COKE SUPPORTS OLYMPIC SPONSORSHIP
By Adnews Staff
U.S.-based Coca-Cola is celebrating the 1998 Olympic Games in Nagano with several promotions. In Canada, the company will launch two TV ads promoting its sponsorship of the games later this month. In addition, Coca-Cola will sponsor a nightly program during the Olympics called "The Inside Edge." This feature will provide Olympic fans with an insider's look at the events and Canadian athletes they will be cheering on. The ads will be created by Weiden & Kennedy of Portland, Oregon, while Optimedia of Toronto will handle Canadian media buying. On the retail level, Coca-Cola will offer Olympic pins and in-store draws. High school students in major Canadian cities can submit essays beginning in January about why the Olympic games are important to their family. The first prize winner will receive a $5,000 IBM computer for themselves and one for their school. Ten runners-up will each receive a Roots Coca-Cola Olympic fleece jacket, and $500 for their school. Last November, the company launched an under the cap promotion in Canada. Consumers can look under the caps of specially-marked 600ml and one-litre bottles of Coca-Cola Classic and Diet Coke for a chance to instantly win one of five trips to the 1998 World Hockey Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. There is also a one in six chance of winning a free 600 ml Coca-Cola product. This promotion is being supported with radio and transit advertising created by MacLaren McCann of Toronto, while Optimedia did the media buy.