Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

The Wuhan Love Cans ensured that Coca-Cola’s message of support and optimism reached the people who needed to hear it the most at a time of clutter, confusion and crises. With zero media investment, we were able to scale what was originally a local city campaign onto a national level. The campaign successfully activated both Coca-Cola and the nation to deliver its statement of love and support to the Wuhanese.

Background

During the COVID lockdown in WUHAN, Coca-Cola launched a brand initiative with the objective to unite the nation to support and bring positivity to the city. We made a statement of love that everybody would understand that couldn’t get lost in the media clutter enveloping the city. The Love Cans shifted the attitude of Wuhaners in the short-term, and strengthened the brand’s image across the nation for the long-term. By spreading positivity, Coke’s brand love scores increased by +11%, and sales for our cans increased by +30% (vs. previous year), directly helping our bottlers get back on their feet.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

The cans tapped into Coca-Cola’s iconicity and brand purpose of spreading positivity and optimism, marrying iconic elements of China’s landmarks to form the heart, and creating a symbol of love and unity that showed Wuhan the nation stands with them and behind them.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

The campaign targeted Wuhan citizens, at a time when confusion and fear cluttered the media. The Love Cans were launched exclusively in Wuhan on a symbolic moment: April 7th – the day that the nation emerged from 76 days of lockdown.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

The Launch (April 7 to Ongoing) Coca-Cola launched 4 special Love Cans exclusively in the city of Wuhan. The cans were launched in convenience stores and supermarkets across the city, supported by shopper media. Using Authentic Voices to Drive Further Support (Apr 8) The Love Cans were also the main feature of Coca-Cola’s owned social engagement on WeChat and Weibo, bringing the idea to life in digital. Authentic voices from Wuhan were also engaged to drive further support across the nation for Wuhan. So, in collaboration with local Wuhan celebrities Zhu Yi Long and VanceYMJ, Coca-Cola amplified the message, encouraging the nation to share their own messages of support for Wuhan. Commemorating the reopening of Wuhan on a national level (April 13) Due to the instant popularity of the Love Cans, Coca-Cola released a limited-edition premium box so that people across the nation could buy Wuhan a Coke.

List the results (30% of vote)

The campaign that was originally launched exclusively in the city of Wuhan generated a total of 70 million + impressions, 800,000 + social engagements (defined as all interactions across social media platforms – weibo, wechat) and 33,000 social buzz (defined as user generated conversations across social media platforms). With zero media investment, the Love Cans campaign helped the brand’s local bottling partners recover from the lockdown crisis, delivering incremental revenue of +31% compared to the previous year, directly helping the bottlers get back on their feet. What’s more, Coca-Cola’s brand love nationwide also rose by 11%.

Please tell us about the cultural insight that inspired the work

The key cultural insight was that the heart is a universal symbol of love. Uniting this cultural insight with our brand truth – that Coca-Cola brings people together in uplifting ways – we had the idea to unite iconic cultural symbols from cities across China with those from Wuhan, tying them together under the heart.