Dive Brief:
- Coca-Cola is tapping two celebrity chefs — Aarón Sánchez and Roblé Ali — for a new campaign called "Serve with a Coca-Cola" that shows how the soft drink pairs well with pretty much any dish, per a company press release.
- The centerpiece of the effort is a documentary-style TV commercial titled "Latin Food Feud" featuring Sánchez along with food truck owners, food bloggers and everyday eaters talking about Latin food's relation to Coke. The commercial will air in both English and Spanish.
- The full campaign additionally includes digital video, print, radio and out-of-home advertising, and experiential activations at a variety of festivals and events around the U.S. For example, Coke partnered with Uber for pop-up dinners in New Orleans and Atlanta catered by Sánchez.
Dive Insight:
Coke's latest fits into an ongoing mission to showcase how the brand bridges cultural lines and differences in opinion. For this year's Super Bowl, it re-ran a 2014 TV spot depicting a diverse cast singing "America the Beautiful" in a variety of languages, and the "Serve with a Coca-Cola" push similarly emphasizes how people of all different backgrounds are welcome to enjoy Coke.
Recent industry surveys cited by eMarketer found that young consumers, in particular, favor ads that highlight diversity, and that younger U.S. internet users are more supportive of multiculturalism in media and marketing than older demographic groups.
The campaign is also an expansion of "Coca-Cola Kitchen," which was part of the brand's promotions at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival in Miami, Fla., and at a sponsored music event during this year's March Madness. Coke ran a scan-and-earn game with its refurbished digital loyalty around the basketball tournament.
Coca-Cola, on the whole, has been revamping and consolidating its marketing structure, especially with the recent announcement that Global CMO Marcos De Quinto is stepping down.