Instead of the natural inclination of big brands to regulate or take down unofficial branding painted in bodegas worldwide, "Thanks for Coke-Creating" develops a game-changing strategy that connects with these businesses and owners — who are stars of this project but also Coca-Cola clients. By partnering with them on a global platform that validates hundreds of expressions, the project spreads their impact through outdoor, print, and social ads — first engaging local audiences and driving them to the shops, then communicating to a broader audience, including other small businesses, that embracing diverse creativity is not only permissible, but also appreciated.

This project emerged as a response to the widespread presence of unofficial Coca-Cola logo interpretations found in bodegas, mini-markets and mom-and-pop shops globally. In many markets — represented in this project by countries such as Australia, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, and Mexico — these unofficial versions hold significant cultural relevance, reflecting the local communities' creativity and connection to the brand. The decision to collaborate with these shops and celebrate their artworks was a strategic move to honor their contribution to Coca-Cola's cultural landscape. Against the backdrop of a globalized world, this initiative underscores Coca-Cola's commitment to authenticity and inclusivity, resonating with diverse audiences while amplifying the brand's cultural relevance.

The Situation: In bodegas, mini-markets, and mom-and-pop shops all over the globe, thousands of unofficial versions of Coca-Cola’s branding have been defying the brand’s guidelines and best practices.

Brief: Strengthen the relationship with local markets and small shops by engaging with their local communities while also highlighting them to a broader Coca-Cola audience.

Objectives: Foster brand loyalty, strengthen community ties and amplify brand visibility through collaboration with local shops.

The natural path for a brand as big as Coca-Cola would be to regulate these unofficial versions of its branding. Standardize them. Maybe even take them down. But Coca-Cola has always been about diversity, inclusion and communities. So, we decided to take an unconventional path for these unconventional versions of Coca-Cola. We decided to embrace them. A mural that could be seen as an incorrect creation by some will now be viewed as a co-creation with Coke. We showcased these works in our official communication to highlight this behavior and validate hundreds of Coke-Creations. Saying out loud that they are not only welcome, but that we in fact appreciate the time and effort that these shop owners and painters have put into the Coca-Cola brand. After all, as one of the media headlines on the project stated, these informal Coke logos are “the ultimate user-generated content.”

Coca-Cola gathered data on the presence of unofficial logo interpretations in local shops worldwide, identifying potential collaborators for the project.

The target audience included the owners of the featured shops, who in addition to being campaign stars are also Coca-Cola buyers; consumers who frequent these establishments impacted through the localized ads created to directly help the businesses in the project; and general audience and Coca-Cola fans who are touched by the bold move of a big brand embracing the informal.

The approach involved collaborating with local shops to celebrate their unofficial logo versions and customized Coca-Cola “touch points,” including the actual product their artwork was on.

In the end, we promoted a clear call to action that encouraged shop owners to continue their creative expressions and reinforced Coca-Cola's appreciation for their contribution to the brand.

We searched for local shops worldwide, including in Australia, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil and Mexico. And we partnered with them to validate and showcase hundreds of Coke-Creations through outdoor, print, and social ads.

First, we advertised the creations locally to their home audiences using media placements near the businesses. Then, in global markets, we showed everyone — from the general audience to other small businesses — that it is OK to Coke-Create.

Newly designed Coca-Cola cans, with the informal logos replacing the official one, came to life and were also delivered directly to their original “creators.”

These informal logos generated a new design approach that redesigned the brand’s touch points: from fridges to vending machines, delivery trucks to merchandising — including a clothing collection.

Finally, we created a book with nearly 30 different Coke-Creations, with fine art photography of the shops and their owners to recognize these unexpected designers.

“Thanks for Coke-Creating" helped small businesses in a way they never thought possible. Moreover, it generated massive impact, garnering interest from top publications around the world such as AdAge and Fast Company, with a unique 3.78 billion reach, serving as a call to action to inspire everyone globally to continue Coke-Creating.

Coca-Cola's celebration of unofficial logo interpretations resulted in a 95% increase in positive brand sentiment, a remarkable 34% increase over Coca-Cola's social average, underscoring the profound admiration the local communities and the general audience had for the campaign, all while enhancing Coca-Cola's reputation and reinforcing its commitment to authenticity and inclusivity.

Interviews conducted with participants revealed that the project inspired shop owners to continue their creative expressions and fostered a sense of pride and ownership within their communities.