Coca-Cola’s latest campaign invites the world to find joy in the simplest pleasures of life. The campaign includes a new design identity for the Coke Trademark, where all of Coke’s bottles and cans are anchored with the new ‘hug’ expression of the logo. With this new logo, the brand invites people from across the world to share moments of joy that they enjoyed with a Coke.

The new design identity for the Coke Trademark—which includes Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light/Diet Coke, and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar— with a fresh expression of the Coca-Cola logo- the 'hug' logo, 

In an attempt to localize the global philosophy’s launch to the region, Coca-Cola lit up the Burj Khalifa with its latest visual identity and the message that it conveys. The campaign video features a special installation by the brand in Dubai’s downtown area inviting people to engage and participate in conveying the message.

Communicate sat down with Vice President, Marketing for Eurasia and the Middle East, Claudia Navarro to decode the real insight behind the launch of this global brand philosophy in five years, especially in a post-pandemic era.

How does the 'Real Magic' campaign and its philosophy reiterate the message of uniting and uplifting people?

Well, since time immemorial, Coca-Cola has been a simple pleasure. It actually doesn't assume to be more or less than that. I always particularly love American artist Andy Warhol’s depiction of the coke and in his words ‘A coke is a coke, no amount of money in the world can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking,”

That in itself is a very democratically unifying concept. ‘Real magic’ in particular, is a great articulation of that because it reminds us that there are simple pleasures that we can enjoy every day, being with our loved ones, sharing a smile. This is the essence of what real magic is about and what the brand actually stands for. It is also an invitation for everyone to look out for those authentic moments of connection every day and realize that there's magic in those.

What was the inspiration behind revealing the campaign on Burj Khalifa?

There are a couple of reasons for that. The Burj in itself is an amazing structure. But, one of the reasons why it is visited daily, by people from around the world is because it's a very diverse platform. This is why we thought it to be a great place to convey the message, even when there isn’t much in common with people from different backgrounds and cultures, there is a reason to smile. The wedding proposal in our campaign video, people embracing each other or enjoying a birthday depicts that it is these moments that make life. Moreover, Dubai has this backdrop of diversity and multiculturalism. Our philosophy also focuses on uplifting and uniting people, irrespective of gender, race, or religion, and Dubai lends itself to that message.

What strategy is your team going to adopt to spread the message further in the region? What are the next steps?

The philosophy behind real magic is more than just a platform, it is a mindset. In a post-pandemic era, we are looking into tapping onto each other’s shoulders and reminding them to celebrate. We are also working with influencers across the region, as they contribute to some of the strong voices in the region. Tapping into the areas of commonality between our philosophy and what they do, we’re inviting them to our activations, giving them the advantage to get creative with real-life examples of spreading joy.

Moreover, this year will give us the opportunity to explore the philosophy across various platforms, the FIFA World Cup is one such stage that we’re looking forward to.

How will this campaign help the brand value and consumer base in the region?

We know that keeping an interested audience is always an ongoing effort. To do that, we need to keep the brand, top of mind, and the brand with its product, available, to provide our consumers with the ultimate product experience. In order to keep the brand top of mind, we ground Coca-Cola to values that are relevant and resonate well with the newer generation. We think ‘real magic’ does exactly that, in the way that it's about optimism and togetherness.

To make the brand more available, we always keep in mind the words of Robert W. Woodruff, who led Coca-Cola for 61 years, “Within arm's reach of desire.” Today, more than ever, we try to do that, because we integrate things like e-commerce across our marketing channels' mix, we make the product available in the size and in the way that people would like to consume it. Whether that is with less sugar, no sugar, or with more sustainable and friendly packaging options.