Coca-Cola Invites the World to the Opening Match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ with Unveil of ‘The Happiness Flag’

SAO PAULO, June 12, 2014 — 32 countries are represented by their national football team in the 2014 FIFA World Cup TM, yet today, the faces of football fans from 207 countries made it onto the pitch at Arena de Sao Paulo.  Ahead of the opening match, Coca-Cola unveiled “The Happiness Flag” – the largest-ever, digitally produced Photomosaic® Flag.  The Flag is part of the Coca-Cola 2014 FIFA World Cup TM campaign, ‘The World’s Cup’ – launched with the goal of creating the most inclusive FIFA World Cup TM Coca-Cola campaign ever.

Over 200,000 fan images were used for “The Happiness Flag” to recreate a unique design developed by Brazilian street artist Speto in collaboration with Argentinian artist Tec.  The flag was digitally-produced by Robert Silvers, the inventor of Photomosaic technology.

“The Happiness Flag” was placed on the pitch ahead of the opening match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in front of an estimated global audience of over one billion people.  Formed of 192 printed nylon fabric panels, the Flag was stitched together to deliver an epic 3,015 square meter piece of art, covering almost the entirety of the playing surface.

Emmanuel Seuge, Vice President Global Alliances & Ventures, The Coca-Cola Company said, “At the start of our campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, ‘The World’s Cup’, we set out to create the most inclusive and participatory FIFA World Cup™ ever.  Through “The Happiness Flag”, we gave fans from all around the world the unprecedented opportunity to be a part of the greatest football stage of all.  Football has an incredible power to bridge social, cultural and geographical divides and “The Happiness Flag” is the perfect illustration of this power, creating a shared experience for people.”

Speto, who also created the Coca-Cola 2014 FIFA World Cup TM VIS, was quick to respond to the challenge to create a design for the flag.  “When we first briefed Speto, he told us, ‘While Brazil and Argentina have a historic rivalry in football, in art, we are comrades,’” recalls Brad Fields, Coca-Cola Global Licensing Manager, “And that’s what this project is all about: ‘Hilltop’ on a flag’” – in reference to the iconic 1971 Coca-Cola ad featuring a multinational chorus of young people gathering on a hilltop in Italy to sing together.

Producing “The Happiness Flag” was a logistically complex task that required close coordination among multiple players.  Once Speto and Tec completed their canvas painting,Coca-Cola sent a digitized version to Robert Silvers.

Over the last few months, Silvers recreated the colorful flag design with fan photos posted towww.happinessflag.com and shipped the finished product, section by section, to Rio de Janeiro, where it was printed.

The digital version of the flag will live on www.happinessflag.com where consumers will be able to see an aerial shot of the flag and hover over the mosaic to explore the photos.  Fans who submitted photos will now receive a link to see exactly where they were on the flag – and on the pitch and are encouraged to share their photo using #worldscup.

The Happiness Flag is the latest activation in the largest marketing campaign in the history ofThe Coca-Cola Company, “ The World’s Cup”, which has been brought to life through a number of key global programs to celebrate the inclusive spirit shared by Coca-Cola, football and the tournament’s host country, Brazil.  

Highlights from ‘The World’s Cup’:

·         The FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola traveled an epic 92,000 miles around the world visiting 90 countries and offering over 1 million fans the opportunity to experience the real FIFA World Cup™ trophy

·         A series of poignant short films entitled Where Will Happiness Strike Next? – shot during the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour by Coca-Cola – capture the ability of football to help people triumph over adversity.  13 films have been released to date, clocking in over 15 million views worldwide.

• A global music anthem for the Coca-Cola 2014 FIFA World Cup™ campaign ‘The World is Ours’ – by David Correy featuring Monobloco takes inspiration from the sounds and rhythms of Brazil.  To date, ‘The World is Ours’ has 32 local versions recorded around the world.  Coca-Cola released a refreshed version with the help of American soul-singer, Aloe Blacc.  The song, ‘The World is Ours by Aloe Blacc x David Correy’ is featured on the official FIFA World Cup™ Album, “One Love, One Rhythm”.
• In a vibrant visual expression of the campaign, a uniquely Brazilian visual identity designed by Sao Paulo-based street-artist Speto has underpinned the campaign and is now visible on packaging, equipment and point-of-sale, to hundreds of thousands of customers in 175 countries around the world.
• “One World, One Game” – a global television and digital film which tells the stories of four football teams from four different corners of the world who have each overcome challenges through their love of football.  The teams’ experience will culminate in Brazil on June 16th when they will have the honor of carrying the national team flags onto the pitch at Germany vs. Portugal.
• Coca-Cola is leveraging two global digital platforms – a partnership with Quiz Up, a trivia-based game and the fast-growing app for iOS and Android covering 40 topics across the beautiful game and Coca-Cola history.  The creation of the Coca-Cola fan album in partnership with Panini has already seen 2.2 million users register for the game, with 146 million stickers traded worldwide.

Joe Tripodi, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, TheCoca-Cola Company, said of the campaign, “We set out on a journey to deliver the largest and most inclusive marketing program in our history.  Through ‘The World’s Cup’ we brought Brazil to the world and now, wherever you live, whoever you support, Coca-Cola is looking forward to welcoming you to Brazil to celebrate with the host country for the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.”

During the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, Coca-Cola Journey will act as a hub for all ‘ The World’s Cup’ campaign content, providing a single destination for media and consumers to experience the campaign and highlights from the brand during the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in Brazil.

The Coca-Cola Company has had a long-standing relationship with FIFA since 1974 and has been an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™ since 1978.  Coca-Cola has had stadium advertising at every FIFA World Cup™ since 1950 and is a long-time supporter of football at all levels.

About The Coca-Cola Company 

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands.  Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company’s portfolio features 17 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade,Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks.  Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day.  With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate.  Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates.