Dive Brief:

• Coca-Cola today (April 8) announced a collaboration with Marvel that includes a new TV commercial, digital collectibles, prizes and an immersive augmented reality (AR) experience, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• The creative will span TV, cinema and video-sharing platforms, as well as digital and out-of-home channels. A line of scannable Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar packaging will feature more than 30 Marvel heroes and villains who come to life via AR.
• The collaboration will be available in more than 50 countries worldwide and is led by agency Gut with support from WPP Open X, including VML, Ogilvy and BCW, along with Momentum and Forpeople.

Dive Insight:

“Coca-Cola x Marvel: The Heroes” pairs the world's best known soft drink with a Disney-owned cultural force that spans comics, TV and film. The collaboration builds on a relationship between the brands that is more than 60 years old, and demonstrates how even the biggest CPG brands are looking to connect with consumers around pop culture.

“Coca-Cola has a long history with Disney, and it’s exciting to have a relationship that encourages and enables us to continue to push ourselves and our relationship to new heights creatively,” said Islam ElDessouky, global head of creative strategy and content for Coca-Cola Trademark, in a statement. “This latest collaboration with Marvel allows us to tap into the legacy and affinity for both brands to deliver consumers new and unexpected experiences.” 

That experience is centered around a line of exclusive cans and bottles of Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar products that feature more than 30 characters in red, white and black tones. The scannable packaging recreates each character via an AR experience. The campaign also includes prizes that range from movie tickets and memorabilia to Disney+ subscriptions and Disney Cruise experiences. 

In a more traditional channel, an extended spot features a comic book store employee and a range of Marvel characters — including Daredevil, Black Widow and Deadpool — who make the leap from the realm of comics, art and figurines to the real world, where they help deliver a bottle of Coke to the employee.

The worldwide campaign will run across North America, Latin America, Europe, China, Japan and Asia Pacific, demonstrating the global reach of both Coke and Marvel, and spans a variety of traditional and digital channels.

Coca-Cola has been active this year with marketing efforts that place the iconic brand at the center of culture. The company turned to Christopher Storer, creator and showrunner for Hulu’s hit series “The Bear,” for a campaign that brought together its portfolio of brands within a single spot for the first time. It has also tapped into musical fandom, leaning into K-pop for an addition to its Creations line-up and fusing Y2K nostalgia and TikTok for its latest Zero Sugar push.