2009 Winners & Shortlists

Results and Effectiveness

Our brand health indicators sky-rocketed putting us far ahead vs. competition. Our football attribute increased by 4 pt, putting us ahead of competition by 7 points. Sales growth soared at a 16% increase across total sparkling product vs. Jan- Feb YA. Market share witnessed a 0.5 pt. increase over a two month span. The flag tour attained an astonishing 45% awareness and the flags themselves got over 45,000 signatures, a measure of pure consumer engagement. Unprompted, Coca-Cola was the most salient brand mentioned as the official sponsor of ACN, in Business Compass focus group study.

Creative Execution

Building a connection context of “together we unite, together we support, together we win” we brought the stadium experience, that was now miles away, live to the Egyptian public via branded double decker buses that toured the nation. Taking 9 major cities across Egypt by storm, the branded busses carried five mega Coke branded flags, and asked all supporters to sign off good luck messages to their national team. Herds of fans gathered around the busses with the flag advocates who were equipped with painted faces, cheering gear, branded uniforms- the works. It was the Coke buses that would now become the center of an outbreak of cheering festivals across the nation and would ultimately transport those cheers and that passion across the miles!

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

The African Cup of Nations is the most crucial tournament for Egyptians in the football calendar, and with direct competition owning all sponsorship and broadcasting rights, Coca-Cola’s brand association with football was in jeopardy. Egyptians truly believe that it’s our support as fans that drives national team wins. It is our painted faces, our drums, our catchy cheers, our women, our children and our passion for the game that fuels our win. Whenever we stand side by side our team, we are unbeatable. With the tournament being held in Ghana, far from Egyptian soil, if we couldn’t be there to support, we didn’t stand a chance. How could we build a connection with our pessimistic youth, increase our football ratings and create a place for Coke within this tournament? We unleashed branded double decker buses that would tour the nation and collect the cheers and passion of the Egyptian fans!