2015 Winners & Shortlists

100 YEARS YOUNG

Silver
BrandTHE COCA-COLA COMPANY
Product/ServiceCOCA-COLA
EntrantY&R DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryPosters
Entrant Company Y&R DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Advertising Agency Y&R DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Brief Explanation

Our key objective was to make use of the iconic contour shape and give it a distinctly Arabic twist that would ensure that young Arabs feel an instant connection to the brand. Turning a hundred year old icon into something current, relevant and part of their lives.

The Brief

In 2015, the Coca-Cola glass contour bottle turns 100. Our brief was to celebrate the occasion by making the most iconic design in product history relevant to a new generation of Coke drinkers in the Middle East.

How the final design was conceived

Our answer was to turn the bottle into a new icon of pop-culture in the region by connecting it to our language. Not the traditional formal Arabic of our ancestors, but the language of today. One that takes inspiration from the written colloquialisms of the internet, employs the Arabic version of keyboard-born acronyms, and conveys that it is experimental and ever-changing. Much like today's youth. The graphic Arabi-Contour posters take common Arabic expressions and depict them in a modern way by using single letters to mean words, instantly connecting Coca-Cola to the language and culture of the young generation.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The power of the Coca-Cola contour bottle graphic is so strong that even without a logo, you can't mistake it for anything else. By taking an iconic shape and script, that looks like yesterday but speaks like today, we turned a hundred year old icon into something new. The expressions all celebrate the 100 year old bottle, but in a way that makes it fresh, cool and relatable to the young audience. We are now extending these posters further and turning them into a line of t-shirts and giveaways, and spreading the campaign to other Arab speaking markets.

Coca-Cola is one of the most loved brands in the world. But in the Middle East, it's not the market leader. Increasing brand love for Coke in the region is a key objective of all campaigns, and this campaign speaks specifically to the youth who are digital natives and very used to the shorter, text-style, way of communicating.

Credits

Name Company Role
Shahir Zag Y&R Dubai Chief Creative Officer
Ash Chagla Y&R Dubai Executive Creative Director/Creative Director
Kalpesh Patankar Y&R Dubai Executive Creative Director/Creative Director
Mohamed Kotait Y&R Dubai Designer
Harvey George Y&R Dubai Copywriter
Mohammed Soleiman Y&R Dubai Copywriter
Mohamed Kotait Y&R Dubai Calligrapher
Mohamed Kotait Y&R Dubai Illustrator
Nora Ferneine Y&R Dubai Account Director
Rene Reda Y&R Dubai Group Business Director
Islam El Dessouky Coca-Cola Middle East Integrated Marketing Communications Manager
Effie Kontopoulou Coca-Cola Middle East Marketing Manager
Tolga Cebe Coca-Cola Middle East Marketing Manager/Middle East
Antoine Tayyar Coca-Cola Middle East Director Public Affairs & Communications