Coke’s Summer Olympics campaign celebrates unifying power of hugs

• Coca-Cola debuted its Summer Olympics campaign with a theme around hugs, a gesture the soft drink brand described as a universal sign of acceptance and inclusion, in line with a press release. 
• The lead spot for “It’s Magic When the World Comes Together” shows swimmers Lilly King, Kaylene Corbett, Annie Lazor and Tatjana Schoenmaker embracing, a nod to a moment on the last summer games. Casual viewers take a cue from the athletes and start hugging people around them because the business continues.  
• Limited-time Olympics packaging displays illustrations of one half of a hug, making a full embrace when two Coke cans are paired together. Out-of-home ads, social and digital content round out the hassle that champions unity amid a time of heightened divisions.    

Coke’s latest Olympics campaign feels far faraway from the past two games, when close physical contact was strongly discouraged amid the spread of COVID-19. The brand’s emphasis on inclusion, embodied through expressions of affection for sports rivals and strangers alike, comes at one other fragile moment for society. 

France, the host for the games this yr, just underwent a contentious snap election, as did the U.K. Other countries, including the U.S., are only just entering the thick of the political campaigning season, putting the general public on edge. Creative concepts like Coke’s will test whether brands can ameliorate consumer anxiety because the world comes together in competition. Special-edition cans further push people to assemble and share a drink and a hug.

The lead ad for “It’s Magic When the World Comes Together” takes inspiration from a heartwarming scene from the 2020 Summer Olympics, in Tokyo, which took place in 2021 attributable to pandemic-related delays. After South African swimmer Schoenmaker broke the 200-meter breaststroke world record, teammate Corbett and U.S. rivals King and Lazor rushed to congratulate her with a hug in a display of uplifting sportsmanship. Coke’s business recreates the moment in Paris, which sets off an infectious wave of hugs across the globe as spectators embrace fellow fans, friends and even strangers on the subway. 

The effort is a component of Coke’s larger “Real Magic” brand platform that focuses on encouraging human connection. The soft drink company is an official Olympics and Paralympics sponsor.

“Our differences are what make us unique, but once we come together, that’s when the ‘Real Magic’ happens,” said Islam ElDessouky, global head of content and artistic strategy for Coca‑Cola, in an announcement. “Sports rivals embrace differences as a mindset. Olympic athletes train hard for 4 years with the goal of winning the gold. So, once you see them hugging, it’s a very powerful symbol of human connection.”

The Olympics campaign was developed over the course of 18 months with aid from WPP Open X, a bespoke unit supporting the brand. Additional elements include outdoor ads appearing in France that underscore the cuddling motif, together with special packaging exclusive to the country that was designed in collaboration with French artists Laura Normand, Aurelia Durand and Bruno Mangyoku.