MAY 9, 2008
FR: Alexandra Greenberg/MSO PR
818-380-0400 x223, agreenberg@msopr.com
CULTURAL CONNECTIONS INSPIRED BY COKE SIDE OF LIFE
ARTISTIC COLLABORATION BY CHINESE DESIGNERS
AND INTERNATIONAL MUSICIANS
CELEBRATES WORLD COMING TOGETHER FOR
BEIJING 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES
Mixing in New Global Melody for Coca-Cola
Global: coca-cola.com/we8
As the world joins together for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games this summer, Coca-Cola has invited artists from around the globe to jointly depict what this monumental occasion means to them. The extraordinary alliance of visual and music artists from different lands started with eight blank canvasses of aluminum contour bottles–and eight corresponding themes reflecting the possibilities for happiness and connection from both the Coke Side of Life platform and the upcoming global gathering in Beijing.
Each musical artist–Tiësto, Benny Benassi, Kaskade, Jes, Serge Devant, Lucas Prata, Cezar and Jay-J—have each been provided with a theme and, using music as their form of expression, created a song that expanded on their inspiration drawn from the theme.
Program at a Glance
Bottle Design Theme |
Visual Artist |
Musical Artist |
Song Title |
Market Availability |
|
|
|
|
|
“Global Harmony” |
Xiao Xue China |
Tiësto |
“Global Harmony” |
Brazil |
“Uplifting Moments” |
MeWe (Liu Zhi-zhi, Guang Yu, He Jun) China |
Benny Benassi Italy |
“Happiness Factory Remixed” |
Great Britain |
“Healthy World” |
Xin Jing China |
Kaskade United States |
“Beautiful World” |
China |
“Individual Perseverance” |
Jiang Hua China |
Jes United States |
“Be It All” |
France |
“Peace on Earth” |
Joyn Viscom (Jian Jiang, Weestar, Meng Ke) China |
Serge Devant Russia |
“Peace on Earth” |
Belgium |
“Human Collaboration” |
Milkxhake (Javin Mo, Wilson Tang) China |
Lucas Prata United States |
“Just Say Yeah” |
Greece |
“Active Optimism” |
Chen Shaohua China |
Cezar Jamaica |
“Keep On” |
New Zealand |
“Happiness” |
Wang Xu China |
Jay-J United States |
”Happiness” |
Australia |
The Concept
The Creative
Product
The new designs and soundtracks celebrate the infinite possibilities when the doors are flung wide open – from culture to culture – and the talents of visual artists and musicians are combined to create one whole new world living on the Coke Side of Life.
The project title WE8 draws from the idea of artistic collaboration by West and East around eight themes from the Coke Side of Life platform.
The Themes
The alliance of visual and music artists from different lands started with eight themes reflecting the endless possibilities for happiness and connection from both the Coke Side of Life platform and the upcoming global gathering in Beijing. The themes:
* Peace on Earth
* Uplifting Moments
* Human Collaboration
* Individual Perseverance
* Global Harmony
* Active Optimism
* Healthy World
The Process
Some of China’s most-exciting artists (five individual graphic designers and three groups*) were set loose to express the themes in a personal way. Each artist or group of artists took on a different theme for a bottle artwork design.
* The Milkxhake group consisted of Javin Mo and Wilson Tang. The MeWe group consisted of Liu Zhi-zhi, Guang Yu, and He Jun. The Joyn Viscom group consisted of Jian Jiang, Weestar, and Meng Ke.
The Melody
The musicians also incorporated into their songs the five signature notes from the melody to the award-winning, 2006 “Happiness Factory” advertisement for Coca-Cola, reproduced in their own styles. The melody now serves as the new sound of the Coke Side of Life in all brand marketing communications around the world.
Online Availability
From May to September 2008, the WE8 art-and-music creations – eight unique bottle designs matched with their respective song tracks – are available for DRM free download, which works on all devices, through the Web microsite coca-cola.com/we8.
The microsite showcases the new songs and 3-D images of the bottle designs and also includes ringtone downloads for all eight songs; profiles and photos of the graphic designers and musicians; wallpaper; Web links; and exclusive videos.
In addition, users can share their favorite aluminum bottle designs with friends by posting the bottle artworks to their personal profiles on some of the world’s most-popular social networking sites: Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, hi5, orkut, and Bebo.
Bottle Introductions
From June through August 2008, the exclusive WE8 bottles become available through local Coca-Cola promotional activities in participating markets. The themed aluminum bottles (one theme per country) will be available in: Australia (“Happiness”), Belgium (“Peace on Earth”), Brazil (“Global Harmony”), China (“Healthy World”), France (“Individual Perseverance”), Great Britain (“Uplifting Moments”), Greece (“Human Collaboration”) and New Zealand (“Active Optimism”). In addition, all eight bottles periodically will be available in the United States at selected Simon Malls around the country.
The special aluminum bottles also are expected to be available in selected locations around Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games.
A WE8 bottle-and-song collector’s set, featuring all eight specially designed bottles and the eight music tracks, will be available through the online Coca-Cola Store (www.coca-colastore.com); the New World of Coca-Cola attraction, at Pemberton Place in Atlanta (www.worldofcoca-cola.com); and the Everything Coca-Cola stores located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The price for the WE8 collector’s set is approximately US $75.
Ultra Records
All of the participating music artists are from the roster of New York-based Ultra Records (www.ultrarecords.com), the leading electronic dance-music and award-winning record label in North America.
Coca-Cola & the
Olympic Games
Coca-Cola is a Global Partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay, a Worldwide Partner of the International Olympic Committee, and a Sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The Coca-Cola Company has been continuously associated with the Olympic Games since 1928 – longer than any other corporate supporter. The historic partnership of Coca-Cola and the IOC currently lasts through 2020.
For more information, contact:
Alexandra Greenberg/MSO
818-380-0400 x223, agreenberg@msopr.com
http://
NEW ALUMINUM CONTOUR BOTTLE SERIES SHOWCASES CULTURAL CONNECTIONS INSPIRED BY COKE SIDE OF LIFE; ARTISTIC COLLABORATION BY CHINESE DESIGNERS AND INTERNATIONAL MUSICIANS CELEBRATES WORLD COMING TOGETHER FOR BEIJING 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES