Coca-Cola is refreshing and entertaining at Rio 2016

In the Rio 2016 Olympic Village, Coca-Cola, which has supported every Olympic Games since 1928, is hosting the Coke Lounge – a place where athletes can relax while enjoying an ice-cold Coca-Cola, as well as collecting a limited-edition gold aluminium Coke bottle to celebrate their participation in the Games.

Olympic fans, meanwhile, are able to enjoy an engaging Coca-Cola showcase experience within the Olympic Park, which includes the sampling of commemorative aluminium bottles, a celebration of the Olympic Torch Relay (including photo opportunities with the torch), an area highlighting the long-standing partnership between Coca-Cola and the Olympic Games, and a pin trading and retail experience.

In addition, Coca-Cola has created a hangout space for teenagers at the official Olympic Games Rio 2016 Live Site in the Praca Maua area of Rio de Janeiro, which gives young people a taste of the Olympic Games outside the Olympic Park. The Coca-Cola Station acts as a real-time digital hub for the company and features a space for teens to have their photo taken with the Olympic torch, challenge one another to a dance competition and enjoy an ice-cold Coca-Cola.

The company has also launched a global marketing initiative for the Games, which celebrates the “gold” moments that Olympic fans around the world share each day.

The #ThatsGold campaign includes two TV commercials featuring archival footage from past Olympic Games interspersed with images of some of the world’s top athletes – including US swimmer Nathan Adrian, Australian hurdler Michelle Jenneke and British sprinter Jodie Williams – enjoying “gold” moments both on and off the podium with a Coca-Cola beverage.

“While the gold medal is an icon of sporting success, Coca-Cola believes that gold moments can happen far beyond the podium. They can happen every day and all around the world,” says Rodolfo Echeverria, Vice President of Global Creative, The Coca-Cola Company. “For Coca-Cola, gold moments are made of special feelings – joyful, refreshing, sharable – all of those moments that make you feel gold, just like the feeling of drinking an ice-cold Coca-Cola. We look forward to bringing #ThatsGold to life in Rio de Janeiro and around the world.”

To help spread the #ThatsGold message across the world, Coca-Cola has selected a group of bloggers and social media influencers to create and distribute Games-time content that defines what #ThatsGold means to them. The influencers include Australian stars Cody and Alli Simpson, Canadian actress and fashion blogger Allie Evans and British YouTuber Jake Boys, who will each encourage their followers to celebrate their own “gold” moments on social media. 

“Teens don’t want to be spectators – they want to be active participants,” explains Ivan Pollard, senior vice president of strategic marketing, Coca-Cola North America. “The influencer program will engage them in what’s happening beyond what they see on TV and bring them into the Rio 2016 experience.”