Why is this work relevant for PR?

Pakistan has always faced a perception issue of being an extremist nation. For years the headlines have been focusing on a tiny percentage of the population. Taking the advantage of ICC Cricket World cup Coca-Cola wanted to disrupt this perception and turn it into a positive image building for Pakistan. For which Coca-Cola launched a provocative campaign on national TV which was later banned on state media but took over social media. It celebrated all the less documented things Pakistanis are extremists for. #ExtremelyPakistani regained a sense of pride amongst Pakistanis by changing a negative label to a positive one.

Background

For some years now, Coca-Cola has been strategically targeting the biggest passion points of the country which include music, tea, food, and sports. Cricket in Pakistan is one of the biggest ones. For decades PEPSI has created a strong association with the sport, which is why Coca-Cola was looking for an opportunity to make an impact and take ownership of this passion. After 23 years of PEPSI dominating the cricketing landscape, when Coca-Cola became the official partner of Cricket World Cup 2019, the brand used this opportunity to create a campaign that celebrated cricket but not in a conventional way, we did it the Coca-Cola way. Coca-Cola pursued a campaign that was a ‘point of view’ and presented a fair and true representation of Pakistan to the world. #ExtremelyPakistani campaign sent out the message of a united Pakistan, which was not only vital for the world but Pakistan too.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

The world has developed a grim perception of Pakistan, as the country has been stuck with a wave of terrorism for decades. Coca-Cola took it upon itself to change this perception. The strategic idea was to send a universal message that sent a positive image of the country throughout the world, but also created a message of unity within the country. By strategically devising a campaign on one of the biggest platforms in the world – Cricket World Cup 2019. Coca-Cola’s point of view was direct and simple; Yes, Pakistanis are extremists, but in their emotions only. They are extremists in hope, passion, care and love. These extremities bring Pakistanis together and make them uniquely Pakistani. Owning a weakness and turning it into a strength attracted the target audience and made them united more than ever as the campaign took over social media even after being banned on conventional media.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

The world perceives Pakistanis as extremists. The world sees us as a divided nation, infused in violence and bloodshed. But the truth is that Pakistanis are extremists but in love, joy care and compassion. Coca-Cola has always targeted teens and millennials, but for this campaign we took aim to create a strong universal message. Therefore, we targeted every proud Pakistani citizen.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

The Coca-Cola campaign was banned right after a few days on the state media due to its provocative messaging. However, it gained massive attention all across social media as the hashtag #ExtremelyPakistani was posted and tweeted for more than a million times. Through the unique proposition of owning the word ‘Extremists’, Coca-Cola inspired the nation to celebrate the extremities of their behaviour that make them uniquely Pakistani. Owning a weakness and turning it into a strength attracted the target audience and made them united more than ever. Coca-Cola bravely turned around a negative label into a positive one which later inspired a new wave of headlines filled with optimism, love and compassion.

List the results (30% of vote)

• 20M+ views on digital with 19.2 Mill reach • Coca-Cola became the first market in the world to hit 6.0 Brand Love Score among teens (+0.4 pts) • #1 rank Brand Love Score in the world both among gp & teens

Please tell us about the cultural insight that inspired the work

The cultural insight that inspired the work was that the youth of Pakistan was deprived of global recognition and appreciation and the negative labels attached to the country were the biggest hindrance in their way. As a result, the youth was demotivated and disappointed and were on the verge of losing hope. Since cricket is the most celebrated sports in Pakistan, therefore, Coca-Cola took the opportunity of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 and rolled out a game-changer campaign whose aim was to send a universal message with a positive image of the country, it also created a message of unity within the country as it managed to unite 20 million people, under one message.