Coca-Cola launches first Christmas campaign under ‘Real Magic’ brand platform

Coca-Cola is spotlighting the “real magic of human connections” this Christmas with the launch of its festive ad, the first to sit under the brand’s ‘Real Magic’ philosophy.

Created by dentsuMB, the campaign is anchored around a short film which tells the story of a boy moving into a new apartment with his mum at Christmas. Noticing there is no fireplace, the boy realises that without a chimney, Santa Claus cannot visit his home to deliver presents. With the help of neighbours, he builds a chimney himself out of boxes.

The two and a half minute film will also be shown as a series of shorter versions in 90 markets around the world, including the UK, US and Canada. There will also be two 20-second short stories featuring the film’s other characters.

Coca-Cola has always believed in the magic of Christmas and this year our campaign celebrates the real magic of human connections.

Manolo Arroyo, Coca-Cola

Supporting activity will take place across digital channels, including influencer partnerships, as well as local community initiatives and in-store activations.

“This is our first Christmas campaign under the new Real Magic brand philosophy for Coca-Cola,” says global chief marketing officer Manolo Arroyo.

“Coca-Cola has always believed in the magic of Christmas and this year our campaign celebrates the real magic of human connections. With a simple and uplifting message of unity, inclusion and positivity at its heart, it aims to remind us that all we need for a magical Christmas is shared moments with community and the ones we love.”

The campaign will run alongside the long-standing ‘Holidays Are Coming’ ad over the festive period.

Coca-Cola unveiled ‘Real Magic’ in September, its first new global brand platform since 2016. Under this new platform, the beverage giant said it would change the way it communicates with consumers, by moving away from broadcast communications to create an ecosystem of experiences.

The Coca-Cola Company president Selman Careaga said that through future campaigns under this platform, the brand will align with consumer “passion points” to appeal more to them.

The first campaign under the platform tapped into gaming and eSports, called ‘One Coke Away From Each Other’. It featured three celebrity gamers – DJ Alan Walker, Team Liquid’s Aerial Powers and Average Jonas – and tells the story of a gamer who bonds with their opponents over a Coke.

Coca-Cola unveiled a new agency model yesterday to prevent siloing and allow the business to launch more integrated campaigns that touch consumer passion points at speed.