Coca‑Cola launches first new campaign since lockdown: “Open Like Never Before”

The new advertising campaign is inspired by the promise of new possibilities discovered through lockdown

Coca‑Cola launches a new campaign, “Open Like Never Before”, its first since Covid-19 changed the world in so many ways.

In April Coca‑Cola temporarily suspended all planned marketing activity at global level and in Bulgaria, redirecting resources towards communities and supporting its most affected retail partners. Alongside its bottling partners and The Coca‑Cola Foundation, the company pledged to donate more than $100m globally. The contribution in Bulgaria is nearly BGN 1,100,000 in support of efforts to address the effects of COVID-19 in the most affected communities, as well as for a series of activities supporting the recovery of small businesses and the HoReCa industry in the country.

Now Coca‑Cola is returning to the air with a new global campaign  - Open Like Never Before. It is created and developed by 72andSunny Amsterdam, marking a time of cultural and social change. It begins with a manifesto written specifically for Coca‑Cola by award-winning spoken word artist, George The Poet.

That manifesto is founded in the promise of new possibilities discovered through lockdown and calls on us all to be “open, like never before” and to appreciate all that we have around us.  The words of George encourage us to be “open to change”, to appreciating things from a new perspective and to find opportunities in this 'new normal'.

The manifesto launch will be followed by a sustained programme of in-market activities throughout the year into 2021. Many of these will focus on supporting local hotels, cafes and restaurants who are the lifeblood of local communities and are now reopening their doors.

They will include:

• Digital activity designed to remind us all of the moments we’ve enjoyed, whether alone or with others, in our local cafes, restaurants and bars, inviting us – as their doors re-open - to appreciate these moments that we may have previously taken for granted.
• Supporting HORECA partners (hotels, cafes and restaurants) by lending additional resources and expertise to enable them to make their own adverts. This new brand-building platform will enable Coca‑Cola to demonstrate its support of the hospitality industry by sponsoring ads for 800 restaurants in Bulgaria, helping them to communicate that they are once more open for business. 
• Employees and consumers will also be encouraged to support their local HORECA outlets via a digital media.

The broader Open Like Never Before campaign (#openlikeneverbefore) aims also to so invite the public to reflect what they want to be different and to what they will be open, like never before.

Additional campaign elements will include:

• Inspiration from the words of George the Poet teased in OOH, DOOH and digital
• A 30”/60”TVC and digital- created during lockdown - supported by more OOH/DOOH
• A consumer facing call to action and engagement plan via digital media which will run across the year

London communications consultancy Blurred is working alongside 72andSunny Amsterdam on this campaign.