According to this article, Coca-cola has recently launched an advertising campaign featuring polar bears. The drink’s initial red can will be replaced with snow white cans with the image of a bear and two cubs.
The new image supposedly promotes environmental awareness by hoping to spark a fund-raising campaign in which Coca Cola will donate $4 million dollars to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The WWF project not only protects the polar bear habitat, but also the native Inuit people with an estimated cost of $10 million. The new packaging is expected to last through February in 2012. In addition to the advertisements, Coca-Cola and WWF have launched an Arctic Home website where additional information regarding the project can be found. Coca-cola is also taking on a film with MacGillivray Freeman Films to produce a new IMAX movie called “To The Arctic 3D” in 2012.
Though it may appear Coca Cola is helping to spread environmental awareness, I personally believe this is merely a marketing strategy to increase sales. By forming an alliance with the WWF, Coca-Cola takes on an eco-friendly image through their featured polar bears which have been named as “one of the greatest mascots of all time” by Madison Avenue Advertising Executive.