near and far are zesty proof of this. So now, instead of narrowing its focus on the bottles that neatly display its branding, the beverage giant is popping open a can of creative interpretations by local artists with a penchant for the iconic red script.
Video screenshot via VML
Building owners and street artists alike have reimagined the beloved logo into signs, murals, and paintings, each reflecting their individuality and culture, from vibrant hues in Rio to whimsical calligraphy in Tokyo. All are nuances of the Coca-Cola identity, the company acknowledges, clinking its glass with the community.
Video screenshot via VML
Video screenshot via VML
This time, the brand is paying tribute to the community with a campaign called Every Coca-Cola is Welcome, developed by WPP Open X and led by creative agency VML, with media planning by Essence Mediacom and public relations support by Ogilvy PR. You’ll find these unauthorized but accepted emblems transported onto billboards, print advertisements, and physical touchpoints across the US (including New York’s Times Square), Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico.
Video screenshot via VML
“Brands are usually very protective of their visual assets. We decided to go the other way to raise up unauthorized street paintings of our iconic logo,” explains Islam ElDessouky, global vice president of creative at Coca-Cola.
“There’s an authenticity to these artistic creations—they reflect how ubiquitous Coca-Cola is worldwide,” he continues, thanking the brand’s “COKEcreators.”
Video screenshot via VML
“And the amateur renditions bring a level of charm and creativity that official brand work in some ways can’t match,” ElDessouky further expresses. They could even be seen as a timely “rebuke of AI,” he winks.
Video screenshot via VML
Coca-Cola plans to share the stories of these logos’ originators in new videos on YouTube and Instagram, unmasking the identities behind the sizzling fan art.
Video courtesy of VML
Video screenshot via VML
[via Ad Age and Little Black Book, video and screenshots courtesy of VML]
