COCA-COLA GETS NOSTALGIC ABOUT HOCKEY
By Adnews Staff
Toronto-based Coca-Cola Canada is celebrating the closing of Maple Leaf Gardens and the opening of the Air Canada Centre, both in Toronto. The soft drink marketer has created two limited edition commemorative bottles of Coca-Cola Classic to mark the final game at the gardens and the first game at the Air Canada Centre. Both bottles sport Coke's contour shape, are glass and green in color. The label design on the Maple Leaf Gardens bottle features the official 1931-1999 garden logo and final game information featuring the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago BlackHawks on Feb. 13. The bottle for the Air Canada Centre features the slogan, "Celebrating the Inaugural game at the Air Canada Centre," as well as the game date and two teams playing, the Leafs and the Montreal Canadians. In addition, Coca-Cola launched a contest last week, offering hockey fans a chance to win three "Road Trips" to see their favorite NHL team for four people. The prize includes airfare, accommodations and game tickets for three consecutive NHL regular season games of the winner's choice of any one NHL team anywhere in the U.S. or Canada during the 1999/2000 season. Other prizes include NHL team jerseys. Prizes are won by looking under the cap liners of Coca-Cola Classic bottles and on the inside of 12 and 24-packs of Coke. The promotion will be supported using Coca-Cola's Web site and a TV ad in English Canada. The ad was created by Cossette Communication-Marketing of Toronto.