Coca-Cola says it with a song

Following last year’s success when Coca-Cola replaced its iconic logo, created in 1885, to brand its bottles with personalised names and nicknames, this year the company is stretching its boundaries further by having meaningful song names and lyrics on its labels, conveying a message through popular, sometimes nostalgic, songs from the collective memory. 

Never short of ideas to bring family and friends closer through innovative concepts, this summer

Coca-Cola and Coke Zero labels have no fewer than 37 international song names or lyrics and another 24 local ones, all bearing a significant message, ranging from romantic and intimate to funny and tongue-in-cheek quips.

“Coca-Cola is not only a strong brand, it has always made history with the moments it is associated with, usually shared with close family and friends or by being an excuse to start new relationships,” said Martin Agius, Head of Marketing at The General Soft Drinks Co. Ltd, local bottlers of Coca-Cola.

“This summer’s fun campaign is expected to go viral as it revives popular songs people love by having their names or lyrics from them printed on the labels. If a girl wants to tell a boy “I’m Sexy and I Know It”, all she has to do is hand him a Coca-Cola with LMFAO’s lyrics.

On a lighter note, a husband may tell a nagging wife “Hallini. .. Mur u Hallini”. Who knows, turning an annoying moment into a funny situation may lead the couple to sing and dance together to Freddie Portelli’s unmistakable hit. At times it is much easier to say it with a song and hence encourage people to build conversations also using Emotisongs, short video clips featuring the lyric.”

The fun does not stop here. Taking advantage of the today’s digital opportunities, the QR code on the bottle label may be scanned to redirect a particular song to the website sayitwithasong.coke.com and can be shared  with a friend or a loved one, through  Facebook or by sending to a mobile. The recipient will be able to listen to the song message in a 15-second video clip. To learn how to send an Emotisong, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v+CRRCPjDsESs.

 “Coca-Cola is a global brand but it never loses touch with the realities where it is consumed,” said Agius. “This is why General Soft Drinks made sure to have Maltese songs – both in the English and Maltese language – and the artistes’ names on the labels as Coca-Cola is adamant in supporting local talent.”

Consumers will have a field day looking for messages which they’re either too shy to say themselves or to pull their friends’ legs. There is a song for every moment, except a dull one.

Songs from the international line-up include “Hey Brother” by Avicii, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, “Don’t You” by Simple Minds, and “Stop and Stare” by One Republic. Maltese singers whose songs and lyrics are on the label are Ira Losco, Airport Impressions, Winter Moods, Tenishia, Freddie Portelli, Greenfields and The Tramps, ensuring that both young and old can exchange a message through a Coca-Cola. The full list of songs and singers both from the international arena and the local scene can be found at sayitwithasong.coke.com.