Coke brings world-renowned art to life in ‘Masterpiece’ push

Dive Brief:

Coca-Cola launched a new global campaign, “Masterpiece,” that uses classic and contemporary art to highlight diverse creators and elevate its core Coke beverage as a source of upliftment, according to a company release.
Key to the effort is a two-minute video that sees Coke immersed in a series of paintings from both world-renowned artists and emerging creators before being given to a museum-goer seeking inspiration. The campaign also includes digital collectibles, 3D billboards and an online gallery highlighting the up-and-comers.
The campaign rolls out this month in Latin America, followed by Asia, and will extend to other markets later this year. The effort is the latest installment of Coca-Cola’s Real Magic global brand platform.

Dive Insight:

Coca-Cola’s latest campaign sees the soft-drink marketer looking to appeal to a community of creatives while situating itself as a beverage ideal for moments begging to be uplifted. The effort is the most recent push under its Real Magic initiative, launched in 2021 to highlight connection and shared moments.

Aptly inspired, the campaign’s two-minute short film relies on Andy Warhol's 1962 Coca-Cola bottle painting as a kickoff point, with one painting’s subject, “Divine Idyll” (2022), extending an arm outside of the frame to grab the Coke, before launching it into the scenes of other iconic works, including famous names like Edvard Munch’s 1895 painting “Scream” and J.M.W. Turner’s 1805 painting “The Shipwreck.” More recently created art, like “The Blow Dryer” (2021) and “Medea” (2022), also make cameos in a nod to emerging artists from Africa, India, the Middle East and Latin America, before the artsy Coke bottle ultimately lands in the hands of J. Vermeer’s 1665 “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” with the subject of the painting opening the bottle for a student struggling to find inspiration.

“‘Masterpiece’ is not a story in which Coke appears… Coke is the story,” said Pratik Thakar, global head of creative strategy and integrated content for Coca‑Cola, in the release.

Additionally, Coke launched an online gallery where consumers can view the short film and explore the over a dozen pieces of artwork either highlighted or featured in the video. Users can also watch interviews with the five emerging creators whose art was featured, including artists Wonderbuhle, Aket, Fatma Ramadan, Stefania Tejada and Vikram Kushwah. Additional assets, including a series of digital collectibles, could help to attract younger consumers.

Coca-Cola has often used its marketing to target niche audiences. For example, the company in December appealed to music-lovers with a seven-track sound library and digital beat machine to highlight the recycling efforts of its Sprite, Fresca and Seagram’s beverages. The marketer last year also announced its Creations initiative — an extension of its Real Magic platform — that has seen it unveil a series of limited-edition flavors including one themed to space travel and another meant to appeal to gamers.

The global push arrives during a high point for Coca-Cola, which saw revenue grow 7% to $10.1 billion in the fourth quarter and full-year revenue for 2022 grow 11%, according to a recent earnings statement. Other major moves have included a product overhaul of the company’s Fanta Orange beverage and a tie-up announced in February that sees Coca-Cola become the first marketer to take advantage of a partnership between Bain & Company and OpenAI to use tools like ChatGPT and DALL.E to enhance its marketing efforts.