Why Coca-Cola Red Cans Turning White
Beginning next month, white will be the new red. Coca-Cola and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are joining forces in a new campaign to help protect the polar bear’s Arctic home.
For the first time ever, Coca-Cola is turning its red cans white in celebration of the polar bear and committing up to $3 million to WWF’s polar bear conservation efforts. The company is also asking fans in the U.S. to join the “Arctic Home” campaign by texting donations.
“We want to help the polar bear—a beloved Coca-Cola icon since 1922—by helping conserve its Arctic habitat,” said Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. “That’s why we’re using one of our greatest assets—our flagship brand, Coca-Cola—to raise awareness for this important cause. And by partnering with WWF, we can truly make a positive difference for these majestic animals.”
This holiday season, more than 1.4 billion white Coke cans will help raise awareness and funds to protect the polar bear’s home. White bottle caps also will be on bottles of Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Nestea, Minute Maid and more. Coca-Cola has never before changed the color of the red can to support a cause, says the company.
Beginning November 1, 2011, the red can background will be replaced with an all-white panorama, highlighted by the Coca-Cola script printed in red. The cans will feature the image of a mother bear and her two cubs making their way across the Arctic. White packaging will be on store shelves through February 2012.
Coca-Cola is making an initial donation of $2 million to WWF and inviting others to join the effort. Anyone who wants to help the polar bears can text the package code to 357357 to donate $1 to WWF.
They can also donate online at ArcticHome.com, starting November 1. Coca-Cola will match all donations made with a package code by March 15, 2012, up to a total of $1 million.
Funds raised will go toward WWF’s conservation efforts to protect polar bear habitats—for their survival today and in the future.
Coca-Cola and WWF also have partnered with Academy Award nominated filmmakers MacGillivray Freeman Films, which is working with Warner Bros. Pictures and IMAX Corporation to co-produce the new IMAX film To The Arctic 3D, scheduled for release in 2012. Coca-Cola’s “Arctic Home” television commercials and content on the website, ArcticHome.com, feature sneak preview footage from the film.
In the picture above: MacGillivray Freeman Films Crew filming polar bear as part of IMAX ”To The Arctic 3D” film to be distributed in 2012.
